The PJ&B (“Princeton Junction and Back”), better known as the “Dinky” railroad, was constructed in 1865 to connect the town of Princeton to the main tracks going to New York, Philadelphia and beyond.  In the time before cars and buses, the Dinky provided frequent and reliable service to and from the campus.  Arriving visitors were greeted by the impressive sight of Princeton’s first collegiate gothic dormitory, Blair Hall, and the spires of the luxurious Witherspoon Hall.  When the train station pictured here was built in 1896, there were four tracks and extensive sidings to accommodate both commercial shipping and the weekend influxes of football fans.  In 1913, the entire town gathered at this spot to see President-elect Woodrow Wilson off to his inauguration.  Four years later, the station was razed and a new one constructed a quarter-mile down campus to allow for dormitory construction.

• To learn more about the significance of trains in Princeton history, see quotation #1.
  
  
• To learn more about Witherspoon Hall, see quotation #11 and Café Vivian picture #11.
  
  
• To learn more about campus grounds and buildings, see icon #1, 5, and 8, quotation #5, 7, 9, 28, and 39, and Café Vivian picture #4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 16, 20, 25, 30, 33, 37, 40, 46, 48, 54, 58, 61, 62, 67, 68, 78, 85, 87, 95, 100, 101, 102, 104, 105, 108, 109, 111, 118, 124, 127, and 133.

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