What Happened To........

I moved to North Jersey (Passaic County) in 1973 when I was 9 years old. One of the things I remember as I was growing up was driving down Hamburg Tpk. into Wayne with my parents and seeing the steam locomotive that was a part of the Victoria Station restaurant. The building is still there although the locomotive is long gone. The locomotive sat on a section of track on the side of the parking lot. The restaurant itself had a caboose and a dining car attached to as theme dining rooms. I don't recall when the locomotive left, but over the years the restaurant changed hands numerous times. It is now an office housing a business named 'Partners In Research'. The caboose and the dining car are still a part of the structure, I assume as offices.


Several questions:

1) What type of locomotive was she?

2) What railroad(s) owned her before she came to Wayne?

3) Where did she go when after she left Wayne?

4) Does anyone have pictures of her while she was at the restaurant in Wayne?

I currently work for the Wayne PD as a dispatcher but haven't been able to find anyone here who can answer any of the above questions (and there are a fair amount of railfans in this department).

Any information will be greatly appreciated.


Joe P :D
Long Live The EL!
www.geocities.com/jmpwpd29

The locomotive you refer to is ex-DL&W 565 a 2-6-0. She was built for the Lackawanna, eventually sold to the Dansville & Mount Morris. IN the 1960's it was acquired by private owners for operation on the then borning Black River & Western tourist operation in Chester. It was moved to Flemington but never operated there. It was eventually purchased by Tony Citro the owner of the restaurant. After many years of display it was moved to the Morris County Central for operation then to the New Hope & Ivyland for restoration. The restoration was never completed though many of the parts have been recovered. There is then a long sordid tale of purchases and sales culminating in the locomotive being on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton PA..

The foregoing is a much much abbreviated version of the locomotive's history based on a recent email from another subscriber to this list. With luck, if he can, he may post additional details.

RS115,

Wow, wasn't expecting an answer that fast! I do appreciate the info, though. At least with her being in Steamtown there is less chance that she'll be scrapped. Too bad she'll probably never be under steam again.

Thanks again!

Joe P :D
Long Live The EL!
www.geocities.com/jmpwpd29