Feature Articles 3 Departments 2 The NYS&W In Paulina Fred Heilich President’s Message John Stocker 10 Bel-Del News Les Coleman H 13 Maywood Station Historical Committee Ed Kaminski i All! Well the 2012 Season is now underway and I am looking forward to seeing all the smiling faces on the Kids and their Parents. Thomas will be back this year, as well as the other popular trains we run. We are also looking to add some more track this year. Don is looking to have his 45 Tonner running and out working the rails. The M-2 and M-4 are now at the Baer Shop. There are a lot of plans in the works and we need you to help them come to fruition. As always there are tons of things to do and so little time to do them. Your help will make it happen. Come out and give what time you can, be it an hour or a day, it all helps. Upcoming work in 2012. Getting the M1 ready for Passenger service. Working on the M-2 and M4 Turning the 501 into the Snack Car Coach Work Brush cutting along the ROW Painting the Gift Car Working on the 18 Let’s continue to work together and make 2012 a Great Year for all aspects of our Society! As always, my “door” is always open to you, our members. Looking forward to seeing you “Out on the Rails” President John Stocker President John Stocker 2 Don Young busy preparing the new fire grates for #142. 15 18 From The Current Time Table Ralph Bonanno Shop Talk Martin Den Bleyker Covers Front: Westbound NYS&W Freight at Paulina Lake with Bridge #2 in background. Photo: Fred Heilich Rear Top: NYSW #3012 on the SU-100 in Ridgefield Park NJ 11-1-10 Photo: Ed Kaminski Rear Bottom: A great night photo taken during the Lerro Productions night photo shoot in November. Photo: Jim Lipnitz
View of NYS&W ROW, Belet House in foreground, and the “Long” House in background late 1930’s s you drive road north out of Blairstown on Route 94, you pass a cluster of dwellings on each side of the highway. It’s hard to imagine that in the last decades of the 1800’s and first decade of 1900, this was the prosperous village of Paulina, NJ. In the late 1800’s Paulina was part of Frelinghuysen Township on the south bank of the Paulins Kill and Hardwick Township on the north side of the Kill. Paulina would later became a part of Blairstown Township. Beside the residences, Paulina hosted a sash and coffin manufactory, a general store/blacksmith’s shop that was last run by Hub Quick as a garage, an apple jack distillery on Mingle Rd, Presbyterian Church, Hotel, school, post office (in the Frelinghuysen section), a mill with dam that later became the Blair Academy laundry/water works/electric plant, an ax helve (ax handle) factory was located on the opposite side of the Paulina dam and a cider mill/saw mill operated by Hub Quick. Today the cider mill and the apple jack distillery are residences as is the sash works that in past years was known as the “long house”. The post office is still recognizable with its 1870’s false front as an attachment of the house it was always a part. On 1 October 1881 the NYS&W railroad bought John I. Blair’s 11 1/3 mile Blairstown Railway that ran along the Paulins Kill 3 from Blairstown to Delaware where it interchanged with the DL&W. However, in mid 1881 the NYS&W was already purchasing land for its route to Stroudsburg, PA from Beaver Lake (Two Bridges), NJ. Construction began on 1 July 1881 from Blairstown east toward Marksboro with the contract having been awarded to Mr. J. G. Todd of Somerset County. There were a total of 64 horses and 167 men working at various locations grading the right of way. The 400 foot rock cut at Paulina was under the supervision of a Mr. Ball with a force of 14 men. The fill from the Kill Rd. crossing (now East Crisman-Kill Rd) to the first bridge was the charge of Mr. J. Rosenkrans. The bridge in Paulina was constructed by the Practical Bridge Builders with Mr. Thaddeus Van Scoten the foreman. The road along the Kill near the A. J. Hill residence (near the present day Alana Lodge that was the old Lanterman farm) was relocated with the work under the supervision of Mr. Jonah Crisman. The cut between the second and third bridge above Blairstown was supervised by Mr. J. Whitesell. On April 7, 1882 the Susquehanna took formal possession of the Blairstown Railway. On a May 1, 1882 NYS&W broadside schedule there was no passenger between Beaver Lake and Blairstown, but the Blair(Continued on page 6)
May 1, 1882 NYS&W Schedule before Service from Two Bridges, NJ 4
June 4, 1883 NYS&W Schedule Showing Completed Line to Stroudsburg, PA 5
Eastbound NYS&W Freight late 1930’s stown Railway trains were listed from Blairstown to Delaware. However, on a June 4, 1883 NYS&W broadside schedule through service was listed in addition the Delaware Branch. It showed that Paulina had two daily passenger stops in each direction and one on Sunday. By the late 1890’s Paulina was reduced to a flag stop. After 1900, it no longer appeared on the printed schedules. Paulina only had a passenger platform next to track and there was a post with a sign “Paulina” next to the platform. It was on the Blairstown side of the Kill Rd. crossing The first bridge above Blairstown at Paulina was replaced in 1892 with a new iron bridge. In 1923 the bridges in the Paulins Kill valley were all upgraded in order to handle the heavier trains that were running on the Susquehanna and the Lehigh and New England that had trackage