From 1933 to 1976, the Wildwood-Cape May, New Jersey area and the entire southern New Jersey region was serviced by the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL).  It was created as a joint venture between two competing railroads, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company.

Our local model train store, Holly Beach Train Depot in Wildwood, has remembered the PRSL by creating a line of limited-production M.T.H. O-scale freight cars which feature a combination of PRSL logos and local markings.

The store’s 20th anniversary commemorative boxcar in 2014 was the first of the series, which now includes a gondola, a tank car, and several other cars shown below.

The maroon box car has markings for “Holly Beach Station, Wildwood”, and the gondola and tank car respectively reference the “Cold Spring Yard, Wildwood, N.J.” and “Ottens Harbor Fuel Co.,  Wildwood N.J.”

A light gray covered hopper was added in 2017 and has markings for the “Northwest Magnesite Plant”, which was located in Lower Township, near the borough of Cape May Point.  The site was adjacent to Sunset Beach, a popular tourist attraction on the Delaware Bay which features the remains of a sunken concrete ship which ran aground a few hundred yards from shore. The magnesite plant was built during World War II and was operational until 1982.  Rail service to the area ceased in July of 1983.

The flatcar is maroon and has PRSL markings in white.  It features cargo containers destined for Hunts Pier, a very popular former amusement pier on the world-famous Wildwood Boardwalk.

In 2019, an M.T.H. Proto3 locomotive was added to the series.  The PRSL AS-616 diesel replicates a typical engine that the PRSL used for both freight and passenger service, as shown in the photo taken September 2, 1965, in Haddonfield, New Jersey.  (Photo Credit: Roger Puta)

This locomotive model was very well-received locally and an order for a second run was placed in 2022.

In May of 2020, an awesome maroon lighted caboose was added, featuring white PRSL lettering, a red PRSL logo and bright yellow handrails on the front and rear of the car.

A unique piece added in 2022 was a Flatcar with PRSL lettering and red logo, carrying a trailer with markings “PHILADELPHIA OVERNIGHT to WILDWOOD”.  The trailer also is designated “Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines” with the PRSL red logo.

Recently, a stunning blue gondola has been added to the local South Jersey lineup; however, unlike previous items, this car does not have PRSL markings, but rather those of the Wildwood & Delaware Bay Short Line, a small local rail service.

Future additions to the Holly Beach Train Depot series are being planned now.  Next up was a PRSL “Cape May Sand Co.” Sand Hopper, a photo of which will be added soon.

A detailed history of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines can be found on Wikipedia.