Raritan River Railroad Discussion

Although NOT a PRR "B6", nor any sort of PRR locomotive, it appears to be an EXCELLENT representation of a USRA 0-6-0. Is it by Atlas?  I recall them offering such models, in all sorts of railroads, some years ago.

Looks incredible 

Ah see I know the title was misleading. I had an earlier post about making a custom B6 paint scheme in Raritan River colors. 

This loco was customized by a man in Bethlehem, PA. I'm just wondering if I should buy it. The owner and I tested it and it didn't work. Basically the problem is that the loco won't reprogram correctly. Something inside is buggy. So he'll just take it back to Atlas and get it fixed. Shouldn't be that much cash to repair it.

looks great! depending the the cost, grab it.

Nicely done !!

Alex

I like it!  Would you mind sharing who did the custom work?  I live just outside Lambertville, NJ and within earshot of both the New Hope and Ivy Land RR and the Black River and Western RR.  They both use different versions of a Consolidation that I would love to find models to replicate.

Tony

I think the guy who did the work on it did an excellent job. I would buy it in a heartbeat if the price was right with the knowledge (as I know you know) that the RRRR never had a USRA 0-6-0 but ex U.S. Army 0-6-0s. As the late Jim Weaver once said to me, "Close enough". I seriously doubt that anyone will ever produce an accurate model of the U.S. Army 0-6-0. 

Good luck if you get it. Keep us posted.

Tom

Howdy, just wanted to check in and today I picked up a copy of "Steam to Diesel in New Jersey" and I found one picture inside of the Ex USA 0-6-0 #17 (or 16, I forget) that was built by Lima in '41 for the United States Army. Sadly however, it was sent  to Bethlehem with this other RRRR switchers when the short line went to SWs and all where turned into Bethlehem Steel Products. However, I'm glad to hear that several of the SWs survived the scrapers torch of Conrail when the railroad was consolidated, I think ones working for a power company in Phillidelphia and the other is somewhere on a leased service for a grain facility in Tennessee. 

-John 

SC4HTM

NYS&W T&HS

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Howdy, just wanted to check in and today I picked up a copy of "Steam to Diesel in New Jersey" and I found one picture inside of the Ex USA 0-6-0 #17 (or 16, I forget) that was built by Lima in '41 for the United States Army. Sadly however, it was sent  to Bethlehem with this other RRRR switchers when the short line went to SWs and all where turned into Bethlehem Steel Products. However, I'm glad to hear that several of the SWs survived the scrapers torch of Conrail when the railroad was consolidated, I think ones working for a power company in Phillidelphia and the other is somewhere on a leased service for a grain facility in Tennessee. 

-John 

SC4HTM

NYS&W T&HS

Hey John good to see you joined OGR. How'd you hear about the SW900 in Tennessee? First I've heard of it. #4 in Eddystone got moved south last year. 

Oh, I was talking to one of the guys who volunteer for Bel-Del and he worked as an electrician for Conrail. He actually serviced signals and crossings in the New Brunswick area and had the chance to see the SWs in a patched conrail livery. He practily got addicted to the engines and when he finished on conrail in '08, he tried to get the locations of the switchers. He found the one in Philly, and found another located in a scrapyard in Delaware, which had sadly gone, but he found leaser contracts from the late nineties that sent one of the engines to a large grain facility in Tennessee. And, thank you for the welcome, and have a good New Years Joe.

-John 

SC4HTM

NYS&W T&HS

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Oh, I was talking to one of the guys who volunteer for Bel-Del and he worked as an electrician for Conrail. He actually serviced signals and crossings in the New Brunswick area and had the chance to see the SWs in a patched conrail livery. He practily got addicted to the engines and when he finished on conrail in '08, he tried to get the locations of the switchers. He found the one in Philly, and found another located in a scrapyard in Delaware, which had sadly gone, but he found leaser contracts from the late nineties that sent one of the engines to a large grain facility in Tennessee. And, thank you for the welcome, and have a good New Years Joe.

-John 

SC4HTM

NYS&W T&HS

Any chance you can email me the name of this guy? Any contact info on him would help. The Raritan River NRHS should know about this.

Well, I wouldn't go and start talking too, duh about it, it's just a rumor and the guy sadly has been paralyzed from the legs down so he hasn't been volunteering since the early January of this year. It was just a rumor and the fact that the document where from the nineties mean the loco has probably sadly been scraped by now and replaced by a newer model. However there was a rumor that one of the steamers from the RRRR had almost been preserved but missed it, i think it was 12 or something. Also, did you get that email from Cody about the LA&WRR?

