(A periodic publication of Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center) July, 2001

Our fifteen year effort has finally gotten us official status, in spite of some near derailments, engine breakdowns and stone throwers. We are indebted to Assemblyman Alex De Croce for his leadership of the Commission and to the hard work of the Commissioners, Friends Directors & membership, the United Railroad Historical Society and all the transportation related organizations (as well as all the other entities, organizations and businesses) who backed our initiative over the many years. Lastly, we thank the legislators who supported our efforts and individuals who wrote letters and prodded their representatives and who so willingly volunteered their time and effort to our cause. Now the big jobs of raising the funding and building the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center begins.

Over the past twelve months we have made outstanding progress toward our Heritage Center goals. We are very pleased with the progress at Phillipsburg. Those of you who are members have read the detailed accounts of our achievements in New Jersey Transport Heritage, our twelve page, five-times-per-year bulletin. As good as our progress has been, there are many more projects on our list of things to be done. One thing is certain: the closer we get to the reality of our Heritage Center, the more donations we receive. Now that the legislation is finalized our next critical steps will be to establish a foundation for raising capital; setting up an operations entity; secure the money needed to buy the needed properties; and to move forward with construction... For this we will need even more help from each one of you and all of our/your friends. Want to help, click here for an application form.

Great volumes of transport artifacts, archives, supplies and equipment are being moved to Phillipsburg for the Heritage Center. We are most happy to have the use of two storage buildings and land which Friends leases from the County of Warren. Some of our recent achievements are as follows:

• We have acquired many truckloads of RR ties in excellent condition from American Wrecking Co., the contractor demolishing the NJ Transit MU Shed at Hoboken.
  
• Our stockpiles of tie plates, track bolts and joint bars are growing.
  
• PSE&G has allowed us to salvage 600 volt DC switchgear from the soon to be demolished City Dock Substation in Newark.
  
• At least 35 steel filing cabinets in excellent condition have been donated.
  
• A storage lot is being leased from NJ Transit.
  
• Two NJ bus drivers have donated a large number of artifacts and memorabilia to "Friends."
  
• We have acquired a large amount of shelving and other useful materials from a department store.
  
• Railroad Construction Co. donated and delivered a truckload of rail and switch parts to Phillipsburg.
  
• John Ferrante & LoChiatto Paving & Masonry have delivered two huge piles of cobble stones to Phillipsburg.
  
• NJ DOT donated a collection of aerial photo-maps on mylar covering 85% of NJ RR's in 1975.
  
• Manville Volunteer Fire No. 1 donated an oak bench which they rescued from the local CNJ station when it burned in the 1980's.
  
• Sal Pollara Trucking & Rigging donated a large volume of equipment, tools, parts and supplies.
  
• Author Warren Lee donated 435 copies of his A Chronology of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad...
  
• Public Service trolley car #2651, owned by No. Jersey Electric Railway Historical Society and the last survivor of its type, has been moved from Ringoes to protected storage at Phillipsburg.
  
• Lafayette & Greenville Bus Owner's Association has donated three 1980's "fishbowl" buses, in operating condition, to "Friends."
  
• Over 750 feet of mostly girder/trolley rail, tie plates, cobble stones, switch points, a drop table and other artifacts from the former Montclair carbarn have been moved to Phillipsburg.
  
• Nearly 3,000 feet of rail, parts, supplies and equipment has been moved from the former DL&W MU shed at Hoboken to Phillipsburg.
  
• We bought three 40' storage containers, moved them to Phillipsburg, and are rapidly filling them with materials.
  
• Newark City Subway steel picket fencing and station signs were moved to Phillipsburg.
  
• The success of our 2000 Phillipsburg Open House and Tour day, drawing over 150 people, demonstrated what these pages can not show and tell.
  
• A member acquired former NJT 1980 Grumman/Flxible bus #1596, donated it to Friends & moved it to Lakewood.
  
• Many truckloads of obsolete and scrap track materials, tools, equipment, and artifacts have been salvaged/moved from the former Hudson & Manhattan RR (PATH) rail shop & DL&W MU shop buildings in Hoboken to P'burg.
  
• Our bus committee has been busy cleaning up our historic fleet, securing needed spare parts and scouting possible additions to the collection.
  
• Bill Clelland has agreed to donate his 1946 Ford Transit bus to Friends.
  
• Friends continues to acquire private collections for our growing archives.
  
• The Volunteer Railroaders Assn. & Friends members are working very hard to secure track materials for us.
  
• Very historic ca. 1870's rail was saved from the demolished Plainfield westbound station.
  
• The Phillipsburg Youth Corps have completed several work projects for us.
  
• Our inventory of spikes & other track parts is growing. We need more small, old tie plates, joint bars, track bolts and 60 to 100 lb. rail. Pick 'em up on your hikes on old rail lines & bring 'em to us or tell us where they are.

Future Projects, Initiatives & Wish List

• NJ Transit has a significant volume of additional archive materials destined for our Heritage Center.
  
• We have begun to secure a collection of Hoboken Shore Line RR archives.
  
• We are looking for historic streetscape fixtures such as: gas & electric street lamp/poles; street & highway signage; transport related manhole covers; slate sidewalk sections; granite curbing; more cobblestones & brick paving materials; etc.
  
• More of the old Newark City Subway overhead hardware is expected to become available to us, as well as more of the line poles and other items.
  
• We own a 50' x 120' prefabricated steel building, but don't have the money to construct the concrete foundation upon which to erect it.
  
• We are working to secure the trolley loop trackage at Franklin Avenue when it is removed.
  
• We are trying to acquire a vintage Jitney; an old taxi of the type Public Service would have operated; and a pick-up truck, but we don't have enough money to purchase them. If we did (or someone would donate to us) we could fit them into our former water company storage building.
  
• We are looking for individuals to help us staff our information/sales tables and display booths.
  
• A pick-up truck and a boom truck (with crane) would really be of tremendous help to us.
  
• We sure could use someone to pursue grants, donations from foundations and general fundraising.
  
• And, we always need people & vehicles who can help us move the materials we acquire.
  
• Last, but not least, we need lots of money to begin the first phases of the Heritage Center.