Steam & Excursion > New Rail bike service to be joined by SMS Steam Loco #9

Tomorrow begins a new rail bike operation between Swedesboro, NJ and few miles south to Woodstown, NJ, originally West Jersey & Seashore Railroad. This rail bike service is owned by Revolution Rails of North Creek, NY, in agreement with SMS Rails of nearby Bridgeport.  This line was purchased by Salem county when the Glass works were active but the line had decayed so much the carrier wanted to abandon it while it still had traffic.  The county contracted operation to private business, and Pioneer Rail Corp. became a second operator. Next it was contracted to Southern RR Co. of NJ that had a base at Winslow Jct.  Interchange had been at Swedesboro with Conrail Shared Assets, but to save expense, the CSA permitted SRRof NJ to interchange at Woodbury just off the Penns Grove Branch.  Then SMS bid on an new contract with Salem County and won the operating right on the line from Salem to Swedesboro.  Then traffic went to zero in Salem even while the entire branch was rebuilt with good ties, rail, and trestle rebuilt. But SRR of NJ refused to give up their service to Swedesboro when there was seasonal farm traffic, and at Woodbury where a customer is receiving potatoes that they bag and deliver to supermarkets. 
  
There is a real secret behind all this investment in the Salem Branch as it is the nearest railroad at Acton to the Salem Nuclear Power plant on Artificial Island.  The new plans are to dismantle the nuclear plant and replace it with a wind farm forest off the coast of New Jersey and Delaware.  And to build that forest they intend to create a large construction yard just north of and adjacent to this nuclear plant on the edge of Delaware Bay.  They only have to build 10 miles of new track to reach these sites.  A railroad was not needed to build the plant but one is needed to move radioactive material away from the plant.  The wind turbines will be built on tower set in the ocean floor and all toll will be higher than Washington Monument.  Besides the blades there will be tons of material used to construct this wind forest of turbines.     
Before all this begins, SMS has rebuilt former US Army steam locomotive at Pureland Industrial Park a few miles away and per publication by Salem County we learn of SMS intent to begin steam passenger tourist train also between Swedesboro to Woodstown this summer.  Southern RR of NJ tells us that Conrail Shared Assets retained any operating right to Swedesboro when they got their extension into Woodbury.  That means that SMS only has to get agreement from CSA to move their steam locomotive from Pureland to Woodbury over the Penns Grove Br. and then down to Swedesboro via their Salem Branch.   Or they can lowboy truck it the 3.5 miles east to Swedesboro.  The Salem Brach track has become overgrown with weeds account of rare use of the tracks but if they steam the track by using the steam locomotive and a push cart covered with a large canvas being dragged and holding the steam, they can clear their track without chemical spraying.  Even 210 degree water will cause a plant to dehydrate and die.   There is a wye at Salem that would need to be rebuilt and cleared off but this switcher Number 9 can run in either direction with no problem.  It last steam service was on the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad.  
 

I might read this if it wasn't two huge small type blobs...
Some of us are getting old.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA