Official Black River Railroad Historic Trust Thread

[wolfboy8171981]

We moved just under 250 passengers on Saturday to the North Pole on our Santa Express. Sundays numbers were about the same. We moved about 360 passengers on Saturday night to the North Pole on our North Pole Express train ride.

[Ken W2KB]

Sitting in the office at Ringoes right now getting set to take another couple hundred more to the North Pole tonight. Ho. Ho. Ho. or rather, not HO but prototype.

[Ken W2KB]

Happy and healthy New Year to all!

[pierrerabbit]

I passed the Three Bridges yard today as H76 was pulling into town, and I thought I saw 8142 sitting in the yard. Is she inbound from Phillipsburg?

[PVRX1]

BDRV 8142 has been on the BRW for a couple weeks now.

752 is currently assigned to the BDRV.

Generally 1202 is drained for the winter due to its lack of a block heating system.

[R36 Combine Coach]

So 1202 will be back for spring? It is a regular on passenger service.

[Ken W2KB]

So 1202 will be back for spring? It is a regular on passenger service.

That is indeterminate at this time. The Lehigh Valley 112 S1 will most likely not be ready in time for the spring opening, but hopefully will be used later in the year. Steam engine 60 is expected to power some weekends. Options of bringing another non-BR&W diesel locomotive on the property are being investigated by the Trust. To my knowledge no firm decision has yet been made.

[wolfboy8171981]

So 1202 will be back for spring? It is a regular on passenger service.

BDRV #1202 will be around for the Easter Bunny trains in the early spring.

We have not yet finalized our 2011 operating season. We hope to do so by mid Febuary.

[rwk]

#60 is returning to service in 2011 for the first time since when, 2000? Is there any plans to go to Lambertville in the future? Or, to go to Three Bridges with an excursion train? It would be nice to have a steam trip from Flemington to Lambertville or Ringoes to Three Bridges or even Lambertville to Three Bridges someday. How many miles is it total from Lambert to TB and between the towns? Isn't the current excursion route from Flemington to Ringoes 5 miles? 7 miles to Lambertville? 5 miles to Three Bridges? So, it would be 17 miles total? The line south of Flemington to Lambertville is former PRR, is it? But, the line to Three Bridges is former CNJ? The PRR section was actually a branch off the Bel-Del from Lambertville to Flemington, and the CNJ line was a branch from Somerville, is there no more track beyond Three Bridges? So, it simply junctions with NS (former Lehigh Valley and Conrail main) and that's it? If only Bel-Del could rebuild the track from Milford to Lambertville to extend the line and run special excursions from Pburg to Lambertville, lol. I was wondering when they started using the name "Black River Railroad Historic Trust" for the tourist side of the railroad? It's still officially called Black River and Western Railroad though or Black River System for all the divisions like Belvidere and Delaware River, Black River and Western, etc. I'm guessing BR&W is now the freight side and the tourist side is now operated by a separate entity known as the Black River Railroad Historic Trust? And it's all volunteer? Only freight workers get paid? Did the tourist workers used to be paid under BR&W?

[wolfboy8171981]

#60 is returning to service in 2011 for the first time since when, 2000? Is there any plans to go to Lambertville in the future? Or, to go to Three Bridges with an excursion train? It would be nice to have a steam trip from Flemington to Lambertville or Ringoes to Three Bridges or even Lambertville to Three Bridges someday. How many miles is it total from Lambert to TB and between the towns? Isn't the current excursion route from Flemington to Ringoes 5 miles? 7 miles to Lambertville? 5 miles to Three Bridges? So, it would be 17 miles total? The line south of Flemington to Lambertville is former PRR, is it? But, the line to Three Bridges is former CNJ? The PRR section was actually a branch off the Bel-Del from Lambertville to Flemington, and the CNJ line was a branch from Somerville, is there no more track beyond Three Bridges? So, it simply junctions with NS (former Lehigh Valley and Conrail main) and that's it? If only Bel-Del could rebuild the track from Milford to Lambertville to extend the line and run special excursions from Pburg to Lambertville, lol. I was wondering when they started using the name "Black River Railroad Historic Trust" for the tourist side of the railroad? It's still officially called Black River and Western Railroad though or Black River System for all the divisions like Belvidere and Delaware River, Black River and Western, etc. I'm guessing BR&W is now the freight side and the tourist side is now operated by a separate entity known as the Black River Railroad Historic Trust? And it's all volunteer? Only freight workers get paid? Did the tourist workers used to be paid under BR&W?

