Vintage Trolley *Courtesy of URHS

At the last Historical Preservation Commission Meeting on Thursday, June 5, 2014, three gentlemen came and spoke about a proposal for a Transportation Heritage Museum or Park for Perth Amboy. The proposed location would be on the East side of the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Rail Line between Market Street and the Raritan River. These gentlemen represented the United Railroad Historical Society, a registered 501c-3 non-profit. Each of these gentlemen spoke about the importance of preserving old trolleys, train cars, buses and fire trucks.

Their collections are from all corners of New Jersey and they want to find an appropriate location to display and operate their vintage vehicles. These men explored over 40 New Jersey locations over a period of 30 years. Their decision to propose to come to Perth Amboy came about when they spoke with Tracy Jordan who knew that they were looking for a centralized place to house their best vehicles. Tracy suggested they try Perth Amboy which is geographically central to New Jersey; it’s along the North Jersey Coastline; there is the proposed Transit Village; the proximity of numerous major highways and let’s not forget – the historic district of Perth Amboy which includes being a part of the Coastal Heritage Trail.

Perth Amboy has been described as one of the ten most historic cities in the United States. Our City is full of historic “firsts” as well as many other significant historical monuments. A Transportation Heritage Park could be a part of that. The trolley in Perth Amboy was an integral part of the growth of our City until the 1930’s.

The proposed museum would utilize tracks along a narrow ½ mile section of dormant land West of Second Street and parallel to the railroad. At first, there will be only a few pieces, then more would be brought in as the museum achieves success over time.

This proposed Transportation Heritage Park would be a positive step in revitalizing the City of Perth Amboy. By creating a Transportation Heritage Attraction it will generate tourism and a reason for people to come visit Perth Amboy for the entire day. These tourists will then patronize local restaurants, discover our fabulous (in the process of being rebuilt) Waterfront and visit the other historic destinations in the City.

At the same time we are boosting tourism, we will be teaching future generations about the history of transportation as well as the importance of Perth Amboy in that history.

There is a ripple effect in motion when someone takes interest in your town. When opportunity comes, one has to grip onto it with both hands and don’t let go! That opportunity may only come by your way once, so don’t let it pass you by.

We thank Bill McKelvey who was able to answer our questions to make our article much more comprehensive .

– K.M.