Belvidere Delaware Railroad
| Locale | New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1851–1871 (as an independent operator), 1957 (on paper) |
| Successor | United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Trenton New Jersey |
The Belvidere Delaware Railroad (Bel Del) was a railroad running along the eastern shore of the Delaware River from Trenton, New Jersey north via Phillipsburg, New Jersey to the small village of Manunka Chunk, New Jersey. It served as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) system, carrying mainly anthracite coal and iron ore from northeastern Pennsylvania to population centers along the coast.
The Belvidere-Delaware Railroad was chartered on March 2, 1836 and was constructed between 1850 and 1855 from Trenton along the Delaware River north to Belvidere, New Jersey. The Trenton-Lambertville section opened on February 6, 1851, eventually reaching Belvidere on November 5, 1855.
On June 7, 1854, the Bel-Del agreed to operate the Flemington Railroad and Transportation Company, where a connection was made with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) at Flemington, New Jersey. LV coal trains began using the Bel-Del in January 1856, joining the Bel-Del by the LV's bridge over the Delaware River where it connection in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. An extension was then completed in 1864 that gave the Bel-Del access to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) at Manunka Chunk, and permitted trains to operate via trackage rights to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania through the Delaware Water Gap. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) began operating the Bel Del as the Belvidere Division of the United Railroads of New Jersey Grand Division in 1871 and purchased the line soon afterwards. The Belvidere-Delaware Railroad and the Flemington Railroad & Transportation Company then merged on February 16, 1885 to form the Belvidere Delaware Railroad. For much of the late 19th century and early 20th century the railroad line proved vitally useful.
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