SMS Rail Lines Shop Tour

West Jersey Chapter members were given a tour of the SMS Rail Lines’ shops in Center Square, Logan Township, on Wednesday, March 15. Our tour was hosted by Paul C. Harland, SMS’s Director of Passenger Operations, and assisted by Casey Peters. SMS employees were busy with several projects. Baldwin AS616 No. 554 is in the shop for a complete rebuilding. PRR DS-4-4-1000 No. 9069 is also in the shop for rebuilding. Work continues on 0-6-0 No. 9. The first ex-CNJ round-top commuter coach, No. 1312, has been painted Pullman green with gold lettering for the Woodstown Central, and named Woodstown. This and other coaches will eventually be deployed on the southern portion of the Salem Branch between Swedesboro and Salem. Our group was also shown the new addition to the shop on the north side of the building, which will function as a paint shop. After the tour participants were free to photograph the equipment outside the shops. The locomotive being used in switching Pureland Industrial Park this day was none other than Baldwin S-12 No. 301, named for the late Ed Weller, SMS employee and West Jersey Chapter member. Photos by Bob Vogel and John Burlage.