rights on the NYS&W from Hainesburg Jct. to Swartswood Jct. The ruling grade for the line was Hainesburg Jct. to Swartswood Jct. The L&NE had steam pushers with the auxiliary tender engine on the rear truck stationed at Hainesburg. These were employed until the late 1940’s. In early 1896 the John I. Blair and Blair Academy interests were in a heated discussion with the NYS&W over the costs of raising the first and second bridges and the ROW 2 feet so that the Paulina dam could be raised to allow more water to be impounded in the Paulina Lake for the operation of the Blair Laundry/Water Works/Electric Light Plant during the low water periods. The raising of the water was to be accomplished with the incorporation of 8 foot sections of wooden gates that would hold the additional water and would be dropped during periods of high water and heavy rains. The Blair interests and the railroad agreed originally on a $500 cost that then increased $750. The railroad stated that the price was getting up to $1000 for 50 cars of rip rapping stone, but 6 would not include the cost for the track crew and the equipment. The Blair interests said the NYS&W was raising the costs to take unfair advantage of John I. Blair’s wealth. The monies were to be paid by a personal check from Mr. W. H. Vail in such a way as to be outside the railroad’s operating expenses with the check to be made out to Mr. McKelvey the General Superintendent of the NYS&W. After numerous letters of correspondence and meetings between the JIB and Blair Academy’s people and NYS&W parties, the matter was closed on August 12, 1897 when the $500 check was received by the railroad and the final agreement returned to the Blair Academy Trustees. This matter had dragged on for almost 18 months On August 19, 1955, the area was devastated by the second hurricane within a week, Hurricane Diane, causing tremendous damage along the stretch from Marksboro to Paulina. The worst location was a wash out near the north pier of the first bridge above Blairstown. In order to relieve the water pressure against the bridge and the ROW embankment, Jerry Kennedy and Jacques Belet placed a light charge to remove a portion of the embankment. When the L&NE ceased operations in early August 1962, there was little need for the NYS&W to continue operations through Blairstown from Sparta Jct. to Hainesburg Jct. On August 29, 1962 the last NYS&W freight on that portion of line was an extra to pick up cars along the route. The next trains were that of the scrapers. By December 1962 the last of the rail through Paulina was lifted and the line was offered for sale and the property was finally sold to the City of Newark for a proposed water line from the ill-fated Tocks Westbound Freight, in Photo is Jacques Belet ex DL&W Cut-Off Section Foreman in early 1950’s View of Paulina in 1930’s
Paulina Dam with the Gates Up First Bridge East of Blairstown undergoing updating in 1940’s Island Reservoir project. The line then passed to the NJ DEP Green Acres in the late 1980’s-1990’s to become the Paulinskill Valley Trail. The basis of this article was from my book “The History of the Blairstown Railway” printed by the Railroadians of America in 1981 for which I own the copyright. I have gathered and/or acquired additional information over the last 30 years since the book was published. Fred W. Heilich III is member #49 of the NTW&S T&HS. He spent much time at the old family house in Paulina over the years and remembers the daily NYS&W and L&NE freights and that went past the house that was located 23 feet from the centerline of the ROW. During the summer the 5 MU’d NYS&W engines would struggle up the grade heading east out of Blairstown toward Marksboro with all the long hood hatches open to stay cool. There was at least one fantrip for the L&NE that he remembers going in each direction with Reading equipment one summer day in the late 50’s. Fred comes from a railroad family. He is a railroad historian and has written several magazine articles, contributed to several books on north Jersey railroads, and wrote “The History of the Blairstown Railway”. He has retired from a 40+ year career in aerospace industry, and maintains a locomotive engineer’s license. Westbound L&NE Freight in mid-1950’s Eastbound LN&E Freight mid-1950’s 7
Top left: Water backed up against Bridge #1 during Hurricane Diane in 1955 Top right: Washout at Bridge #1 Middle left: NYS&W ROW Washout after Light Charge set-off during Hurricane Diane in 1955 Middle right: Another View of the aftermath of Hurricane Diane in 1955 Left: The Blairstown Section Gang at Blairstown Station in 1948
1918 NYS&W Valuation Map showing part of the Paulina Area
This year we also added a second Bunny, since the train was 3 cars longer, and both (Devin Stasik and Derek Angell) delighted young and old alike with their dancing and happy ways. Along with the Banjo player and Juggler, there was plenty of activity to keep everyone entertained. Regular Season A s reported in the last Reflector, there has been plenty of activity working on our passenger cars. The future snack car 501, M-2 and M-4 finally arrived on the BelDel, but not in time to get into service for Polar Express. Since we needed a snack car, the M-1 was pressed into temporary service. Joe Trench finished installing a new marine grade plywood floor, then built a new snack counter, which will eventually be transferred into the 501 once the rehab work is done. Until then the M-1 is our snack car (see picture). Once the 501 is in service, the M-1 will then be restored as a passenger car and put back into service for the Winery Train, as a deluxe coach and for special events. Work will continue throughout the season on the regular coaches, as seats need repair, the car body and vestibules need body work and paint, and floor tiles need replacing. Dylan Vieytes has been busy sanding, pr iming and painting the vestibules. Wayne Nilsen has been busy rebuilding the Plymouth #18, ex Morris County Central (see picture in Shop Talk Section). A few of the long time members of the NYSWTHS came from the old MCC so she is very an important part of our history. Don Chadruc has been busy working on his 45 tonner, and leading crews to replace the missing 150 feet of rail in Holland and brush cut all the way to Milford in an effort to reclaim the south end of the line. Work has also begun in Reigelsville to grade and plan trackwork for the run around and shop area. Gary Matthews has secured the building and started to use it for long term storage. Polar Express We had another banner year on the Polar Express, completely selling out 28 trips and sending over 17,000 riders home happy. The new snack car and gift cars were great additions, and with them separated kept the crowds and lines to a minimum, which also helped sales increase by 10% over 2010. The service hutch that was added to the snack car proved to be a tremendous help in prepping and distributing the hot chocolate and cookies to the children. This season also saw the addition of 2 new Santa’s to the SSS( Susquehanna Santa Society), Mike McCann and Chuck Hoernig. They both spent a day trailing Santa and learning the ropes, then donned the suit to the delight of one and all. Both reported they totally enjoyed the experience, and promised to return and do it again next season. Easter Chris Cotty spent a lot of time promoting our Easter trips, and the results are in the seats. This year saw a 10% increase in riders for Easter, making it necessary to add the bilevels to the train. Without them the trains would have been packed like a can of sardines. Again, the gift car and snack car proved invaluable, and that was reflected in sales. 10 The regular season has begun, and to date ridership on the Winery train is up. The 142 will make its debut Memorial Day weekend, and passed its FRA inspection with flying colors. It should be mentioned here too that the BRW’s 60 has also passed its hydro inspection and could see service soon. Work has been done at the mine to upgrade and improve the exploding mine shaft, and plans are being made for upgrades to the station area for our Days Out With Thomas. It all points to another banner year on the BelDel. Promotions Student Engineer – Nick Zisa, and Steve James Student Conductors – Larry Gross, Bob Smith, Joe Hart Bunnies Devin Stasak (l) and Derek Angell( r) consulting on bunny business during the 2012 Easter Bunny Train Ride and Egg Hunt
Current President John Stocker awards past President Walter Booth a lifetime honorary membership to the Society. Congratulations Walter! In April the movie “Black Dog Red Dog” filmed a scene on the Bel-Del. In this scene actress Chloë Sevigny and actor Logan Marshall-Greene were filmed on our train riding along the Delaware. Many of our crew were featured as extras. Right: Chloë and Logan can be seen preparing for a scene while our crew stands by. Below Left and Right Chloë and Logan relax at the mine. Several major films have featured out equipment, most notably “Cider House Rules” with Michael Kane and Toby McGuire Photos: Dylan Vieytes The M-1 as converted to a snack car for use during the Polar Express and Easter Bunny Train Ride. Photo: Tom Cross 11
behind an old signal box waiting to jump on a coal train. They were wearing just pants and t shirts. Well it started raining and they jumped on a coal train heading west. After some time it started raining harder and harder and their clothes started disappearing! It turns out they used to dump the old acid from the acid batteries next to the signal boxes. When they were lying on the ground the acid got on their clothes and the rain caused the acid to eat away at their clothing! George said they ended up far from home just about naked, their clothes having been eaten away! He laughed so hard when he related his parent’s reaction to the call from the police! I used to love listening to his stories and all of us at the NYSWTHS will miss him. It is with great sadness that I must report that long time NYSWTHS member George Childs passed away on March 14th, 2012. George was born on Feb 17th in 1941 George was a union electrician by trade but also worked driving a bus for both Arrow bus tours and New jersey Transit. Most notably George worked on the NYS&W Transfer, the bus that brought passengers from NYC to the NYSW railroad on Tonnelle Avenue just under Route 3. George was very involved with the Tech Society and loved working in the kitchen of the diner. On many of our trips you would find George busy at work cooking for passengers and crew alike! If something broke, George could always be counted on to “rig” something to get us up and running again! One of George’s greatest qualities was his wonderful sense of humor. There isn’t a week that goes by when I don’t recount one of his amazing stories. One of my favorites he quite often told was of the time he and a friend were hiding The Susquehanna Transfer bus that George use to drive dropping passengers off at “Susquehanna Transfer”. George working with Bill “Shaggy” Kunath in the diner on one of our many trips. George framed by our identical twin elves. George just sat down to relax after cooking all day on the Santa Train. 12
By Ed Kaminski Santa and NJ Operation Toy Train Visited Maywood Station on December 10, 2011Santa made a special visit to the Maywood Station Museum for the 10th Annual Santa at Maywood Station on December 10, 2011. A record turnout of children and their parents visited the museum while Santa met with each good little boy and girl and every child received a bag of treats courtesy of Myron Corporation, Operation Lifesaver, Atlas Model Railroad Company, Atlas O, LLC, PikoAmerica, the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway and the Maywood Station Historical Committee. Each child attending was also given a free chance to win special raffle prizes including a BMW Roadster Child's Pedal Car courtesy of Park Ave BMW, which was won by Annabella Tucci: An Atlas O-Gauge Complete Train Set, courtesy of Atlas O, LLC, which was won by Jabran Babar; an Atlas H.O. Scale Starter Train Set courtesy of Atlas Model Railroad Company, which was won by Wei Zhang; a Wooden Train Set courtesy of Children Are Creative, which was won by Luke Weisgerber; a Zoo Animal Train Set courtesy of Children Are Creative, which was won by Jayden Soto; and an Alphabet Train Puzzle courtesy of Children Are Creative, which was won by Christian Bueno. Immediately before the Maywood Station Museum's 10th Annual Santa at Maywood Station event, the Military Transport Association ran a special NJ Operation Toy Train to Maywood Station where it stopped to collect donations of new, unwrapped toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots Foundation. Visitors were invited to experience a variety of working railroad equipment and meet members of the U. S. Marine Corps, Military Transport Association and the Maywood Station Historical Committee. After the Maywood Station stop, the train continued onto additional collection points in northern New Jersey on Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th collecting new, unwrapped toys along the route. Four railroads loaned engines, rolling stock, and use of their tracks to NJ Operation Toy Train including the New York, Susquehanna & Western; Morristown & Erie; Norfolk Southern; and New Jersey Transit. The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community where the campaigns are conducted. The Maywood Police Department also set up a collection point for toys at their headquarters at 15 Park Avenue, Maywood in advance of NJ Operation Toy Train and delivered the toys to the train when it arrived at Maywood Station. The Maywood Station Museum's 10th Annual Santa at Maywood Station event was held on December 10, 2011. The above photos show scenes during Santa’s visit. A record turnout of visitors came to see Santa. (All above photos by Ed Kaminski) 13
The MSHC 2011 Year in Review Year 2011 was an extremely busy time for the Maywood Station Museum. Aside from the usual preservation and maintenance items, which must be addressed as they come up, membership undertook a very challenging schedule of museum open house events including a new series of free concerts at the station. A highlight of 2011 included the Maywood Station Museum receiving the 2011 Bergen County Historic Preservation Award in the category of Preservation or Restoration of a Historic Structure, Site or Object on May 26th for its work to restore New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad ALCO S-2 Locomotive #206. The locomotive previously was added in 2009 to the National and State of New Jersey Historic Register’s. The Maywood Station Museum received the award from the Bergen County Historic Advisory Board at a ceremony at Hackensack’s Historic Church on the Green conducted by the Bergen County Assembly, Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. Year 2011 also brought many new additions and donations to the museum and portions of the interior of the station museum was remodeled by the membership and new displays and photographs added. Public attendance figures to the museum’s 2011 schedule of three open houses on Wednesday evenings and three Sunday afternoons between May and November and the Annual Santa at Maywood Station on Saturday, December 10th set a new record. In 2011, we added free concerts on the station grounds to our three Wednesday evening open houses in May, June and August. The concerts were called The Maywood Station Museum Backyard Summer Concert Series and were sponsored by Park Avenue Acura. The concerts featured performances by local bands and musicians and were extremely well received. On October 2nd, the museum hosted what was their most ambitious open house to date – a combined Annual Railroad Day at Maywood Station and RocktoberFest 2011, which featured free concerts by four bands on the station grounds during a 5-hour open house. The event went on flawlessly and it was estimated that over 500 people visited the station that day. For the year, the Maywood Station Museum schedule of six open houses and the Annual Santa at Maywood Station