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

Wow, nice find. Edward Ripley was the Raritan's first president from 1888 to 1892.

The third photo shows that Frank Earle was president at the time meaning although the year isn't given on the document it has to be between 1892 and 1907 as that was Frank's term as the second president.

However.. due to information I have in a book I think the year for the second document can be narrowed down to specifically 1907.

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

Wow, nice find. Edward Ripley was the Raritan's first president from 1888 to 1892.

The third photo shows that Frank Earle was president at the time meaning although the year isn't given on the document it has to be between 1892 and 1907 as that was Frank's term as the second president.

However.. due to information I have in a book I think the year for the second document can be narrowed down to specifically 1907.

Thank you,no I must ask is any of these people still alive today? And if so do they communicate about There roles?

RDGCO.Productions posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

Wow, nice find. Edward Ripley was the Raritan's first president from 1888 to 1892.

The third photo shows that Frank Earle was president at the time meaning although the year isn't given on the document it has to be between 1892 and 1907 as that was Frank's term as the second president.

However.. due to information I have in a book I think the year for the second document can be narrowed down to specifically 1907.

Thank you,no I must ask is any of these people still alive today? And if so do they communicate about There roles?

As far as I know most are dead. I only know of two former employees. One who lives near me and belongs to the Raritan River NRHS Chapter. He worked on the Raritan for a few years and once repainted caboose #10 and Boxcar #100. 

The other is a former engineer who also lives near me. I last saw him at a Greenberg show 2 years ago. When Conrail took over in 1980 he became an electrician or a plumber as I can recall and didn't continue on with Conrail as many former Raritan employees opted to do. 

Thats all I got on former employees. There's probably more and I'll have to ask around.

This was over Christmas.

RARITANRIVERFAN4...liked your RMT RRRR caboose. Did you know about the RMT freight cars...ore car(2) and CNJ/RRRR coal hopper? Also 2 RRRR BEEP diesels.

There were also some custom RRRR KMT freight cars done for Fishers Hobby in New Brunswick by Ernie Korber of Korber Models in the 1980s.

Weaver did a RRRR Quality Craft 50ft boxcar kit too.

And so did Atlas-O and MTH also make some RRRR cars.

Walter

RMT...Ready Made Trains posted:

RARITANRIVERFAN4...liked your RMT RRRR caboose. Did you know about the RMT freight cars...ore car(2) and CNJ/RRRR coal hopper? Also 2 RRRR BEEP diesels.

There were also some custom RRRR KMT freight cars done for Fishers Hobby in New Brunswick by Ernie Korber of Korber Models in the 1980s.

Weaver did a RRRR Quality Craft 50ft boxcar kit too.

And so did Atlas-O and MTH also make some RRRR cars.

Walter

I have both Raritan River beeps and the ore cars! Didn't know you made black Raritan River coal cars. I'll have to find those now. 

I collect KMT cars. I'll have to find some of those boxcars. Didn't know they were sold in my hometown. Looking forward to see more Raritan River products from you.

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

Wow, nice find. Edward Ripley was the Raritan's first president from 1888 to 1892.

The third photo shows that Frank Earle was president at the time meaning although the year isn't given on the document it has to be between 1892 and 1907 as that was Frank's term as the second president.

However.. due to information I have in a book I think the year for the second document can be narrowed down to specifically 1907.

Thank you,no I must ask is any of these people still alive today? And if so do they communicate about There roles?

As far as I know most are dead. I only know of two former employees. One who lives near me and belongs to the Raritan River NRHS Chapter. He worked on the Raritan for a few years and once repainted caboose #10 and Boxcar #100. 

The other is a former engineer who also lives near me. I last saw him at a Greenberg show 2 years ago. When Conrail took over in 1980 he became an electrician or a plumber as I can recall and didn't continue on with Conrail as many former Raritan employees opted to do. 

Thats all I got on former employees. There's probably more and I'll have to ask around.

Thank you, I met as stated before a coronial electrician who worked around the area during the late 70s and up to the early 2000s when conrail sold off most equipment. Anywho I'm also aware a RRRR freight station is still around and the URHS is trying to move it, so has there been any solid ideas or is it all still on the drawing board?

RDGCO.Productions posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

Wow, nice find. Edward Ripley was the Raritan's first president from 1888 to 1892.

