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North Jersey History Center Online Exhibits

The Morris County Traction Company

Founded in the late 19th century, by the 1920s the electric trolleys of the Morris County Traction Company connected the major towns of Morris County and were a regular feature of the downtown landscape.

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Map showing route of the Morris County Traction Company and connections, New Jersey, c1915.

Map and Survey Collection

 

The red lines indicate the Morris County Traction Company trolley line, while the “pluses” and “dashes” indicate other electric trolley lines and conventional railroads respectively. For 5 cents the trolley ride from the Morristown Green to Summit took 1 hour. In 1922, the Company introduced an unlimited weekly pass for $1, the first such pass in New Jersey.

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One-man trolley, Morris Avenue, Morristown, NJ, 04/20/1920

Curtiss Photograph Collection

In an attempt to lower operating costs, the Morris County Traction Company switched from “two-man” trolleys (one driver and one attendant to collect fares) to “one-man” trolleys.

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Flooded street and trolley off the tracks, Morris Street at Elm Street, Morristown, NJ, 09/09/1924

Curtiss Photograph Collection

A flooded section of road halts trolley service on Morris Street.  In the early 1910s this section of Morris Street was lowered as part of a larger grade separation project for the Lackawanna Railroad train tracks.

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Wrecked trolley car of the Morris County Traction Company, 04/19/1926

Curtiss Photograph Collection

Taking the trolley was not without risk.  A head-on collision between two trolleys in Morristown injured a dozen passengers and prompted a series of investigations.

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Three Investigations Started to Determine Trolley Smash Cause

Jerseyman, 5/3/1926

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Bus Operation Begins Tomorrow

Jerseyman, 1/14/1928

Plagued by shrinking patronage throughout the 1920s, The Morris County Traction Company began switching routes from electric trolley service to gas-powered bus in 1926.  In 1928, the last electric trolley mileage was permanently closed.  Later that year the Company entered foreclosure and was sold to the Public Service Corporation which continued to service some lines and would eventually be integrated into the New Jersey Transit Corporation in 1980.