event drew 2577 visitors up from our previous high of 2351 visitors in 2010. Prior year totals were 2289 in year 2009; 1982 in year 2008, 2142 in year 2007, 1967 in year 2006 and 1621 in year 2005. The museum saw an 18% increase in revenue from open houses as compared to year 2010. The books, Maywood - The Borough, The Railroad, and The Station and The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad in New Jersey and continued good sales from Museum Store items including The Maywood Station Story DVD, holiday ornaments, calendars, engraved bricks and Maywood Station models contributed to much of the revenue gains as well as general donations and commercial photo shoots. We invite you in 2012 to visit and experience our museum for the first time if you haven’t already in the past, or come and visit us again and see history. - Ed Kaminski NJ Operation Toy Train led by NYS&W SD40-2 #3018 (top) is shown arriving at Maywood Station on December 10, 2011 to collect new, unwrapped toys for the U. S. Marines Corps Reserve's Tots For Tots Drive; U. S. Marines Corps Reserve members, Santa and his helpers from NJ Operation Toy Train pose for a photo (middle) at Maywood Station while collecting new, unwrapped toys for the U. S. Marines Corps Reserve's Tots For Tots Drive; and a view (above) of NJ Operation Toy Train next to MSHC Caboose #24542 before departing Maywood Station for more collection stops along the route of the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway in northern New Jersey. (All above photos by Ed Kaminski) 14
C&D, contaminated soil, and plastics traffic, this was offset by increases in automotive, food grade products, lumber/building materials and chemical traffic. Also, a C&D traffic customer will be establishing (or better yet, re-establishing) service in North Bergen, with cars to come in off the NS via Croxton, and the loads to be shipped out via the NYS&W to Binghamton. These cars will be similar to the extend length grey TLAX/ LEWX/FWTX cars, but will be shorter than those, and will wear NS reporting marks. As of mid May, several cars are already on the customer’s siding awaiting start up of operations. As for specific operations themselves, I am a bit lacking MAY 2012 W ell, after an extended absence amidst a whole bunch of events in my personal and professional life, I’m happy to restore this column to the REFLECTOR, and get back into the swing of things, reporting on those events related to the NYS&W. After all, this IS the New York Susquehanna and Western T&HS, so some news from our “home road” should be a regular part of the REFLECTOR. And so, without further adieu (what is “adieu”, and why shouldn’t there be any further of it??) lets get down to brass tacks. The news and events recorded herein are corrected to Mid May 2012, and therefore events may change after press time…… OPERATIONS As a refinement of the preface above, the news here will be primarily of the past few months, as opposed to an extended period. The railroad is doing very well these days in terms of business, both in terms of carloads and new and existing customers. The figures I will cite below are from April of this year, the latest available. Traffic levels in general are very encouraging. The railroad handled almost 1,800 rail cars for the month of April, an increase of 24% over the same period in 2011. For the year to date, the railroad is handling 14% more carloads than this time last year. On the Northern Division for April, traffic was just over 600 carloads, 39% above the same period for 2011. While shipments of asphalt/ aggregates declined during this time, they are expected to rise in May. Several customers increased their rail service this past April, those primarily being Roth Steel, D&I Silica, and Headwaters. Finally, TTX informed the railroad that they will end their lease of storage space on the railroad (several cars were stored along the Southern Tier/CNYK track age) by the end of June. On the Southern Division, overall traffic was increased also, with a total carload count of almost 1,000 cars, up 17% above the month of April 2011. While there were declines in 15 in Northern Division information this time around, but hope to have that rectified soon enough. As always any news and information is welcome, and should be sent to my email address at the end of this column. As for the Southern Division, however…… Things here are (or seem to be) going gangbusters. There are now six jobs on duty every day. WS-1 and WS-3 seem to be the CSX intermodal jobs, primarily handling the stack/TOFC traffic for the inbound and outbound traffic that operates via CSX. CSX had recently changed symbols for much of its intermodal traffic, and here’s how this affects the NYS&W: “Bullet train Q153 (outbound) is now the Q001. The counterpart, the former Q100 is now the Q002. These remain once a week trains. The Q108 (inbound) is now the Q008, and it's counterpart, the Q111/Q169 combo is now the Q003. The former Q118, which used to be a daily stack/UPS train, is now the Q006 and runs once a week, and is soley UPS/TOFC traffic. The stacks on this train now move on other trains to Kearny, NJ and Port Newark, NJ". As for other local operations, the railroad still operates WS3, WS-4, WS-5 and WS-6, all of which sign up between 3 and 5 PM daily, Mon- Fri. The WS-3 generally works between Little Ferry and North Bergen, NJ while the WS-4 will work between Little Ferry, Passaic Jct and on occasion to Paterson, NJ. The WS-5 is usually (but not always) the Sparta turn, and is now traveling to Sparta 5 nights a week, up from 3 nights in the past. Traffic and customers in Sparta have increased significantly since this column last appeared, and its not uncommon for this job to make close to 12 hours on a regular basis. The WS-6 supplements the WS-4 on local work east of Butler, though the WS-5 may also switch customers as well between PC and Butler. In any event, traffic is up, and there is plenty of work to go around these days and the railroad has in fact hired several employees for both divisions within the past couple of years. And on that note, I would like to refer to two specific employees, one from the Southern Division, one from the Northern…. On the Southern Division it is with regret I note the passing of retired engineer (and friend) Robert Aschoff, from cancer earlier this year. Bob had retired a few years back, only to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which took his life after a lengthy battle earlier this year. Aside from this writer, a sizable delegation from the NYS&W paid their respects. Bob hired on in 1974 and had 35+ years of service when he retired. He is missed by all who loved him, lived with him, and who worked with him. Requiscat en Pace. On the Northern Division, long time engineer/conductor Jim Ferrell retired in the fall of 2011. Jim had over 30 years of service, having started on the Penn Central in Crestline, OH. In August 1986, after furlough from Conrail, he began his
career on the NYS&W out of Binghamton. Jim was one of the very few people I know of that it was very difficult to speak of in less than complimentary terms. He seemed to have a permanent smile on him, and even if things didn’t go as planned at work, he still maintained his composure more than most people would. There was no mistaking his voice on the radio, and he always had a smile and a wave for those trackside. The railroad honored him for his years of service with a retirement dinner, and I’m sorry I missed it. Jim now enjoys his retirement free from the phone calls for work and just as importantly, the stays in the Capri hotel. Jim was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and it sure was a pleasure to know him, even though we never worked together. Here’s hoping he enjoys many years of retirement. He earned it ! Ad Multos Annos !!! MOTIVE POWER UPDATE I’m glad to report there is news this time around. By now, its well known the railroad is getting several “new” (as in rebuilt from the frame up) locomotives. These are EMD SD60 models, 3800 HP, six axle locomotives, and are former GATX, nee-EMD “Oakway Leasing” units. As this was being written, the first locomotive in the “fleet”, 3810, has been delivered to home rails from CSX in Syracuse NY with a second unit, 3808 still undergoing testing. The locomotives are being rebuilt in Paducah, KY by VMV, a significant rebuilder of locomotives in the railroad industry. The units will be numbered in the 3800 series (in keeping with past practice of assigning numbers by HP), and will be numbered 3800 - 3810. Once delivered to the NYS&W, they will be “set up” for service. That is, they will have seats, radio, telemetry receiver, GPS, auto start all installed, as well as being filled with fluids above the minimal levels required for shipment from VMV. They will also be inspected, prior to being placed into service, and a GATX technician will be on property to ensure the delivery and placement into service goes without incident. The railroad is making significant capital investment into these units and plans on ensuring all goes smoothly because of that investment. Expect these units to be testing near and around Bing(Continued on page 17) The first of six former Oakway SD60's rebuilt by VMV for the Susquehanna seen here at Paducah KY. Photo Joe Ferguson. 16
hamton before being placed into the road pool that will eventually see them “working as intended” system wide between Syracuse and New Jersey. This should have a lot of people trackside this summer when the fleet is finally delivered and placed in service. As for other power on the railroad these days, the 2 SD45’s, 3618 and 3634 are stored serviceable in Binghamton, a victim of the escalating costs of diesel fuel. They may return to service in the future but at press time, they are stored serviceable, meaning they can be returned to service in relatively short notice. The three SD70’s are also stored ion Binghamton, along with the three GP-20’s with no immediate plans to return them to service at this time. Tunnel motor 3010 is out of service with a mechanical failure and is currently stored. The remaining SD40T-2 tunnel motors are working with the normal rotation of power between northern and southern divisions. At press time the 3012 was in local service on the southern division. Remainder of operations are being handled by 5 blue CEFX SD40-3’s (in SD45 carbodies). As well as GP-382s from both NS and CSX. There is a sixth CEFX unit, 3018, a grey unit, but this is currently OOS at press time. These units may or may not be returned to CEFX once deliveries of the SD60’s is complete, but traffic levels may have them staying around for a bit. For the time being however, the SU-99’s and SU-100’s are pretty much being