May 14 2012
Steve GeritsenAnnouncements, May 2012, Motorcars, Newsletters
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the chance to be President of the VRA. It’s a great privilege to serve this organization in this capacity. With the help of the new executive committee and the Board of Directors we will be able to do a lot of fun activities and accomplish many projects.
Easter Train 2012 tickets sales floundered in the beginning weeks, but after a hard push towards the day of the train, we were able to have a terrific turnout. Many thanks go out to Carolyn Hoffman, Justin Kerstner and Betsy Newbury for their outstanding effort to make this year’s train possible, as well as all of our Volunteers that came out for the weekend. Through everyone’s efforts we put on a great show and gave all of our riders a nice day out.
Special thanks go out to KC Smith and Charles Smith for showing us the ropes and all the planning that goes into making these trains a reality.
On March 4th, the VRA once again participated in the Jersey Central Historical Society’s train show in Clark, NJ. We brought what remains of the JKW collection. The show was very well attended, better than previous years, and we were able to sell a good amount of the collection. We still have many lanterns to sell and more models, so we look forward to doing another show.
This year we will continue to maintain and improve upon our motor cars. At the end of last year we had purchased two motorcars from the Middletown & New Jersey Railroad, which we will try to get running this year. The Sheffield 40B restoration will be completed this year as well.
Keep your eyes on the Yahoo group for work sessions at Boonton yard. Any time that you can come down and lend a hand is always appreciated and it would be great to see some old faces that we haven’t seen in a while.
May 14 2012
VRAHawthorne Station, May 2012, Newsletters
by Steve Gerritsen and Justin Kerstner
Work continues on Hawthorne Station. The gable ends will be completed this spring, and our first order of pavers is in and laid out for the public to see when they walk by. We were able to participate in Hawthorne’s Great American Garage Sale on the weekend of May 5th – 6th which netted us $460 in sale proceeds.
This is the second year we’ve participated in the event and it has turned out to be a good fundraiser. All proceeds will enefit the continued upkeep of the station.
Justin has been in contact with Dell’s Landscaping of Hawthorne and has discussed options for getting the garden finished. They have agreed to take a look at our garden and give us some more ideas and recommendations. Dell’s might even be able to use some of our volunteers to help with the garden, so keep a watch on your emails for potential work sessions.
Frank Ball has picked up the materials to finish the roof, and has started painting the pieces in the basement. That way when the time comes to install them it’ll be quick and easy. He has also picked up new fire extinguishers for the station. They are located at each exit door, and inside the basement door. New exit/emergency lights have also been installed to replace the old ones that had begun leaking battery acid.
Along with the personalized bricks we offered benches, which turned out to be a huge pain to make. None of the bench ends we poured came out well, so it was decided to order pre-cast concrete bench ends. The person who ordered the first bench was consulted about this decision and he was fine with the idea. We should have the benches within the next few weeks. The wood for the benches will be stained a dark green to match the station, and a bronze plaque with the donor’s name will be affixed to them.
With the station pretty much completed, efforts will be working towards displays for open houses. We’re looking for member photos to put on display in the station. The idea is to rotate them throughout the year, so seasonally correct photos would be great. Drop them at the station with a description and your name, and we’ll frame them if necessary and put them up. If anyone is interested in being at the station to host open houses please contact me. We hope to set up a schedule very soon. As always, look for posted work sessions at the station and come out and help.
Please keep an eye on your emails as well as the Yahoo group for future work days and other planned events.
May 14 2012
VRAMay 2012, Newsletters, United Railroad Historical Society of NJ
by Joe Mele
I would like to update the VRA members on the URHS activity. Below are a couple of newsworthy items:
The Boonton Yard shop building construction has begun; hopefully the building will be completed in the next couple of months.
Star Trak is continuing to work on our equipment at Boonton yard.
URHS signed a lease agreement with the Black River Historical Trust for the Erie SW-9 #436. The locomotive was picked up by Norfolk Southern RR from the NY&GL Railway and interchanged in Garfield, NJ at the end of April. The BRHT will be using this locomotive for the 2012 operating season for their passenger trains on the Black River & Western Railroad.
The Liberty Historic Railway (LHRy) will host an open meeting on Sunday, June 10, 2012 at Liberty State Park, in the Central RR of NJ, Jersey City Terminal, Blue Comet room. All members of the URHS member groups are invited to attend. Please see the meeting flyer in this issue.
The following supplement was provided by Steve Gerritsen – Ed.
A shop has been erected in the URHS Boonton Yard over the past few months. At this time it is nearing completion, with only some roofing work and doors to be hung. Once completed, Star Trak can resume work on the URHS equipment, but in the mean time they are painting an engine for the Black River & Western. Since the last newsletter, the URHS has leased out Erie 436 to the Black River Historical Society. They will be making minor repairs and placing it into service on their passenger trips. Work continues in the yard to clear more brush and trees, to allow us better access to equipment. Brush is a never ending battle, but is necessary so we can get to the fun stuff: working on trains.
