Rail Donation to NMIH

Liberty Historic Railway Chairman, Capt. Bill McKelvey, has donated his extensive and comprehensive personal collection of historic rail segments (assembled over the past six decades) to the National Museum of Industrial History at Bethlehem, PA.

Boonton Transportation Heritage Center Initiative - Derailed!

Over three years ago LHRy became aware of a large vacant warehouse adjacent to Boonton's Grace Lord Park which could be adaptively used for a Transportation Heritage Center.  We recognized that it could be a wonderful tourism draw to boost local businesses if it could be coupled with a trolley shuttle from the Morris Avenue parking lot to the foot of Boonton Falls. The trolley shuttle could provide disabled access to the Park interior without disturbing its historic beauty.  We did extensive research and developed a comprehensive Morris County Transportation and Industry Chronology.  LHRy hired consultants and produced a detailed graphic of our proposal which we used to promote our ideas to local commissions, committees and organizations.  We led tours of the area.  We advised Boonton on how to acquire at no cost a plot of land within the Park which was owned by NJ Transit.  LHRy funded a title search of the warehouse property to clarify ownership and easement issues.  LHRy provided $10,000 funding for an engineering inspection of the condition of the railroad trestle in the Park as a good will gesture.  LHRy produced an 84-page book - The Transportation History of Boonton, NJ - and gave copies to all local leaders in town.  An extensive article on our initiative appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of Skylands Visitor magazine.  We helped the Boonton Historical Society & Museum produce a most interesting exhibit - The NJ Trolley Era.  However, we never heard "What a wonderful idea to bring tourists to Boonton and boost our economy, how can we help you?" from town decision makers.  We did get strong negative reactions from one local leader.  The town wanted us to buy the very deteriorated warehouse (which would have required a very costly restoration), but they would not endorse our plan for a trolley shuttle in Grace Lord Park.  Without the rail shuttle a "stuffed and mounted" transportation Heritage Center would not be a viable attraction.  Subsequently, we have learned that the warehouse property has been acquired by a developer. 

Could this be New Jersey?

We wish such a beautiful operation like this could be established somewhere in NJ as part of the NJ Transportation Heritage Center.  A similar open trolley body was donated to LHRy by the Historical Society of Wildwood.  Since we had no place to take it we shipped it to a company in Iowa for restoration.  Upon detailed inspection they deemed the remains (which had been used as a kennel for decades) to be unrestorable.   They offered a static replica for $500,000 or a fully operational car for $1,000,000.  We declined their offer and ended LHRy involvement. 

Good News from the UK

The latest issue of Heritage Railway reports;

  • The Talyllyn Railway to be a World Heritage site.

  • Two separate Grand Central tourist railways are building connections to unite them and provide a connection to the national system. Bridges over a 4 track main line and a canal have been completed and they are moving forward on two additional bridges.

  • Designs for a new "world class" National Railway Museum Central Hall have bee unveiled.  The $18+ million structure is a key part of their $65+ million Vision 2025 development (the 50th anniversary of the museum).

  • The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has chosen a builder for its new 4-track shed to house 40 passenger cars.

  • A WW I ammunition rail car is being restored by inmates at Her Majesty's Dovegate Prison.

  • Steam Dreams has scheduled over 80 steam powered excursion trains from London to Windsor this summer.

  • Several tourist railways have scheduled "Volunteer Recruitment Days or Weekends".

NJERHS and NJTHC Websites

Two years ago, LHRy agreed to fund the revitalization and upgrading of the websites and membership brochures for both the Friends of the NJ Transportation Heritage Center and the North Jersey Electric Railway Historical Society. The two websites (www.friendsnjthc.org and www.njerhs.org) are now both up and running, and the brochures (pictured below) have been completed.

Click on the brochures below to view!

Yellow Coach Bus

This is the 1927 Yellow Coach Model "W" bus acquired by Capt. Bill @ the Dr. Harold Cox auction in Wildwood in 2014.  It was hauled by Capt. Phil Francis to Rand Urmston LLC @ Boonton for tire replacement, rebuilding of engine, brakes, exhaust, cooling systems, etc.  On Tue. Jan. 21, 2020, Ed Ball (A to Z Service, Riverdale, NJ) hauled it from Boonton to East Coast Bus Repair in South Amboy for interior & exterior restoration and painting.  Incidentally, many years ago, Ed, with his late father Sky Ball and John Browne Trucking and Rigging helped us move the temporary Newark City Subway, two section, steel, 50 ton, "I" beam bridge from Orange St., Newark to Phillipsburg @ 3am...  Photo(s) courtesy of Ed Ball.