handled by the CEFX “Bluebirds”. CAPITAL INVESTMENTS I decided to list news of this activity in its own heading, owing to the ongoing activity in this area. With spring comes the time for the NYS&W (and most other railroads) to renew its track, ballast and overall physical plant, and this year is no exception. The emphasis this year is on the Southern Division. There have been close to 50 gondolas of new ties stored wherever the railroad could park them, for a major tie replacement program between Sparta Jct and Warwick NY. Its believed some 19 THOUSAND ties will be replaced in one of the more ambitious projects of its kind on the NYS&W. Gondolas of new ties have been arriving in NJ on the SU-100’s on a regular basis, with the majority of them stored at Newfoundland and Sparta. Installation is ongoing at press time. Another significant development here is the arrival of the first welded rail train. This was received in interchange with the NS via Marion/Croxton at the east end of the southern division. The train was then moved, with southern division power in mid may to Sparta where it will be used to lay new rail, primarily on the NYS&W between Sparta and Warwick. The plan, apparently is to upgrade the former Lehigh & Hudson River portion of the railroad to 40 MPH speed virtually the entire 22 miles. Two additional rail trains are planned for later this summer, with rail replacement east of Butler planned. Aside from the welded rail laid near Franklin Lakes, NJ (MP 30-32) when I-287 was constructed, this is the first welded rail train west of Butler since 1989, when the rail was laid west of Butler over Sparta mountain. The railroad is committed to providing significant service on the Southern Div west of Butler, and this major capital investment reflects that. 17 I am planning on making this column a regular feature of the REFLECTOR. While the internet may provide faster means of obtaining news from a variety of sources, this is still the NYS&W T&HS, and as such, there is an obligation to communicate news and events surrounding our “home” railroad. And as such, while I do have a variety of sources at my finger tips, my professional schedule doesn’t always mean I can retain that information. Therefore, (and here it comes, folks…LOL) I can not do this alone. I need the assistance of anyone who reads this to forward me information as they come across it so as it can be included in the next REFLECTOR. The magazine is only as good as the parts that make it complete, and this column is just as important as the rest of the REFLECTOR. So I ask you, if you have any I nformation (particularly from the northern division), please forward it to my email address as “NYSW THS News“ (or something similar) and every effort will be made to include it in the subsequent issue. That email address is: blet601@gmail.com. Your contributions are greatly appreciated by all who help put this together, as well as the membership who read and enjoy the REFLECTOR. That’s it for this time... Stay safe, and remember: Take only images, leave only footprints. Finally, the railroad also conducted some track geometry testing on the northern division earlier this spring. Testing was done on the Syracuse, Utica, and CNY (Southern Tier) mains. The FRA will also be sending track geometry testing vehicle/railcar in June to test the entire railroad. Stay tuned. Sperry was also on the rails mid May checking the line from Croxton to Syracuse. Editor's Note - Two items of interest: 1) it has been reported that the Rt 17 crossing in Lodi is scheduled for a rebuild this June. Rt 17 will be closed for 3 days in each direction during repairs. There have been several problems with rail splitting/ potholes and cars being damaged in the past few weeks. One has nothing to do with the other, just bad timing. 2) Welded rail trains are working the line between Warwick and Sparta as of press time to replace stick rail and bring the former L&HR part of the line up to 40 MPH. This is the first major rail undertaking on the Southern Division since the reopening of Sparta Mountain. IN CONCLUSION
usual. We had no snow again until January 21st, and that was gone the next day! The following weekend being rather mild, much of the October debris was chipped into mulch. Besides the M-1 coming back to the Bel-Del, other equipment was en route. Our first acquisition, diminutive Plymouth locomotive #18 was trucked onto the property where it is now getting some TLC. The preparation for new paint brought out the Morris County Central, and later GATX lettering. M-2 and M-4 plus another LIRR coach that is intended to become our #501 snack car arrived on March 13th and that put our entire collection there except for the static displays in Maywood. Hopefully, #501 will be readied as a snack car for Polar Express 2012. With M-1 on the Bel-Del property, there was a list The long winter of 2011 finally showed signs of ending on September 4th when the last of 83 staybolts was welded into place. Now it was a race to get the engine put sufficiently back together in two weeks time for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inspector to be present for another hydro test of the boiler. Finally, what started as the winter maintenance program for 142 came to an end with its first 2011 appearance for the public September 25th. At last we could hear a whistle and see smoke drifting