April Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s April membership meeting was held on Monday, April 24, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center. Mitch Dakelman presented two 16mm films. The first was a 1962 promotional film about Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, NJ, which featured footage of Pennsylvania Railroad passenger trains running directly to the racetrack for horse racing fans. The second film was GG1: An American Classic, a 1984 documentary on the last run of the GG1, focusing on PRR 4877, affectionately referred to as “Big Red.” The late Tom Moran, a longtime West Jersey Chapter member, narrated the film. (Segments of this film are available on YouTube.)

April Special Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s April Special membership meeting was held virtually on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Three different programs were presented. First, Chapter President Dave Homer presented a program on Mount Holly, NJ, railfanning in 2006. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of this program is 10:03. Next, Dave presented a program on a tour of the out-of-service former CNJ Southern Division mainline for a few miles south of Lakehurst. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of this program is 10:13. Lastly, John Kilbride and Dave Homer presented a program on the history of the ex-PRR Princeton Branch. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of this program is 51:56. This segment was a prelude to the Chapter’s outing, on Saturday, May 6, where we rode the Dinky and walked from the new NJT Princeton station to Milepost 3 on the Princeton University campus.

March Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s March membership meeting was held on Monday, March 27, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center. Chapter President Dave Homer presented a program on the Hainesport Industrial Railroad, followed by “Photos from a Box,” vintage local photos mostly from Jerry MacDonald, and others. Vice President Fred Ciocciola presented some photos taken during 2013, starting with an April 2013 trip to Cincinnati, with photos in Columbus, Zanesville and Pittsburgh on the way home, and concluding with some photos from our area. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this program could not be broadcast via Zoom, and no recording is available.

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.

16th Annual "Lines on the Pines" 2023

West Jersey Chapter participated at the 16th Annual “Lines on the Pines” festival held at Stockton University in Galloway Township. This festival celebrates everything Pinelands, and participants include authors, artists, craftsmen, historians, and musicians. WJC’s exhibit focused on the railroads which served the Pinelands. WJC’s participation was quite successful, and we picked up a new member and a family member. Many WJC members and friends stopped by. Photo by John Burlage.

February Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s February membership meeting was held on Monday, February 27, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center, and was broadcast live via Zoom. Delaware & Susquehanna Model Railroad Club member Drew Marshall presented photos from his 2021 trip to various Ohio hot spots including Deshler, Fostoria, and Marion. At the beginning and end he shows local action on the Reading & Northern, Morristown & Erie, and others. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 18:36.

Glassboro Station Tour

West Jersey Chapter members were given a tour of the former West Jersey & Seashore Railroad’s Glassboro station and surrounding area on Saturday, February 25. The tour was guided by Rich Drobil and Kevin Jenner of the Glassboro Historical Society, which is headquartered at the station. Photos by Hank Cutler, Dave Homer, and John Burlage. Historic photos by Brad Phillips. Station area diagram courtesy Rich Drobil.

January Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s January membership meeting was held on Monday, January 23, 2023, at the Audubon Senior Center, and was broadcast live via Zoom. Our January meeting was Members’ Photo Night, with our presenters being Kevin Husta, Bob Vogel, Kevin Painter, Kevin Cunningham, and Fred Ciocciola. Each presenter was limited to 35 images. Jim Brazel also showed a video of Amtrak and SEPTA action at Paoli. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 44:43.

December Special Virtual Chapter Membership Meeting.

West Jersey Chapter’s Special December virtual membership meeting was held on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, and was broadcast via Zoom. WJC Vice President Fred Ciocciola presented a program on recently-scanned slides of PRSL scenes from the collections of Tom Jorgensen and Bruce Morrill. Most are from the 1970s but a few go back into the 1940s and forward into the Conrail era. The slides are shown with minimal narration. Dates, locations, and any photographer information appear in the upper-left corner of the screen. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 34:48.

November Chapter Membership Meeting.

West Jersey Chapter’s November membership meeting was held on Monday, November 28, 2022, at the Audubon Senior Center in Audubon, N. J., and was simultaneously broadcast via Zoom. WJC member and Railfan & Railroad editor Steve Barry presented a program on photos he has taken during 2022. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 55:37.

