Liberty Island states. The oyster beds would remain a major source of food for nearly three centuries. Landfilling, started by the 1870s, particularly by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey, eventually obliterated the beds, engulfed one island and brought the shoreline much closer to the others. After the surrender of Fort Amsterdam by the Dutch to the British in 1664, the English governor Richard Nicolls granted the island to Captain Robert Needham. It was sold to Isaac Bedloe on December 23, 1667. The island was retained by his estate until 1732 when it was sold for five shillings
Christmas Island Phosphate Co.'s Railway key objective of the Wickham railcars was to provide rolling stock for the "School Train". A few flat wagons were also modified for transporting passengers. These were for instance used for the "Picture Train", to transport passengers to and from the island’s cinema. There were also two unusual rail vehicles for carrying passengers on an incline. Christmas Island Phosphate Co.'s Railway The Christmas Island Phosphate Co.'s Railway was a 19.7 km (12¼ miles) long industrial railway between Flying Fish Cove and South Point on Christmas Island. The standard gauge track with 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) gauge was laid