P-R SHORE LINES HAT BUTTONS, NEW OLD STOCK

Description

Two gold color hat buttons from the P-R Shore Lines Railroad. Measures approximately 5/8" across. Reverse side reads AMERICAN RAILWAY SUPPLY CO which was established in 1891 and was in business until the early 1920s which means these buttons are at least 100 years old. Please see photographs. Carefully shipped via USPS with tracking information.
In the early 20th century
Atlantic City
and the South Jersey
seashore
were major seaside
vacation
destinations for the
Philadelphia area
's
wealthy
and
working class
populations. The popularity of South Jersey's seashore was made possible by
rail transport
which provided inexpensive and fast service between the Philadelphia area's population centers and the seashore.
[1]
There were two competing railroad companies connecting
Camden
(and by
ferry
to Philadelphia), with the resorts of the Southern New Jersey seashore.
[2]
Competition was fierce and by its height in the 1920s competition between the
West Jersey and Seashore Railroad
(WJ&S, owned by the
Pennsylvania Railroad
) and the
Atlantic City Railroad
(owned by the
Philadelphia and Reading Railway
) was so intense that at one time both lines boasted some of the fastest trains in the world.
[1]
Trains
often raced one another so as to be the first to arrive at their destination. Racing was encouraged by the fact that in many areas, the two lines were only several hundred feet apart. On the Cape May lines, the trains were in sight of each other for 11 miles between
Cape May Court House
and
Cape May
. Over the last 5 miles into Cape May, the
tracks
were only 50 feet apart.