The Pemberton Township Historic Trust

We have just added another historic piece to our collection. Actaully, we have added another historic Roebling piece to our Roebling collection. Yesterday, we took delivery of the last 45 ton GE center cab diesel from the site. She is complete right down to the side rods. It sat outside for many years with broken glass so the inside as well as the outside need some heavy applications of sandpaper and paint. But on the positive side. the bearings are in good shape as was displayed when the crane slacked off, it began to roll! But at the request of the township, we could not put this at the hgead end of the platform track so we had to assemble a panel track in the old yard and put it there, in very close proximty to the 100 ton GE centercab from Roebling.

So in our Roebling collection, we have a mid '60s 100 ton, a late '30s 45 ton GE centercab diesel, one hopper, one gondola and a flat car, all from the steel mill. The only thing left there now is a lone 80 tonner that will most likely go to scrap since no one came forward to move this. It's understandable since the costs involved are very high.

The balance of our collection is an N5c, an N6b chassis, a CNJ narrow body (not narrow gauge) caboose, a 1923 Tidewater tank car, one of the last NX23s, and our newest addition prior to the 45 tonner, a PS-1 40' boxcar.

Stop by and see our little collection. We are located at 3 Fort Dix Road in Pemberton Township NJ. We are a stones throw from Fort Dix. The equipment is on both sides of the walking trail so you can see it anytime. We just ask that you don't climb on anything.

We also have a nice little museum filled with historic pieces from the tri-county area. It is open Wednesday through Friday from 10-3. Once the grant work is done, we hope to extend those hours/days.

Later!
Mr. Ed

I read an email from a railroad site that in the newspaper Pemerton mayor objected to the new addition and ordered all trains and equipment removed by today,i cannot post the newspaper article but this came from a railroad club member and had a local newspaper article.The old eyesore complaint.

Couier Times and Burlington County Times..friday 3rd and 5th June.

south jersey trains wrote:I read an email from a railroad site that in the newspaper Pemerton mayor objected to the new addition and ordered all trains and equipment removed by today, i cannot post the newspaper article but this came from a railroad club member and had a local newspaper article.The old eyesore complaint.

I don't know why you're unable to post a link to the article and a brief quote for summary? It's customary in these discussions.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/b ... f2438.html

Rail car conflict prompts Pem. Twp. mayor to evict Historic Trust
Posted: Friday, June 3, 2011 5:25 pm | Updated: 7:55 pm, Sun Jun 5, 2011.
By David Levinsky and Mark Zimmaro

But there’s been plenty of incoming traffic over the last decade, much to the chagrin of the township’s mayor, who has ordered the Pemberton Historic Trust to remove its fleet of nearly a dozen retired train cars and engines from the outside of the station as well as its interior displays of local history and railroad artifacts. They have until the end of Sunday to comply with the eviction. At issue is the fleet of train cars, which the trust and its former president, Mike Tamn, have acquired over the last 11 years for display outside the township-owned station, home to a local history museum and gift shop operated by the trust... Patriarca claims the addition violated a municipal order that the trust stop moving vehicles to the property and necessitated the township ending its agreement allowing the organization operate on-site.

Sorry Otto,i have an MSN tv2 and i dont believe i can post,plus im not really good with computers.

This is a pretty frustrating turn of events.

Though i recognize that there appears to be more than meets the eye going on, i do have to wonder, why did they bring in that new locomotive if they were told that they could not? the Mayor of Pemberton has been hostile to this organization for a while now, why press the township's buttons?

I spent several weekends on the tail end of 2007 with my scout troop working on the CNJ caboose in the back. it looks like hell on the outside, but the inside walls have been redone and it should last now. Whats going to happen to that caboose?

Chris, don't you mean it looks good on the outside and rough on the interior? After all you resided the exterior sides.

And for those of you out here, Chris is one of young volunteers that helps out every chance he can. He resided the CNJ caboose with his own funds and friends and family. He raised the funds, bought the materials, primed them, and then put them up. I put the first coat of paint on.

But now there has been a new wrinkle. We have received word that the station is locked and we can only gain access with permission. Time lines have been set that are impossible to meet to regain our facility.