The third photo shows that Frank Earle was president at the time meaning although the year isn't given on the document it has to be between 1892 and 1907 as that was Frank's term as the second president.

However.. due to information I have in a book I think the year for the second document can be narrowed down to specifically 1907.

Thank you,no I must ask is any of these people still alive today? And if so do they communicate about There roles?

As far as I know most are dead. I only know of two former employees. One who lives near me and belongs to the Raritan River NRHS Chapter. He worked on the Raritan for a few years and once repainted caboose #10 and Boxcar #100. 

The other is a former engineer who also lives near me. I last saw him at a Greenberg show 2 years ago. When Conrail took over in 1980 he became an electrician or a plumber as I can recall and didn't continue on with Conrail as many former Raritan employees opted to do. 

Thats all I got on former employees. There's probably more and I'll have to ask around.

Thank you, I met as stated before a coronial electrician who worked around the area during the late 70s and up to the early 2000s when conrail sold off most equipment. Anywho I'm also aware a RRRR freight station is still around and the URHS is trying to move it, so has there been any solid ideas or is it all still on the drawing board?

That's the group I belong to. The last station as well as the group trying to restore it is in Milltown, New Jersey. We have a local contractor who is going to provide a concrete foundation across the street from the current location. I live 5 min from the station and I'll post some pics after I get out of work.

If you want to learn more about the group click the link under all my groups. 

Or here. 

http://raritanriver-rr.com

 Edit: This isn't a URHS project. This is an NRHS chapter. Quite a few of our members are older and grew up around the Raritan or had family who worked for the many customers served by the Raritan River.

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

RDGCO.Productions posted:

Here, I started a chat on the Classic Trains forums and these turned up...

Wow, nice find. Edward Ripley was the Raritan's first president from 1888 to 1892.

The third photo shows that Frank Earle was president at the time meaning although the year isn't given on the document it has to be between 1892 and 1907 as that was Frank's term as the second president.

However.. due to information I have in a book I think the year for the second document can be narrowed down to specifically 1907.

Thank you,no I must ask is any of these people still alive today? And if so do they communicate about There roles?

As far as I know most are dead. I only know of two former employees. One who lives near me and belongs to the Raritan River NRHS Chapter. He worked on the Raritan for a few years and once repainted caboose #10 and Boxcar #100. 

The other is a former engineer who also lives near me. I last saw him at a Greenberg show 2 years ago. When Conrail took over in 1980 he became an electrician or a plumber as I can recall and didn't continue on with Conrail as many former Raritan employees opted to do. 

Thats all I got on former employees. There's probably more and I'll have to ask around.

Thank you, I met as stated before a coronial electrician who worked around the area during the late 70s and up to the early 2000s when conrail sold off most equipment. Anywho I'm also aware a RRRR freight station is still around and the URHS is trying to move it, so has there been any solid ideas or is it all still on the drawing board?

That's the group I belong to. The last station as well as the group trying to restore it is in Milltown, New Jersey. We have a local contractor who is going to provide a concrete foundation across the street from the current location. I live 5 min from the station and I'll post some pics after I get out of work.

If you want to learn more about the group click the link under all my groups. 

Or here. 

http://raritanriver-rr.com

 Edit: This isn't a URHS project. This is an NRHS chapter. Quite a few of our members are older and grew up around the Raritan or had family who worked for the many customers served by the Raritan River.

Ok, thank you.

645 posted:

RaritanRiverRailroadFan4 posted:

That's the group I belong to. The last station as well as the group trying to restore it is in Milltown, New Jersey. We have a local contractor who is going to provide a concrete foundation across the street from the current location. I live 5 min from the station and I'll post some pics after I get out of work.

 

 Edit: This isn't a URHS project. This is an NRHS chapter. Quite a few of our members are older and grew up around the Raritan or had family who worked for the many customers served by the Raritan River.

Nice to hear the Milltown freight station still exists and efforts are being made to preserve it. I used to attend the United Methodist Church in Milltown and that the station was on the other side of the river off Washington Avenue. One gentleman who attended the church was Charlie Miller who worked for the Raritan River RR. I'm sure Mr. Miller passed on years ago - can't recall if he was still alive when I moved out of New Jersey in 1991. He was an official of the railroad but I no longer remember what his title was.

Mr. Miller is pictured near the bottom of the following webpage on a 1973 (?) inspection trip and is the same person I knew from church:

http://raritanriver-rr.com/ForgottenHistory14.htm

Just took these 5 min ago. Enjoy.