(A periodic publication of Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center) September 15th, 2002

The designation of Phillipsburg as the NJ Transportation Heritage Center location and Netcong Station a satellite is law, and the Commission is very close to purchasing the needed land along the Delaware River. A grant of $150,000 has been secured and title search, an appraisal, environmental assessment and surveying/mapping are complete on the Heritage Center property. We hope excess funds can be used to hire an executive director. Legislation is being introduced to establish a Board of Trustees, a Foundation for the NJ Transportation Heritage Center and to locate the Heritage Center under the umbrella of the NJ Department of Transportation.

We Continue Making Steady Progress -

As we get closer to the reality of the Heritage Center the volume of donated materials, artifacts and archives keeps growing. Those of you who are Friends members have read the detailed accounts of our achievements in New Jersey Transport Heritage, our twelve page, bulletin which has recently been increased to six-times-per-year. As good as our progress has been, there are many more projects on our list of things to be done. Some of the best and biggest-ever donations are on the verge of being made. Our biggest job ever will be to get funding to build the Heritage Center. For this we will need even more help from all of you and many more friends.

Lackawanna Camelback No. 952 Update -

On June 10, 2002, the owners of No. 952, filed a Replevin Action (a common law action for the recovery of an item wrongfully taken or detained) in the US Federal Court, Middle District of PA, in Scranton. Ownership of this very historic locomotive was conveyed to the Lackawanna Chapter of the Ry & Locomotive Historical Society (LC) and the Friends of the NJ Railroad & Transportation Museum, Inc. (now known as Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center, Inc. or "Friends"), by the National Board of Directors of the R&LHS on December 4, 1999 on the condition that they would return the locomotive to the service territory of the Lackawanna Railroad. Both groups accepted ownership of the 952 along with the responsibility to see it returned. All efforts to get the county-owned Museum of Transportation in St. Louis to return the locomotive have been fruitless. On May 30, 2002 the LC attorneys, Oliver, Price & Rhodes, notified the officials of St. Louis County that the loan of June, 1953 was being terminated effective immediately and that the owners demanded that the locomotive be returned. After the County of St. Louis, through its County Counselor's office notified the LC's law firm on June 4, 2002 that they would not return the 952, the Replevin Action was filed. The complaint seeks damages for the wrongful detention of the locomotive and indicates that the amount of controversy in this case exceeds $75,000 exclusive of interest and costs. It also includes an Order of Replevin requiring the defendant to deliver the locomotive to the plaintiffs.

Our Progress Summarized -

We are most fortunate to have buildings and lands which we lease from Warren County & NJ Transit and have the use of these and other plots for storage of materials, containers and vehicles. This has allowed us to be able to move our acquired materials and equipment to the Phillipsburg area. Some of our recent achievements are as follows;

• Recently George D. Warrington, NJ Transit Executive Director, wrote a letter of response to Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, Chairman of the Heritage Center Commission. It stated "We have evaluated the available Newark City Subway PCC cars and identified car numbers 6, 10 and 13 for assignment to the Heritage Center. ...the cars we have identified are complete units and are presently in good condition."
• Friends has leased the former CNJ Lebanon station from NJT. It was most recently the HQ of Iron Horse Enterprises and we intend to use it as our office, headquarters and board meeting room.
• Recent additions to our historic bus fleet include ex-PA/NJT #6106 and 5036, 1980's Motor Coach Industries, 40' MC9-A & MC9-B deluxe intercity parlor type coaches. Both are in operating condition.
• A former Lowell, MA 1986 trolley tour bus, in running condition with a GM V-8 diesel and automatic transmission, has been donated by the Borough of High Bridge and we moved it to Phillipsburg.
• A 1950's vintage GMC fuel oil delivery truck has been donated by J.W. Pierson Co. of East Orange.
• Member Michael S. King has donated $1,000 to subsidize the publication of our bulletin New Jersey Transport Heritage and has indicated a willingness to do so in future years.
• The extensive, mostly railroad, and mostly Central RR of NJ, photo, negative, book, and memorabilia collections of Warren Crater have been donated to Friends.
• On July 28th, Governor James McGreevey canoed down the Delaware River to Union Square. There, on the Phillipsburg riverbank, speeches were made by the Governor, Senators Torricelli, Corzine, and Lance, NJ DEP head, Bradley Campbell, Phillipsburg Mayor, Harry Wyant and others. The focus of the event was environmental, and there was an announcement of a grant of $340,000 for the improvement of the Union Square gateway to New Jersey.
• Four truckloads of the original Art Deco cast iron columns, railing and many porcelain signs from the Newark City Subway Washington St. Station were saved and moved to Phillipsburg by McKelvey.
• Twenty truckloads of cobble stones were moved from the Ironbound section of Newark to Phillipsburg.
• A 1,600 lb. 15' trolley switchpoint, unearthed at the Montclair loop was moved to Phillipsburg by McKelvey and three more were moved by member Bill Amaducci (Polaris Equipment Co.).
• A trailer load of 100 lb. rail, a frog and two switch points have been moved from the former Erie RR Riverside team track yard in Paterson to Phillipsburg.
• Phillipsburg Bridge & Construction Co. has donated a large quantity of steel rebar and three steel posts.
• Significant additions to our archive/artifact collections were made by members Dave Phraner, Dave Pearce, Kerry Day, Ray Neveil, Middletown & NJ RR & in memory of Frank Blatterspiel, Jr. & Thomas Heitzman.
• Member Bob Stanton donated several historic street lighting type fixtures which he salvaged from the Riverview Beach (amusement) Park which were stored at his 2' gauge Riverview & Woodside RR.
• A 1973 Starcraft twin axle Wander-Star camper trailer has been donated by Robert C. Nichols.
• Atlantic Track & Turnout has made some donations to our inventory of track parts and supplies.
• A Reading RR (RDGZ 207091) 40' piggyback trailer has been purchased for Friends storage by McKelvey.
• A Fairbanks Morse Co. Velocipede has been purchased for Friends and the Heritage Center by McKelvey.
• The ornate cast cement PRSL logo which adorned the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines Atlantic City station has been donated and moved to Phillipsburg. It joins the 6 ornate lighting fixtures which graced the front of the station, already in our collection.
• Dave Phraner has moved vintage scale models of DL&W and NYC RR electric equipment donated by the Buchert family from Maine back to NJ where they were originally hand fabricated up to 90 years ago.

Future Projects, Initiatives & Wish List -

• We have wood chairs from Pullman and lounge cars which need restoration - a nice home shop project.
• We have several historic trucks which need TLC - looking for some one or a group to adopt one or more.
• We are looking for a vintage highway trailer and a SeaLand container - both useful for storage also.
• We need historic streetscape fixtures such as: gas & electric lamps/poles; street & highway signage; slate sidewalk sections; granite curbing; paving bricks; transport related manhole covers and more cobblestones.
• We soon hope to be able to secure a transformer & rectifier as a suitable trolley power supply.
• We own a 50' x 120' prefab steel building, but need the money to erect it.
• We need a stage coach; a vintage Jitney; an old taxi of the type Public Service would have operated.
• A boom truck (with crane) and volunteers with CDL's would really be of tremendous help to us.
• We are always looking for individuals to help us staff our information/sales tables and display booths.
• We sure could use volunteers to pursue grants, donations from foundations, and general fundraising.
• And, we always need people & vehicles to help us load and move the materials we acquire.

We need YOU to be (or continue to be) a member of Friends now more than ever!

All of these snippets and much more will be reported to you in great detail in each 12 page issue of the six times per year New Jersey Transport Heritage. Our annual dues are only $15. We now have over 550 members! Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center, Inc., PO Box 147, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865-0147

To volunteer or order books, prints & drawings contact McKelvey, 103 Dogwood Ln., Berkeley Hts., NJ 07922; call 908-464-9335 or check our website: www.NJTHC.org United Railroad Historical Society (URHS) 158 Heights Terr., Middletown, NJ 07748 or call 732-671-9644 or info@URHS.org Website: www.URHS.org URHS is working on future excursions, including a Santa Train on Dec. 14th. Details available from URHS.

NJ Railroad & Transportation Museum Commission secretary is same address/phone as URHS.

North Jersey Electric Railway Historical Society is working to restore Public Service trolley #2651 at P'burg. Check their website for information, membership & work schedule/days: www.NJERHS.org or write them at PO Box 1770, Rahway, NJ 07065. To volunteer contact Bob Hooper, President @ 908-876-4709 or bob.hooper@worldnet.att.net

Our thanks to: The Commission; Alex DeCroce; NJ Transit; Warren County; Phillipsburg; URHS: NJERHS; contractors and truckers; volunteers; individuals and entities making donations; and to any we may have overlooked.

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