Ripples From Time

Has anyone driven down Main Street in Lake Como lately? If you've headed south down Main, between 17th and 18th Avenues, you may have noticed a series of ripples in the asphalt. These bumps are linear, equally spaced, and repeat along a good portion of the roadway. A similar pattern can be found crossing the road just before you leave Spring Lake on Brighton Ave. Go see for yourself…. I'll wait. Now that you're back you're probably saying “What's causing these odd waves??”

Well, these disturbances are evidence from a time long ago. A time when rails were used more commonly to move people and products. This summer you may have noticed NJ Transit’s railroad tie replacement, ensuring safe and comfortable commutes. They do this as the wooden supports begin to rot. This same type of rot is exactly what causes the emergence of patterned potholes on our roads. 

Before we venture back down Main Street we offer a quick explanation of Brighton Plaza’s rotting roadway. If you follow the pattern of decaying ties beneath the asphalt, they represent one of many railroad sidings once serving Spring Lake. Lewis Lumber Company took deliveries on this rail spur. The lumber yard occupied both sides of Brighton Ave, including the north side’s long narrow building still used today by businesses. According to aerial photography, the rail siding served the yard into the 1960s but was paved over by 1970. Smaller lumber and supply yards disappeared over time merging into regional supply yards. At one time Spring Lake had 3 construction material depots - Lewis Lumber, Megill Lumber, and Wyckham Coal & Lumber. It's amazing to see shadows of the Lewis yard more than 50 years later!

Now, going back down Main Street. No, the railroad didn’t travel this way through Belmar at any time. However, a passenger trolley did! During the early 1900s, the Atlantic Coast Electric Railway ran up and down the shore between Long Branch and Manasquan. Automobiles and buses weren't yet a part of travel so people paid a 5 cent fare for a trolley ride. This electrified railway traversed Main Street through Belmar and entered Spring Lake on 3rd Avenue. The rail line turned right on South Blvd, left on 4th, right on Morris, and left on 5th where it eventually crossed Wreck Pond. Unfortunately, the electric trolley's life was short lived as it lost favor to cars and buses by the 1930s. Soon after, the lines were paved over. Even more impressive than Lewis Lumber’s spur are these rail ties’ reemergence on Main Street 100 years later!

Another piece of trolley evidence ripples through Wreck Pond today as NJ Transit rumbles down the railroad track. Concentric circles emanate from former trolley bridge piers, somehow still visible in the water today. Next low tide, head down to Shore Road about 100 feet east of the railroad. Near the shore line you'll see 4 small posts arranged in a square. Trace a line across the pond towards Sea Girt and you'll see a large cropping of piers behind the house at the western terminus of the Terrace. These wood pilings show where the trolley continued into Sea Girt, onto 5th, and down Beacon. Pretty cool!

While these shadows are our most current peek into the trolley's history, there have been others. Between 10-15 years ago similar strips dotted 5th Ave past the firehouse and towards the south end of town. At this time, trolley rails became visible from beneath the crackling asphalt. These rails were mostly removed during a subsequent repaving process. Big Don saved a long piece of track and cut pieces to share with fellow Spring Lake historians.

Although I'm jealous of those who experienced the electric trolley, I'm fortunate to have my own trolley memories. Lucky for me, a group of Spring Lake residents and business owners founded the Spring Lake Trolley Co. in the late 1980s. These enterprising individuals operate the trolley to shuttle tourists and accommodate for parking shortages in the Borough. My great grandma, Gladys Combs or Grandma Goose as we knew her, would take my brother Ben and I for rides on this scenic trolley in the early 1990s. For a 50 cent fare the trolley would loop around town and past the beachfront. This is a pretty cool first memory of Spring to have enjoyed with our great grandma. I am eternally grateful for those who make Spring Lake a special place to live!