Operation Toy Train 2020 Success

Congratulations to Operation Toy Train and the U.S. Marine Corps, along with the supporting Military Transport Association’s Railroad Operating Batallion, on their collection of 21,471 toys during their 2019 Toys for Tots trains. LHRy is a sponsor of Operation Toy Train and a supporter of the MTA, and LHRy also funded the MTA’s "Honoring NJ Veterans" logos on Chesapeake & Delaware locomotive No. 1823, which was used to pull the train. In 2018, LHRy also funded the painting of two of Operation Toy Train’s boxcars that are used to transport the toys on the train.

Fire Truck Manuals

A big thank you to Fanwood Fire Chief John Piccola for preserving and donating the following items to Liberty Historic Railway for their former Fanwood FD 1982 Mack Pumper No.7 which was acquired from Kinkisharyo International, Eastern Rail Division, Piscataway, by Capt. Bill McKelvey;

  • Mack Trucks Fire Apparatus Service Manual (8.5" x 11" x 3" thick)

  • Mack Trucks Fire Apparatus Operation Manual

  • Mack Trucks, Inc., Operators Handbook US & Canada Federal Regulations, 1982 Model Year Vehicles

  • Mack Trucks Maintenance and Lubrication Extended Service Interval

  • Warranty Information on 1980 Detroit Diesel Engines and Allison Transmissions Used in on-highway vehicle applications


DL&W Club Car Arrives in Whippany

After a very long, and much anticipated wait... WRyM's ex-DL&W Subscription / Parlor Car # 2454 finally moved West from Boonton Yard, over the NJ Transit Boonton Line to Denville Jct., and then East to Morristown over NJT's Morris & Essex Lines.  Once at Morristown the special move, headed by m&e locomotive #20 continued East to Whippany, where 2454 was coupled to its future running mate, CNJ #1201 Jersey Coast.

There are many people to Thank for assisting the Museum in getting to this point... but first and foremost above all, Frank Reilly and Bill McKelvey deserve a huge round of applause - as these two gentlemen insured that their respective philanthropic organizations enabled 2454 to become the stunning jewel that it is. 

Unfortunately, the car still bears some of the scars it suffered during the vicious vandalism attack in Boonton this past April.  Slowly but surely, WRyM will make those repairs.  The shattered side windows have all been replaced...  now it is a matter of installing the broken stained-glass upper "transom" windows (original to the car when built in 1912), as well as the distinctive diamond windows on each end of the car.  There is also the matter of damaged metal and paint work to address.

All in all, a very good day for WRyM...  2454 is now at Whippany... and hopefully the interior restoration will be complete perhaps a year or so down the road.

New Bel-Del Shop

NY Susquehanna & Western T & H Society tour of their new Port Delaware Shop with an overview and inspection of rebuilding of steam locomotive No. 142 by CMO Gary Mathews. Shop is 74' x 210' with a heated floor! The GE 45 tonner, owned by Don Chaudruc, powered the four-caboose train to the Susquehanna Mine for the membership picnic and meeting on Sept. 7, 2019. LHRY & Friends of the NJTHC donated spikes for the new trackwork. Photo by Al Schuckmann

LHRy Featured in "Skylands"

LHRy’s preservation efforts in Boonton, NJ were recently featured in Skylands. "One Track Mind" is a 6-page descriptive article, with photos and illustrations about the status of our initiative to establish a Transportation Heritage Center and to operate vintage trolley cars in Boonton's Grace Lord Park. It appears in the Summer, 2019 issue of Skylands Visitor magazine. Read the article here:

http://www.njskylands.com/history-boonton-grace-lord-park

Boonton Bridge Inspection

Today, Tuesday, 30 April, the PKB Engineering crew inspected the Grace Lord Park / Rockaway River RR bridge.  LHRy is funding the work which will produce an evaluation of current condition, current load rating analysis and recommendations for upgrades.  They did a thorough inspection of the two 1897 truss sections and the two 1890 deck girder sections. 

Vandalism in Boonton

A vicious vandalism attack occurred at the fenced URHS Boonton Rail Yard.  Major damage was inflicted to the rare Lackawanna Railroad parlor / commuter car No. 2454, owned by the Whippany Railway Museum (pictured).  The car had just completed a multi-year restoration costing hundreds of thousands of grant and donated dollars.  In addition, several restored locomotives and other cars also suffered damage.  The rail preservation / restoration community is devastated.  LHRy provided significant funding for 2454. Chairman Bill McKelvey and the Whippany Railway Museum have jointly offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.