January Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s January membership meeting was held at the Francis J. Ward Recreation & Community Center in Audubon, and virtually via Zoom on Monday, January 22, 2024. Eddie Fell (1892-1972) worked his way up from clerk to engineer for the West Jersey & Seashore Railroad and its successor Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. Eddie joined West Jersey Chapter in 1961, and served as Chapter Historian from 1965 until his death. This presentation by WJC President Dave Homer and member Don Lee shows a wide variety of railroad photos from Fell’s collection, with a special emphasis on the transition from steam to diesel power in the 1950s. Due to technical issues, the January 22 recording of this presentation was unusable, so it was presented again on Thursday, January 25. You can play a recording of this presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:10:14.

December Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s December membership meeting was held virtually via Zoom on Thursday, December 28, 2023. National NRHS board member Kevin Feeney visited 30 states and 12 countries during 2023 in search of new railroad adventures, both full-sized and in miniature. This presentation covers just January through May. He shows us places that seem worlds apart such as Abilene, Kansas, Tel Aviv, Israel, and Doha, Qatar. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:40:53.

November Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s November membership meeting was held virtually via Zoom on Monday, November 27, 2023. WJC member Paul Mulligan gave us an update on passenger railroad car restoration efforts underway at the Cape May Seashore Lines yard in Tuckahoe, New Jersey. His last report in 2021 delved into the service history of each of the cars. This time, Paul shows the myriad details involved in making a historic railroad car presentable on the outside, authentic on the inside, and safely operable in exhibition railroad service. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:20:03.

Riverside Historical Society Visit

West Jersey Chapter members Dave Homer, Ron Baile, Ben Makem, Scott Barnes, Randy Acorcey, and Michael & Lynn Burshtin visited the Riverside Historical Society on Saturday, October 28. The society is housed in the former Pennsylvania Railroad Riverside station. Participants met with a few of their members and reviewed notebooks of railroad history accumulated by the historical society, and also got to tour the rest of the museum and enjoyed conversation throughout the afternoon.   Photos by Dave Homer.

October Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s annual meeting and October membership meeting were held at the Audubon Senior Center, and were broadcast live via Zoom on Monday, October 23, 2023. WJC member Michael Froio presented a pictorial tour drawing from historical and contemporary resources to highlight the former PRR Middle Division, the Juniata River, and the beautiful landscape they travel. He includes work by PRR official photographers William Purviance, Frederick Gutekunst, and William Rau as well as his own modern black & white photos. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:08:35.

September Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s September membership meeting was held on Monday, September 25, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center, and was broadcast live via Zoom. During the business meeting, President Dave Homer presented a plaque to Bill Sweeney for his years of service to West Jersey Chapter as Treasurer. Following the break, brothers Dr. William E. Watson, Professor of History at Immaculata College, and the Rev. Dr. J. Francis Watson presented a program on the Duffy’s Cut Project, an investigation into what became of 57 immigrant Irish laborers who perished during the construction of the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad near Malvern, Pa., in 1832. The Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad was a part of Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on any image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:33:29. Photos by John Burlage and Dave Homer.

August Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s August membership meeting was held virtually via Zoom on Monday, August 28, 2023. WJC member Brian Yates presented PRR photos mostly from the post-WW2 years which he selected from the Chapter’s Francis Palmer Collection. Stations, towers, locomotives, and their environs are arranged geographically west to east across the Keystone State. Chapter members filled in additional information throughout. Francis Palmer (1901-1993) initially worked as a PRR clerk, using his railroad travel pass to photograph stations all over the railroad’s territory. After being laid off during the Great Depression he left the railroad industry but turned his attention to documenting locomotives and steamships. WJC purchased his photographic collection after his death. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 49:08.

July Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s July membership meeting was held virtually via Zoom on Monday, July 24, 2023. Trains have played a key part in the annual Army-Navy college football game by bringing spectators and teams to Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium (later JFK Stadium) and Veterans Stadium. WJC Vice President Fred Ciocciola shared his personal photos of the game-day railroad action over the course of 31 years, both at the stadiums and nearby in South Philadelphia. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 43:09.

June Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s June membership meeting was held virtually via Zoom on Monday, June 26, 2023. WJC President Dave Homer presented a program entitled “South Jersey Rail Photos from a Box - Part 2.” Dave kept bumping into a box of donated South Jersey rail photos and decided to see what was inside. Some had captions and dates while others didn’t. This program gave WJC members an opportunity to fill in the blanks, and to connect the photos to familiar places, people, rail equipment, and even classic automobiles. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:07:41.

South Jersey History Fair

West Jersey Chapter participated in the Third Annual South Jersey History Fair, which was held on the grounds outside the historic 1756 Gabreil Daveis Tavern Museum House, 500 3rd Avenue, Glendora, on Saturday, June 10. The event was sponsored by the Gloucester Township Historic & Scenic Preservation Committee. Exhibitors included authors, historic committees, and groups from across all of South Jersey. Several Chapter members and many visitors stopped by to visit. WJC recently acquired two steel wire racks to better display West Jersey Rails Quarterly issues and our books and special publications. Photos by Dave Homer and John Burlage. Additional photo provided by the Gloucester Township Historic & Scenic Preservation Committee.

May Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s May membership meeting was held on Monday, May 22, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center, and was broadcast live via Zoom. WJC Secretary John Burlage presented a program on the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad, featuring his photographs of the line taken starting in 1975, covering both the active and abandoned portions of the railroad. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 2:04:14.

Down by the Station Day in Haddon Heights

West Jersey Chapter held a special meeting at the Haddon Heights Public Library on Saturday, May 13, in conjunction with the Down by the Station Day celebration in Haddon Heights. Two slide programs were presented. The first program was additional never before seen slides from the Tom Jorgensen collection, presented by Chapter Vice President Fred Ciocciola. Our second show was a program by Drew Marshall of more of his contemporary railfan photos. After the meeting Chapter members and friends visited the Haddon Heights railroad station, home of the Delaware & Susquehanna Model Railroad Club, whose operating layout was open to the public today. Photos by John Burlage.

WJC Receives 2023 NRHS Heritage Grant

WJC member and director Pierre Lacombe has been instrumental in securing a 2023 Heritage Grant from the NRHS for $5,000. The NRHS Heritage Grant will pay costs associated with construction of replica stone sleeper displays and some of the early railroad information signage. Congratulations, Pierre! More information on this project follows.

In 2031, Bordentown, N.J. will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of construction of the Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A RR) through the village. During 1831, the John Bull steam locomotive was assembled, tested, and operated for the first time on the newly built railroad in Bordentown. This village is the first site on earth where Stevens’ style iron rails were used. Such rails are the precursor to standard steel rails used for nearly every railroad worldwide. West Jersey Chapter, NRHS, in cooperation with the City of Bordentown, Bordentown Historical Society, and Bordentown Downtown Association is actively preparing for this historic celebration. These organizations collectively have completed or plan to complete the following: 1) Wrote and submitted the document needed by the National Park Service (NPS) to create a National Historic Site of the Bordentown District of the Camden & Amboy Railroad; 2) Developed plans to install three replica railbeds used by the Camden & Amboy Railroad; and 3) Developed plans to install multiple information signs at various locations within Bordentown City to explain and highlight the early railroad features of the community.

A Walk to Milepost 3 on the Princeton Branch

West Jersey Chapter members and guests enjoyed a ride on NJ Transit’s Princeton Branch and walked Milepost 3 which is now on the Princeton University campus. The tour was guided by WJC member John Kilbride, who distributed a handout on the history of the Princeton Branch to each participant. The tour also covered the new NJ Transit Princeton passenger station, plus the previous PRR freight house and passenger station. The latter is now a restaurant called the “Dinky.” Many of the participants took NJ Transit’s River Line north to Trenton, particularly from the Pennsauken Transit Center, where there was adequate time to photograph action on the Northeast Corridor before boarding our train to Princeton Junction. The Princeton Branch is the shortest scheduled railroad passenger service in the United States, and the train run on the branch is normally two single-unit Jersey Arrow IIIs. A presentation on the history of the Princeton Branch can be found on WJC’s YouTube channel. Photos by John Burlage, Hank Cutler, Dave Homer, Gloria Homer, and John Kilbride.

April Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s April membership meeting was held on Monday, April 24, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center. Mitch Dakelman presented two 16mm films. The first was a 1962 promotional film about Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, NJ, which featured footage of Pennsylvania Railroad passenger trains running directly to the racetrack for horse racing fans. The second film was GG1: An American Classic, a 1984 documentary on the last run of the GG1, focusing on PRR 4877, affectionately referred to as “Big Red.” The late Tom Moran, a longtime West Jersey Chapter member, narrated the film. (Segments of this film are available on YouTube.)

April Special Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s April Special membership meeting was held virtually on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Three different programs were presented. First, Chapter President Dave Homer presented a program on Mount Holly, NJ, railfanning in 2006. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of this program is 10:03. Next, Dave presented a program on a tour of the out-of-service former CNJ Southern Division mainline for a few miles south of Lakehurst. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of this program is 10:13. Lastly, John Kilbride and Dave Homer presented a program on the history of the ex-PRR Princeton Branch. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of this program is 51:56. This segment was a prelude to the Chapter’s outing, on Saturday, May 6, where we rode the Dinky and walked from the new NJT Princeton station to Milepost 3 on the Princeton University campus.

March Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s March membership meeting was held on Monday, March 27, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center. Chapter President Dave Homer presented a program on the Hainesport Industrial Railroad, followed by “Photos from a Box,” vintage local photos mostly from Jerry MacDonald, and others. Vice President Fred Ciocciola presented some photos taken during 2013, starting with an April 2013 trip to Cincinnati, with photos in Columbus, Zanesville and Pittsburgh on the way home, and concluding with some photos from our area. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this program could not be broadcast via Zoom, and no recording is available.

SMS Rail Lines Shop Tour

West Jersey Chapter members were given a tour of the SMS Rail Lines’ shops in Center Square, Logan Township, on Wednesday, March 15. Our tour was hosted by Paul C. Harland, SMS’s Director of Passenger Operations, and assisted by Casey Peters. SMS employees were busy with several projects. Baldwin AS616 No. 554 is in the shop for a complete rebuilding. PRR DS-4-4-1000 No. 9069 is also in the shop for rebuilding. Work continues on 0-6-0 No. 9. The first ex-CNJ round-top commuter coach, No. 1312, has been painted Pullman green with gold lettering for the Woodstown Central, and named Woodstown. This and other coaches will eventually be deployed on the southern portion of the Salem Branch between Swedesboro and Salem. Our group was also shown the new addition to the shop on the north side of the building, which will function as a paint shop. After the tour participants were free to photograph the equipment outside the shops. The locomotive being used in switching Pureland Industrial Park this day was none other than Baldwin S-12 No. 301, named for the late Ed Weller, SMS employee and West Jersey Chapter member. Photos by Bob Vogel and John Burlage.

16th Annual "Lines on the Pines" 2023

West Jersey Chapter participated at the 16th Annual “Lines on the Pines” festival held at Stockton University in Galloway Township. This festival celebrates everything Pinelands, and participants include authors, artists, craftsmen, historians, and musicians. WJC’s exhibit focused on the railroads which served the Pinelands. WJC’s participation was quite successful, and we picked up a new member and a family member. Many WJC members and friends stopped by. Photo by John Burlage.

February Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s February membership meeting was held on Monday, February 27, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center, and was broadcast live via Zoom. Delaware & Susquehanna Model Railroad Club member Drew Marshall presented photos from his 2021 trip to various Ohio hot spots including Deshler, Fostoria, and Marion. At the beginning and end he shows local action on the Reading & Northern, Morristown & Erie, and others. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 18:36.