NJ TURNPIKE

For all these years posting pictures and telling stories about the badges I have collected I never mentioned the New Jersey Turnpike in any detail. God knows I wouldn't have been able to travel South or North in my Garden State. Still I didn't mention it.

The Pike was built in my life time - 1949. I guess they started construction just after WW II. That sounds like it was created as a job maker rather then travel necessity.

It begins in Fort Lee, NJ at the George Washington Bridge, and travels to its' terminus at Carneys Point, NJ. That is a course of 123 miles. With all the Cars, Trucks and Buses it is the 6th busiest road in our good old United States.

The Turnpike uses State Police for its' enforcement needs, however (the reason for this entire article) The Turnpike Authority maintained its own police force. Toll collecting was the primary job.

So (getting closer to the point of this story) with a police unit there had to be uniforms and a command structure. Of course there would be Badges. I have a rank set (that's the point).

Here is what the collection looks like as a group. At the top is the "Captain" badge, with his lapel pins for his rank. Underneath and working down are the breast and hat badges for: "Lieutenant," Sergeant," and "Toll Collector."

Naturally each badge shown is unique because, at the bottom of the circular panel, is the number "1949". That represents the year the Turnpike Authority was created.

Below the badges are shown up nice and close. They look nice.

I can't say this is a display I always craved having. The badges are nice and do trigger some nice memories of drives in the summer to various points on the Jersey Shore. The main attraction was Atlantic City. That triggers even more memories.

It looks like I am beginning to get "trigger happy' with those memories and such, so I'll stop and put the display away. It can keep me tuned into the world sitting next to the rest of my collection.