Horse Car Railroads

The pioneers in street car traffic were the Orange and Newark Horse Car Railroad Company, who obtained a charter from the Legislature in 1859. This road had its origin in the dissatisfaction which was felt among the people of the Oranges at the wretched management of the old Morris and Essex Railroad.
The owners of the new horse car company decided to construct a line from Orange to the Market Street Depot, which would enable the residents of Orange to avail themselves of the facilities offered by the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company (Pennsylvania Railroad). Lawsuits were filed against this proposal by business owners on Market Street. In December 1860 the courts ruled in favor of the Horse Car Railroad. The outbreak of the Civil War delayed the start of the project until the spring of 1862. The first track was laid through Market, Bank and Warren Streets to Roseville (today that path is known as West Market Street). Soon Orange was connected to the Market Street Train Depot.
A number of other Horse Car Railroad lines sprung up serving Elizabeth, Irvington, South Orange, Montclair & Bloomfield. In 1890 a Philadelphia syndicate took control of all the street car lines in Newark with the exception of the South Orange Line and consolidated them under the title of the Newark Passenger Railway Company. During the late 1880's, electrification of the horse cars began.