The Atlantic City of the 19th century owed its existence to the railroads. As the century ended, tens of thousands of riders made the journey” by rail each weekend to what was known as the “world’s playground.” One of the reasons for the popularity was the speed that allowed visitors to arrive from nearby cities.

The Philadelphia Record in 1896 reported, “Railroad men say that the fastest scheduled train in the world is the four o’clock flyer on the Atlantic City Railroad, which is expected to…