Jersey Shore’s ghost tracks are back: Nor’easters reveal buried rail history

March 15, 2018

(Source: www.nj.com 03/12/2018)

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In this long-exposure image, the “ghost tracks” in Cape May County are revealed. Photographers Werner Tedesco and Dave Callahan used lights to simulate a train engine on the tracks over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of Werner Tedesco)

By Caitlyn Stulpin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The back-to-back nor’easters that have battered New Jersey this month with crippling snow and frustrating power outages have at least one, albeit fleeting, silver lining.

The famed “ghost tracks” along a remote stretch of Jersey Shore beach have once again been revealed by the shifting tides, and stunning photos of the temporary re-emergence have flooded social media sites like the Cool Cape May Facebook group.

“It feels sort of like you came across buried treasure,” said Samantha Heely, a 34-year-old Lower Township resident who was among many to visit Higbee Beach over the weekend to catch a glimpse.

Heele said she first saw the tracks when they were uncovered briefly last summer and has spent time reading up on the rail history of Cape May County.

“It was even better this time because I knew what I was looking it,” she said. “I know some of their history, I know that this eerie thing happens every now and again and I know where to look.”

The latest section to be uncovered on Higbee Beach on the bay in Lower Township is more intact and level than the segment that appeared last summer. It closely resembles the stretch of deteriorating track that caught everyone’s attention in November 2014. The tracks are north of Sunset Beach, the landmark location where the sunken concrete ship remains visible off the coast.

The rail line served many purposes throughout the early-and mid-1900s including support for sand mining facilities and munitions testing during World War I. Once they fell into disuse, tides buried the tracks in sand.

A set of century-old railroad tracks was unearthed in the Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area in Lower Township, as seen here on Thursday, July 20, 2017. (Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com)

The occasional reemergence has become a local event, particularly for photographers like Dave Callahan and Werner Tedesco, who created some long-exposure night images while using lights to simulate a train traveling on the tracks.

The tracks are currently only visible at low tide and at times, appear to trail off into the Delaware Bay.

(Photo courtesy Werner Tedesco)

With another nor’easter storm looming on Tuesday, the tides could shift once again, burying the history until the next storm, or revealing more of the past.

“It’s one of those things I’ll keep in mind,” said Heely. “Storms can be dangerous around here, but when things clear out there’s a good chance the ghost tracks will show back up for us to get a look at.”

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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