A Penn Central/New Jersey Department of Transportation set of Jersey Arrow II MUs head west while I await what would be my first solo train ride (on the Palmetto to Wilmington, DE, later boarded from the same platform that the Conrail passenger train is seen pulling up to here). The Jersey Arrow IIs were classifed as MA1G by PC. Built as part of a combined order with SEPTA's Silverliner IVs, the Jersey Arrow IIs were delivered in 1974 and 1975. Although their Silverliner IV brothers still work for SEPTA today, the Arrow IIs were retired by New Jersey Transit some time ago.
The three biggest passenger carriers - Pennsylvania, New York Central, and New Haven - merged to create the ill-fated Penn Central, whose passenger losses and poor service led to the formation of Amtrak and state-owned commuter lines.
Thanks largely to mergers and bankruptcies, New Jersey's commuter railroads underwent profound changes between the end of steam and the takeover by NJ Transit in 1983.
