Steam & Excursion > VRA Charter on the Black River & Western - 6/25/16

The Volunteer Railroaders Association sponsored a trip on the Black River & Western Railroad on June 25th, 2016. The star of the show was 1937-built ALCO product #60.

1. Along Pennsylvania Ave just west of Three Bridges.
2. Flemington.
3. "Turntable Junction"

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4. Johanna Farms Road.
5 & 6. The owner's house.

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7. The crew for the evening. HUGE thanks to these guys. They put on a GREAT show and were all very professional. Cannot express that enough.
8. And one from the night session before my camera bettery died on me.

It was a great trip, for a great price. Just $55!! The VRA did this charter as a way to raise funds to help the BR&W get back down to Lambertville, NJ.
- Adam C.

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NIce shots, brings to the question of what's up with that smokebox? It was extended before it was
extended even more!

Out

Great Western Railway did that, on the account they burned a terrible grade of coal. They gave 90 at Strasburg the same treatment. Perhaps the first extension wasn't enough.

callum_out Wrote:
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> NIce shots, brings to the question of what's up
> with that smokebox? It was extended before it was
> extended even more!
>
> Out

I think 75 was also extended.

Did the trip sell well?

The smokebox extension was done at the CB&Q Denver Colorado steam overhaul ,shop to all of the Great Western Steam Locomotives 60,75 51 and 90 in the early 1948.

Wes

I doubt coal quality is a huge issue these days. Question: Why dont they just remove the extension? Doubt it would be that difficult to do.

Nice shots, Adam!  Good to see you there!

As for trip sales - I got the impression from a volunteer early on that many
more photographers and railfans were hoped for - it was after all, and
known to many who signed up, an event primarily to raise funds to help
restore the line from Ringoes, NJ all the way back to Lambertville, NJ,
across the river from New Hope, PA.

As it was, it was a nice sized group for photographers - hopefully, and
entirely likely, most took the opportunity to check off the option to donate
an additional $20 when paying online.

You can help today - however!  The railroad is nearing the end of a fund
drive which could certainly benefit the generousity of those here on TO's
and beyond - feel free, please do, to cross post this link elsewhere:

https://fundrazr.com/c15nIe
(Ends July 5th)

More info about the railroad here:
http://www.flemingtontrain.org/

/Mitch

 

So they had this section of railroad in service 20 years ago, then abandoned it, and now reclaiming it?

unseenthings Wrote:
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> So they had this section of railroad in service 20
> years ago, then abandoned it, and now reclaiming
> it?

The corporate Black River and Western has no reason to reopen it. There are no freight customers to speak of South of Ringoes. The Non Profit Trust is reopening the line with their own funds for excursion service. I applaud them in their efforts as even when the line was in service to Lambertville 20+ years ago, it was in horrible, horrible shape.

It looks like work has also been done on the line North of Ringoes in several areas recently. With the loss of severl customers in and around Flemington over the last 10 years or so, they look to be keeping things afloat with the transfer business in the Ringoes Yard.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/16 06:14 by nhiwwrr.

unseenthings Wrote:
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> So they had this section of railroad in service 20
> years ago, then abandoned it, and now reclaiming
> it?

The Ringoes to Lambertville section was never abandoned, it was just placed out of service, with the last movement in 2003 to move some URHS stored equipment, passenger service ended to Lambertville in 1998.  Surprisingly, the BR&W did some tie work on the section in 1999, but service was never restored.  In 2014 the BRRHT signed an agreement with the BR&W to operate passenger trains on that section of railroad.   The BRRHT is resposible for the costs of tie replacement, bridge timber replacment and grade crossing electrical work.   The line is clear of trees from  Ringoes,NJ MP 6.8 to just south of Hamp Rd under grade bridge approx MP 2.5, and from Bridge St in Lambertville MP 0.1 to the switch on the Bel-Del for the Flemington Branch MP 0.9.   The railroad is in service as far south as MP 6.0.  Tie work has started at a new station site just south of Bowne Sta MP 4.3 and heading north toward MP 6.0 so that they can offer excursions to Woodsedge Farm as an alternitive to the Ringoes - Flemington excursions.   The biggest problem will be funding, all the bridges on the line will need to be re-decked as the BR&W last re-decked them just after they took over maintance on the line from the PRR in 1965.

I hope they can return to Lambertville.  Back in the early 1990's they used to operate a "dinner train" that departed Flemington in the late afternoon and had a 3 hour layover in Lambertville.  This was enough time to eat in Lambertville or across the river in New Hope, PA and take in some of the shops in both towns.  The BR&W used to offer a few shuttles during the layover up the Bel-Del a couple of miles which no doubt added a few buck to the bottom line.

For those of you not familiar with the area, New Hope and Lambertville are very trendy where parking is both expensive and hard to come by.  A great destination for a tourist train.

Tim

njmidland Wrote:
>
> For those of you not familiar with the area, New
> Hope and Lambertville are very trendy where
> parking is both expensive and hard to come by.  A
> great destination for a tourist train.
>
> Tim

And neither railroad has ever benefitted from offering the advantage of taking the train into either town an returning later, simply because people do not wish to be tied down with schedules of trains when they can just park somewhere and walk to town.

NH&I offered service in the early 2000s from Warminster to New Hope, for several years, from May through November, with early and late departures, and the responding crowds were less than acceptable, except for Fall Foliage, which is why those trains still are the only ones still scheduled.

They offered daily service in the 70s with departures from New Hope as early as 7am and as late as 11pm and it failed to attract riders.

BR&W also offered similar service for tourists, with similar paltry results, except for said dinner train. They generally used the 4666 because ridership was so light.

Being attached to a popular town does not give you guaranteed ridership.

What it gives you is the novelty of watching the train arrive or depart from town, as that is what most people visiting said towns enjoy doing, but it doesn't put butts in the seats and that doesn't pay the bills for the railroad.

Almost all successful operations are NOT located in a tourist destination town. Even the Strasburg Railroad is not within a touristy town proper. For the few that are, I'd bet you any amount that the railroad is what made/makes the town touristy. New Hope and Lambertville would survive without either railroad even operating again.

We won't even address ticket prices/parking lot prices with the situation.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/16 07:42 by nhiwwrr.

Thanks for the photos, you did well.  I had prior plans made and missed this event.