We need everybody to come to our aid by writing to our council to show your support of our organization. They are meeting next Wednesday to redo our lease. The things they want us to do are absurd. If you go to www.pemberton-twp.com and click on the government tab, you will find the council e-mail addresses. Let them know there are others out there that suppport railroad preservation.

We thank you for your support.

Regards
Mr. Ed

""The things they want us to do are absurd.""

What are they asking you to do?
What is the status of your current lease?

I'd love to give you all of the gory details but our attorney has advised us not to make these things public. An article that was posted in the Pemberton Voice on June 1st or 2nd is what started this eviction nonsense all over again.

Our current lease has been vacated. At the township meeting Wednesday night, the council will draw up a new lease.

The bottom line is that we are getting work done that is financed by a grant. Once that work is finished, we become part of the Burlington County historic system and the county gives the township 12 acres of ground next to the township building. The work is only a week or two away from completion so why is the mayor making such a big deal out of this now? Your guess is as good as mine.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Given that I was attending a Janis Ian concert at a coffee house in Voorhees today, I decided to divert a bit in my drive from northern Hunterdon County to look over the Pemberton facility. Granted I am not an unbiased observer given my interest in rail things historical. However, the location of the equipment is such that it is in no way evident to the casual observer from the nearest road. The museum station itself is impressive, as is the apparently newly constructed wooden platform. The equipment is a couple hundred plus or minus feet away from the station and does not detract from that structure. Indeed, some evidence of cosmetic restoration of the equipment is evident, and I expect that most visitors would understand that it is work in progress. The rail trail runs parallel to the equipment, but for most trail user folks it likely provides an interesting point.

The only place where the equipment is in plain sight is from the rear of a Wawa food market, and that is a couple hundred feet away at least.

My impression of the controversy is that it is not founded in the perception of an eyesore by the powers that be, but that characterization is being utilized to disguise the true agenda of the antagonists.

Hopefully all will be favorably resolved and the Trust permitted to continue it most worthwhile efforts.

Thank you for the kind words. Our philosophy is that cars like the gondola and hopper got one coat of paint in their lives and that was the day they rolled out of the factory. The rest of the collection will eventually get painted. We did have the box car, the NX23, the N5c and the N6b chassis closer to the station but moved them down the trail to give the contractor access to rebuild the platform. We did plan on putting the 45 tonner at the head end of the platform with the boxcar and N5c to show what a freight might have looked like in the '50s, '60s and '70s. The 45 tonner is (was) getting our full attention. And as we finished cars like the Tidewater tank car, it too would get added to the consist. And we always have the option of building a second consist on the passing siding using the 100 tonner with Roebling cars and the CNJ caboose.

That is if we can reach an agreement with the mayor.

Later!
Mr. Ed

The Township has placed all the rolling stock, engines, rail etc. up for auction.

http://www.pemberton-twp.com/trainsforsale

Ken, Can I call upon your vast legal expertise to explain part D. of the Conditions of Sale which states: "The property shall be transfered by the township without a bill of sale or other form of title."
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NY&LB wrote:Ken, Can I call upon your vast legal expertise to explain part D. of the Conditions of Sale which states: "The property shall be transfered by the township without a bill of sale or other form of title."
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I too wondered about that one. If you take possession of something, (especially something as significant as a locomotive or piece of rolling stock) without any proof of purchase, could that not be construed as stolen property?

I can only assume that the 30 day period set by the mayor is up and that the rail equipment is considered "abandoned property".

It hasn't been the first time the township has tried fishy things with the trains. Not very long ago, they had everything illegally condemned while the guys were working on it (things need to be over 50% damaged and have three witnesses sign for it. Nothing there is anywhere close to 50% damage). I'm pretty sure that this is because the County may have been willing to still go through with the land transfer if the Historic Trust could show that it would actually restore the equipment (rather than let it all sit there).

Being forced off the property to prevent any attempt at restoring anything is just another aggressive move to remove the trains. I'm not at all surprised that the attempt to sell the equipment is just as fishy as their attempt to condemn them.