over the Delaware Valley just in time for the October pumpkin trains and the railfan events that were rescheduled for November 5th and 6th. But, in a bizarre twist, on the last weekend of the regular season, a freak snowstorm hit the northeast leaving several inches of heavy, wet snow on trees that still had green leaves. We were stopping so often to remove trees or large branches from the track, we couldn’t stay on time and the schedule was shortened. It seemed 142 had already returned to winter, but it was a rare opportunity for photos in the snow. Polar Express 2011 would go well and, after our review for Warner Brothers, we were renewed for three more years. Oddly enough, after the snow, we had four wonderful weekends for the event with warmer than usual temperatures. Despite the tradition of being snowed upon on alternate years, we had only one threat of snow showers the last weekend that didn’t pan out. In fact, all of winter, 2012 was warmer than of things that have to be corrected. Firstly was the floor. The reason for taking the car out of service was the deterioration, brought about by water leaks and the use of cheap plywood in the first restoration done by the Society. Now that the car was being stored outside, finding and correcting the leaks was first on the list. Everything was checked, from cracked seams in the sheet metal to dirt and debris piled so high in the “dome” that it ran over the top of the vents into the car. This time marine grade plywood was used before new floor tile would be laid on it and we want it to stay dry. The original paint job from the first restoration was also redone inside the car. Not only was the ceiling the wrong color, but the many passengers that rode since 1992 placed their wear upon the walls. A fresh coat of paint hides a world of sin. As for the seats, it was bad enough they were not the right color for this historic restoration, but the foam rubber deteriorated so much that when we last used it, we had to sweep up the yellow dust under them NYSWTHS #142 in the snow! Photo: Joe Hart every day. We needed to reupholster them and in the proper color. Fortunately, we have such a business nearby to us who has proved themselves worthy doing seats for the Long Island cars. This will hopefully be done by next summer. Sitting around for five years created other mechanical problems. An air intake to one engine rusted away and various mechanical parts froze or malfunctioned to some extent. The last service the car saw in winter conditions, the heat wasn’t adequate. Basically, every functioning part of the car needed to be inspected and, where found necessary, repaired. 18
The pride of the Society has always been, from the beginning, the Mechanical Department, whose goal has always been to, as closely as possible, restore equipment to the condition it was in when delivered by its manufacturer. Both the technical and historical aspects are there, through displaying this equipment to the public. Although most of the original people involved in the 1990-92 M-1 rebuild aren’t as active any more, it was still back to our roots getting it ready for the public again. Hmm, history repeating itself? When the Delaware River Railroad Excursions started in 2004, it adopted a graphic logo with 142 and the Delaware Turtle prominent upon it. After the Turtle’s two-summer reign, it was replaced on the logo with the M-1. While it played little role in its prior single year here (2004), we are looking forward to a 2012 season that integrates it into the schedule. And with the track work creeping slowly toward Riegelsville, 2012 is shaping up to be a good season. And a quick note about the Susquehanna Seebees making an appearance. Our “B” department had two notable developments in Riegelsville. Firstly, we applied for a grant to rebuild the station as it appeared in the 1950’s, but we were denied, not that we didn’t qualify, there were just too many applicants for the available funds in 2011. The second is an old warehouse on railroad property near to there. In February we took the first step in converting it into our new repair facility. Ultimately, this will require cleanup, electric work, pointing and an extension over a track or two laid next to the building for an enginehouse, but another historic building will be put back to use. A bigger facility is needed with this partial list of the projects in progress or planned: 142 winter maintenance M-1 repair 501 snack car electrical conversion and cosmetic repair Power car conversion Flat car decking, railing and seats Paint jobs for all cars M-2 restoration Platform improvements at Lehigh Junction and Mine stations Once again, I will remind all that this, while not the only, is the most active part of our Society and we can always use more help both in the shop and the train operation. As you can see from the list above, what we need is labor. It is sometimes tiring, sometimes filthy, but always rewarding work and our members’ time is the most valuable resource we have. The satisfaction of seeing M-1, glistening in new paint and ready to run, is all the more gratifying when one has a part in it; in 1992 or 20 years later. No experience necessary, just contact Mechanical@nyswths.org to get involved. - The Plymouth #18 (Ex Morris County Central) undergoing restoration Photo: Dylan Vieytes 19
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