Metuchen

In the grand scheme of railroad history, the 1977 derailment of a freight train in Metuchen was a decidedly minor event.

There are “new” stops along the Northeast Corridor. Others — such as North Rahway — are gone, but the line is otherwise much the way I remember it.

By the late 1970s, railroad were not in a state of good repair. The issue over railroad safety and repair became an issue after a June 1977 Conrail derailment in Metuchen, N.J. In that wreck, 17 cars derailed and took the busy Northeast Corridor out of commission.