The conductor of the New Jersey Transit train coming out of Dover, N.J., had never heard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before April 26. But on this Sunday morning, he was impressed as he watched wave after wave of well-dressed LDS families board his train.

The train had been reserved by the Morristown New Jersey Stake to transport members to Madison Square Garden where they would hear and see President Gordon B. Hinckley in a special member meeting. The meeting was the largest gathering of Church members ever held in New York City. (See May 3 Church News.)Members dubbed the train, the "Mormon Express," and before the Morris & Essex Line had completed its nine stops, 1,249 members were aboard.

"That's 50 percent more than we had at our recent stake conference," said Pres. Jack E. Jeppson of the Morristown New Jersey Stake.

"As I worked my way to the front of the train shaking hands," he said, "there was this sense of heightened emotion among the members, a feeling of happiness and celebration and reverence. Members sensed that something larger than life was about to take place."

Members riding the "Mormon Express" were among the 4,300 members who traveled to the member meeting on four separately reserved trains across New Jersey.

For Pres. Jeppson, the idea to reserve a train started several months prior to President Hinckley's visit. Pres. Jeppson and stake leaders considered the challenges of transporting hundreds of members to Manhattan - where parking is expensive and traffic congested. They decided that the only safe and reasonable means of travel was the mass transit system.

"There are serious logistical obstacles to moving this many people to Manhattan," Pres. Jeppson said. "We wanted a simple, safe means of getting to the city so those who didn't know the transit system, or who didn't care to venture into the big city, would still feel inclined to go.

"We couldn't figure any other way to move so many people," he said. "We considered it a wonderful success."

The "Mormon Express" was among four trains arranged for through the New Jersey Transit (NJT) to transport members from around the state.

"We started getting calls for reservations of train cars in early March," explained Alvina Wilson of the NJT Hoboken Group Sales Office. "But we had a hard time coordinating the more than 24 separate requests from members and leaders all over the state."

Alan Iglehart of the Morristown stake and Charles Smith and Gary Carter of the East Brunswick New Jersey Stake were assigned to coordinate the needs of the surrounding 12 stakes and worked with NJT to organize schedules.

"Coordinating these trains for the Latter-day Saints was second only to the effort to what New Jersey Transit does each year for New Year's Eve at Times Square," said Joanne Gilligan, NJT customer service and group sales.

Based on average sacrament meeting attendance, it was estimated that 4,200 members would ride the train if tickets were reasonably priced. A week before the member meeting, New Jersey Transit confirmed schedules for four trains with a ticket price of $4 per seat, a reduction in price from the typical $17.50 ticket.

The North Jersey Coast Line started at Point Pleasant Beach, then traveled the New Jersey Atlantic coastline, making 22 stops.

The Raritan Valley Line started in Raritan, in western New Jersey, making 11 stops before transfering its passengers to the North East Corridor Line in Newark's Penn Station, who then proceeded into New York City.

The North East Corridor Line started in Trenton and picked up members from Pennsylvania, who drove to New Jersey to catch the train, and members who transferred from the Raritan line.

Finally, the "Mormon Express," or Morris & Essex Line, started in Dover, N.J., with members from New Jersey and a large group from stakes in Scranton and Reading, Pa. The train ride was one hour 15 minutes and made nine stops picking up members in the Morristown, Caldwell and Scotch Plains New Jersey stakes. The train traveled to New York's Penn Station where members disembarked and rode escalators to Madison Square Garden located above the station.

Pres. Jeppson said the New Jersey Transit was helpful and courteous. He cited three examples: A returning train departed later than scheduled to wait for members who were delayed in leaving the meeting; members who missed their appointed train were given courtesy tickets and allowed to travel on other trains without added expense; and two extra train cars were opened in Raritan to accommodate an unexpectedly large group so all would have seats.

As a token of appreciation, members were careful to leave the trains clean and neat, Pres. Jeppson said.