Look: WWI-era railroad tracks resurface on beach
Written by RT&S Staff
If the tide is right, a set of WWI-era railroad tracks come back to life in New Jersey.
Sunset Beach Facebook
Not everything from World War I has perished. Railroad tracks used during the time period have reappeared in Cape May’s Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area in New Jersey. Due to effects of the low tide, the rusted tracks and wooden ties at Sunset Beach are now in full view.
The tracks were built in the early 20th century by the Cape May Sand Company and served as an industrial spur of the Atlantic City Royal Route. Cape May Sand Company started a mining operation in 1905.
During World War I, the tracks were used for moving munitions and cannons along the coast.
Cape May Sand Company would continue mining and dredging sand from the beach after the war. The sand was used for glass and cement products, and thousands of tons were transported a year. The operation, however, stopped in 1936 over concerns the sand would be depleted on nearby beaches.
Shifting sands from the low tide first revealed the railroad tracks back in 2014. About 100 ft of the steel rail and crossties were exposed on Sunset Beach.
Read more articles on short line railroads.