Let's see.
#60 last ran during the 2001 operating system.
The tracks to Lambertville have been out of servce since the 1998 operating season. We have no plans to go back there in the short term, but are open to getting there in the long term. We have yet to announce or 2011 schedule yet, but we may be offering a Ringoes-Three Bridges trip or a Flemington-Three Bridges trip. Lambertville to Three Bridges is 16 miles. 6 miles from Lambertville to Ringoes, 5 miles from Ringoes to Flemington and 4 miles to Three Bridges. Yes the line from Flemington to Three Bridges is the ex-CNJ Central Branch. The Lambertville to Flemington section is about a mile of former Bel-Del main line and then the PRR Flemington branch. there was about another mile of track north of the switch for Flemington in Lambertville that the BR&W served Trap Rock Industries in the 70's and 80's. Before ConRail the BR&W interchange was with the PRR/PC in Lambertville around the location of Rt.29, and the CNJ in Flemington. In 1972 CNJ sold the Central Branch to the BR&W from Flemington to the Hunterdon county line, and RS-3 #1554. When ConRail took over in 1976 they desired to move the BR&W interchange from Lambertville so they could close the Bel-Del line, to somewhere along the LV main. A location was chosen in Three Bridges and that was the new interchange location. The rest of the unused CNJ ROW was sold. In 1995 the Belvidere and Delaware River Railway was formed to take over the operation from Conrail of the Milford Secondary. Other operations followed and collectively they are know as the Black River System. In 2004 a decision was made to create a non-profit group to continue the passenger operations of the BR&W. At first we worked with the BR&W and most aspects of the business were split. As time moved on we, as a group, have taken on most, and now all of the responsablity of running the tourist trains. The tourist trains have ALWAYS been non paid volunteers, and that continues today under the BRRHT.

[Matt Johnson]

Let's see.
#60 last ran during the 2001 operating system.

Wow, I didn't know she'd been out of service that long! My grandparents used to take me to ride the BR&W as a kid back in the early 80's, but unfortunately I don't think I have any photos of those trips. I also remember them taking me to ride behind steam at the Pine Creek RR at Allaire - I think it's been over a decade now since they had steam too! (Still some unique equipment there today, though!)

[bigjim4life]

I've been thinking about something for a while - I hear people complaining about the BR&W track conditions, that it's rough, bouncy, the cars are all over the place - and the one bridge that trains have to crawl over at a snail's pace, that it's due to weight restrictions? (correct me if I'm wrong on that) How will the BR&W track, if it's in a less-than-great condition, be able to handle #60 pulling her cars? If it's supposedly bad already with just diesels, won't a much heavier steam engine cause more havoc on the tracks? Or have upgrades been made over the winter?

[wolfboy8171981]

I've been thinking about something for a while - I hear people complaining about the BR&W track conditions, that it's rough, bouncy, the cars are all over the place - and the one bridge that trains have to crawl over at a snail's pace, that it's due to weight restrictions? (correct me if I'm wrong on that) How will the BR&W track, if it's in a less-than-great condition, be able to handle #60 pulling her cars? If it's supposedly bad already with just diesels, won't a much heavier steam engine cause more havoc on the tracks? Or have upgrades been made over the winter?

These "people" are hardly track inspectors. There is nothing wrong with the track conditions.

[bigjim4life]

I've been thinking about something for a while - I hear people complaining about the BR&W track conditions, that it's rough, bouncy, the cars are all over the place - and the one bridge that trains have to crawl over at a snail's pace, that it's due to weight restrictions? (correct me if I'm wrong on that) How will the BR&W track, if it's in a less-than-great condition, be able to handle #60 pulling her cars? If it's supposedly bad already with just diesels, won't a much heavier steam engine cause more havoc on the tracks? Or have upgrades been made over the winter?

These "people" are hardly track inspectors. There is nothing wrong with the track conditions.

Thanks for clearing that up then. But about the bridge - why is it then that the train has to slow to a crawl when it gets there?

[wolfboy8171981]

Thanks for clearing that up then. But about the bridge - why is it then that the train has to slow to a crawl when it gets there?

The Copper Hill Trestle, like the rest of the line, is rated for 286,000lbs. There has been a 5 MPH speed on the bridge for at least the last 15 years. There are no defects on the bridge.