West Jersey Chapter YouTube Channel.

Thanks to member Scott Barnes, West Jersey Chapter now has a YouTube channel. Here you can find recordings of the presentations made at our recent Chapter membership meetings - all in one place! West Jersey Chapter also has a Facebook page. For your convenience, Facebook and YouTube icons, which link to these sites, appear in the footer of each webpage of our main and store websites.

October Chapter Membership Meeting.

West Jersey Chapter’s October membership meeting was held on Monday, October 24, 2022, at the Audubon Senior Center in Audubon, N. J., and was simultaneously broadcast via Zoom. WJC Vice President Fred Ciocciola presented a program entitled “A Penn Central Retrospective,” with photos in chronological order following the merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central System on February 1, 1968. The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (“New Haven”) was absorbed into Penn Central on January 1, 1969, and Fred showed PC images from southern New England as well. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:24:02.

September Chapter Membership Meeting.

West Jersey Chapter’s September membership meeting was held on Monday, September 26, 2022, at the Audubon Senior Center in Audubon, N. J. This was our first in-person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. WJC member Russell Sharp visited us from Illinois to present a program about the Rio Grande narrow gauge freights in 1967 plus their last year of operation in 1968. The presentation covered the dual-gauge trackage from Alamosa to Antonito, the narrow-gauge mainline from Antonito to Durango, and the narrow-gauge branches to Farmington and Silverton. This meeting was not broadcast via Zoom, but we hope to have this capability for the October meeting. We did, however, record the presentation and made it available on YouTube. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:17:31.

Tuckahoe Transportation Heritage Festival

West Jersey Chapter participated in the 5th Tuckahoe Transportation Heritage Festival, held on the grounds of the former Atlantic City Railroad / Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines station, in Upper Township, Cape May County, on Saturday, September 24, 2022. WJC members manned our sales table, and acted as docents on railroad equipment recently restored, and currently undergoing restoration. Equipment on display included PRR parlor car Mineral Spring, several P-70 coaches, and CNJ observation car Tempel. Also present were former PRSL rail diesel cars (RDC-1) owned by Cape May Seashore Lines. Train rides and speeder (motor car) rides were offered to visitors. Photos by Dave Homer.

August Virtual Chapter Membership Meeting.

West Jersey Chapter’s August virtual membership meeting was held on Monday, August 22. WJC Vice President Fred Ciocciola presented a program on his May, 2022, trip to the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 13:15. This was followed by a selection of images of the PRSL from the recently acquired slide collection donated to WJC by Tom Jorgensen.

June Virtual Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s June virtual membership meeting was held on Monday, June 27. West Jersey Chapter member Paul Mulligan presented a program entitled "Mapping Railroads of Cape May," followed by some images of progress on restoration activity in Tuckahoe. You can play a recording of the presentation by clicking on the image or by clicking here. The length of the program is 1:21:39.

South Jersey History Fair

West Jersey Chapter participated in the South Jersey History Fair, which was held on the grounds outside the historic 1756 Gabreil Daveis Tavern Museum House, 500 3rd Avenue, Glendora, on Saturday, June 11. The event was sponsored by the Gloucester Township Historic & Scenic Preservation Committee. Exhibitors included authors, historic committees, and groups from across all of South Jersey. Several Chapter members and many visitors stopped by to visit. In this photo, WJC members Ron Baile and Dave Homer are manning the Chapter’s exhibit. Photo by John Burlage.

May Virtual Chapter Membership Meeting

West Jersey Chapter’s May virtual membership meeting was held on Monday, May 23. WJC member Pierre Lacombe presented a program on the building of the Camden & Amboy Railroad between South Amboy and Bordentown. It has been popularly held that the stone sleepers used to support the rails were quarried at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. A retired professional geologist, Pierre debunks this notion through a thorough analysis of the sleepers remaining along the line. Yes, some of the stones were quarried at Sing Sing, but most of the stones were quarried at locations within 20 miles of the railroad.