On Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, Berkeley Township, NJ, held their annual Founder’s Day celebration at Veteran’s Park which provided an opportunity for a hearty “Welcome Home” to Plymouth #2173. Prior to spending a long career in NY State brick yards, #2173 started its working days digging Crystal Lake as part of the Royal Pines resort complex in the 1920s in Berkeley Township. LHRy provided the funding to the Berkeley Township Historical Society to make the acquisition possible. The parade, probably a first for a Plymouth locomotive, shows it being moved from its storage site to a prominent display spot within the park. Note the photo of the No. 2173 as it passed by the Royal Pines hotel, now a nursing home. Patients were out to welcome it home as the truck drove around the neighborhood over the original R-O-W that the Plymouth would have toiled over. Also included are new photos uncovered by the Society which provide fascinating details of the construction process and equipment used. LHRy was featured in the center of the display with plenty of credit provided and many thanks. There are plans coming together to restore the locomotive, perhaps to operation. They are looking for a proper dump car to join it. Submitted by LHRy Vice Chair, J. R. May. All photos by J. R. May.
