The Atsion branch, also known as the Atco branch or Batsto branch, was a railway line in the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, in the United States. It ran from

Atco, New Jersey Atco is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Waterford Township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Philadelphia- Camden metropolitan area, located southeast of Camden. Though gener ...

, to

Atsion, New Jersey Atsion is an unincorporated community located within Shamong Township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community is located next to Atsion Lake. The settlement is located within the Wharton State Forest, and a fore ...

, connecting the Williamstown Branch and the

Atlantic City Line The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage ...

with the Southern Division of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. It was built by the

Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad New Jersey Southern RR and connections The New Jersey Southern Railroad was a railroad that started in 1854. It would continue under this name until the 1870s as a separate company and the lines that it had constructed or run continued to be run ...

under contract in 1862 and eventually became part of the

Central Railroad of New Jersey Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

system. It was abandoned in 1910.

History

The

Camden and Atlantic Railroad The Camden and Atlantic Railroad was a railway company in the United States. It opened the first railway line to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and played an important role in the development of that city. The company was incorporated in 1852 and com ...

completed its main line between

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, and

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, in June 1854. Its charter authorized a branch via

, to Batsto, New Jersey, north of its main line. Nothing was undertaken until the

began building toward Atsion in the early 1860s. The Camden and Atlantic contracted with the Raritan and Delaware Bay to construct a connection between the two lines. The line was completed in September 1862 but was not conveyed to the Camden and Atlantic. The

Camden and Amboy Railroad The Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company, usually shortened to the Camden and Amboy Railroad (C&A), was a railway company in New Jersey. It was incorporated in 1830 and opened its first line in 1832, making it one of the oldest r ...

took legal action against the two railroads, claiming a legal monopoly on traffic between

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. A decision of the

New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals Prior to 1947, the structure of the judiciary in New Jersey was extremely complex, including Court of Errors and Appeals in the last resort in all causes. The Court of Errors and Appeals was the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey from ...

vindicated the Camden and Amboy on November 30, 1867, at which point operation of the line ceased. The branch was conveyed to the Raritan and Delaware Bay on February 16, 1870. Coincident with the conveyance the Raritan and Delaware Bay was renamed the

New Jersey Southern Railroad New Jersey Southern RR and connections The New Jersey Southern Railroad was a railroad that started in 1854. It would continue under this name until the 1870s as a separate company and the lines that it had constructed or run continued to be run ...

. That company was reorganized as the New Jersey Southern Railway on July 30, 1879. The

gained control of that company and its lines on December 15, 1888, although a formal merger did not occur until October 16, 1917. The line was abandoned in 1910.

Notes

References

* * * * {{cite journal , last=Towle , first=Charles L. , title=History of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad and Associated Railroads 1852-1897 , journal=The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin , issue=73 , date=1948 , pages=16–45 , jstor=43517493 Closed railway lines in the United States Railway lines opened in 1862 Railway lines closed in 1910 Central Railroad of New Jersey lines