For more than four decades, the Shore Fast Line carried passengers between Atlantic City and Ocean City, passing through the mainland communities of Pleasantville, Northfield, Linwood and Somers Point.
Operated by the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad, the electric interurban railway opened in 1907. Its approximately 11-mile route offered residents and visitors a direct connection between the two resort cities at a time when trolley travel played a central role in transportation along the Jersey Shore.
The line traveled over mainland tracks before crossing Great Egg Harbor Bay into Ocean City on a trestle. Its cars became a sight as they moved passengers to work, shopping districts and shore destinations. The railway also helped connect communities that were growing alongside the tourism industry.
The Shore Fast Line survived changing travel habits and the increasing popularity of automobiles, but its operation became more difficult during the 1940s. Storm damage to the viaduct in 1948 proved costly at a time when trolley systems across the country were declining. Rebuilding the structure was considered too expensive, and the railway ended service that year.
Although the trolley cars disappeared, part of the former route remains visible today. About 6 miles of the old right of way between Pleasantville and Somers Point were repurposed for a bike path, creating a recreational corridor through mainland communities.
The railway also may have left its mark on one of America’s best-known board games. Historical accounts have linked the Monopoly board’s Short Line railroad to the Shore Fast Line, whose name was reportedly shortened on an early handmade version of the Atlantic City-themed game.
Today, the path and surviving photographs offer reminders of an era when electric rail connected South Jersey communities and made travel between Atlantic City and Ocean City possible long before the region became dominated by automobiles.
