Nostalgia & History > CR's 5676 on what is now NJT's RVL

It was a gray day back in February, 1979 that found CR 5676, former CNJ EMD GP7, heading west on what is NJT's Raritan Valley Line with a mixed consist passing by the Lebanon, NJ station. Sitting on the siding is an unidentified steam engine. This local might be making a stop in High Bridge or Rudl Fencing Company (no longer in existence)  in Glen Gardner as I recall seeing they did receive boxcars of lumber.

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Steam locomotive looks like FEC 4-6-2 #148 (now US Sugar) which operated on the Black River & Western in the 1970's.  They stopped using the engine in the late 70's so it being stored here in the picture in NJ near the B&RW aligns with its history.

Yes, FEC 148. The loco was supposed to go to the Adirondack Railway in New York state but the plans fell through. Some work was done to prep the loco for movement to New York but we were pulled off the project I believe in 1978. My memory is a little hazy on the date that we stopped working on it. We spent a number of fun filled days in Lebanon working on it!

I didn't get to the Adirondack until the end in 1980, but I recall in late July of '80 that "the steam engine is coming really soon and Lester Foley is going to run it".
By mid - August it was really all over.
 

train1275 Wrote:
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> I didn't get to the Adirondack until the end in
> 1980, but I recall in late July of '80 that "the
> steam engine is coming really soon and Lester
> Foley is going to run it".
> By mid - August it was really all over.
>  
Yes, that was the line given right up until the end of the Adirondack Railway. Most of us knew by the early summer of 1980 that steam was not going to make an appearance there! One of the reasons Les Foley and some of the others were hired is because they had steam experience from back in the day on the NYC! Along with FEC 148, the CN 3254 and the DLW 565 were supposed to come to the Adirondacks. The railroad was also going  to lease a Pacific from Steamtown - I can't remember which one though! We flew over to Vermont in the VP's private plane to inspect it. Never heard why we didn't take it but I assume Steamtown wanted cash up front and that is certainly something we didn't have!!!!

No cash up front and no cash out back either !!

Just imagine if all those visions of Frank & Company came true !!

train1275 Wrote:
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> No cash up front and no cash out back either !!
>
> Just imagine if all those visions of Frank &
> Company came true !!

Definitely no cash out the back! Just ask the suppliers and employees! 
I think it could have been quite an operation had we had leadership that knew how to run and grow the business! The success of the present operator is a testament to that! Frank certainly was a visionary for sure but he needed someone who was grounded in reality to help him get to where he wanted the company to go and we never really had that person onboard!

Well it certainly wasn't Scott Thompson !

I wish it had worked, we ran a heck of an operation when it ran. Rather amazing actually what we did pull off.

 

train1275 Wrote:
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> Well it certainly wasn't Scott Thompson !
>
> I wish it had worked, we ran a heck of an
> operation when it ran. Rather amazing actually
> what we did pull off.
>
>  Absolutely! What we did with almost nothing to work with was amazing! Looking back, I'm glad I was a part of it!