May 14 2012
Matt PhalonMay 2012, Newsletters
Although with a shaky and questionable start, the 2012 Easter Bunny train turned out to be a great success. This year’s trains ran out of Wayne-Route 23 on Saturday, March 31 and Glen Rock-Boro Hall on Sunday, April 1 with three trips each day at 9:30, 12 noon, and 2:30. This year’s Glen Rock trip differed from years prior in that the all three trains ran east to Secaucus Junction Station and back which came with a positive response from riders viewing the Jersey Meadows and the New York City skyline. The only hitch on any of the six trains was a communication breakdown between NJT and the VRA on the scheduling of the 9:30 train. This issue has already been resolved for future trips, should we decide to run east again.
This year’s committee consisted of Carolyn Hoffman and myself as cochairpersons, along with Betsy Newbury as crew caller and Andrea Rebner as character coordinator. Steve Gerritsen, Ally Smith, KC Smith, Charles Smith, Jennifer Ball, Frank Ball, Andrew Murphy and Kevin Phalon assisted in various tasks and a huge thanks goes out to them as well. Also very big thanks to Justin Kerstner for his tireless efforts in being at the station every night and weekend to answer the phone calls and emails of our passengers, and dealing with customer service during the day of the train as well.
Planning for the Santa train will begin in September. As usual the more hands, the better! Thanks again to everyone who made this train a success!
May 14 2012
Mike O'TooleMay 2012, Newsletters
We’ve come a long way since 1998! Our main site was established right before the new millennium in 1998, and in 2004 was moved to vratrips.org. How many of you know all of the VRA’s sites? Well here’s a quick summary: VRATrips.org, VRATtrips.com, EasterBunnyTrain.com, SantaTrainRide.com and HawthorneStation.info. Then there’s the Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Volunteerrailroaders/ and the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Volunteer-Railroaders-Association/38523424986
Why make these changes? Our train ride customers, AKA today’s parents, AKA ‘Generation Y’ are very mobile device-oriented (cell phone, iPad, etc), with a single-purpose site focus compared to us ‘Baby Boomers’ and our newer members, aka ‘Generation X’ (born 1960-79). We’ve added several Twitter accounts to the mix too in 2010. Why this ‘old’ Twitter news? Well, our three Twitter accounts haven’t been pushed but they are slowly growing. When Jon Berkemeyer made our Facebook page two years ago it took a while to grow too. Now we have 138 Fans on Facebook and see weekly growth upticks.
When the 2010 Santa Train ran, we saw a significant growth in mobile device use. In reaction to that, the 2011 Easter Bunny Train website was made even more mobile friendly. Seeing the huge usage shift to mobile during both (2011′s Easter train site saw 400% as much mobile traffic as the 2010 Santa train), I’ve decided for 2012 the Santa Train Ride site needed to be ‘taken to the next level’ so to speak. Yes, December 1st, 2012 Santa Claus Train Ride – mark that date! SantaTrainRide.Com is our first site that will look markedly different on a cell phone compared to a PC/Mac.
Some of you thought there were more sites? Well, SantaTrain.Net is a joint VRA / Tri-State / Whippany / JCRHS website covering northern/central New Jersey for the big fellas’ trains.
More info at http://www.vratrips.org/VRAontheweb.html
Apr 29 2012
VRAAnnouncements
10th Annual Franklin
Model and Toy Train Sale and Show
The Sussex County Railroad Club
Sunday May 6th, 2012
9 am to 3 pm.
Location:
Littell Community Center (Old National Guard Armory)
near the intersection of Route 23 and Rt. 517
Franklin, NJ.
New, used, and collectible model and toy trains
Railroad collectibles
Operating model railroad layout
Refreshments available
$5.00 admission, children under 12 free
Directions: From Route 80 take Route 23 north at Wayne to end of 4 lane, go 4 miles more to bottom of hill and turn left on Route 527 at 1st light and follow signs.
Or take Route 15 north from Route 80 near Dover and take exit for Sparta/Franklin. Turn right on Route 517 at end of ramp, go five miles and turn left on Munsonhurst Road just before light for Route 23.
Vendor Tables available now at $25.00 each
For info and table reservations call John at 973-697-6539
More info at: http://www.trainweb.org/sussexctyrrclub/
Apr 22 2012
VRAAnnouncements, Hawthorne Station
A work party installed all the engraved bricks we had on hand. Click on images to enlarge.
Apr 21 2012
VRAAnnouncements, Motorcar Trips, Motorcars
Dear VRA friends & Fellow Rail Groups,
We felt it necessary to reach out to you all to regarding VRA motorcar trips for 2012. Due to circumstances beyond our control we have decided to suspend our usual motorcar excursions for 2012.
It has come to our attention that people are being approached to be flaggers on various trips under the impression that they are volunteering for a VRA event. We regrettably will not be hosting any NARCOA events in 2012.
Our efforts in 2012 will be a continual focus on our restoration projects, brush cutting work on several railroads, and maintenance and repairs on our in-service motorcars.
We are hoping to resume motorcar operations in 2013. All VRA events and announcements will be made through our website at VRATrips.org. Please check our website regularly for the most up to date information.
Thank you all for your continued support,
Executive Committee
Volunteer Railroaders Association
80 Royal Ave
Hawthorne, NJ 07506
Apr 04 2012
VRAAnnouncements, United Railroad Historical Society of NJ
On Sunday, 10 June, beginning at 10 am, Liberty Historic Railway will host an open public meeting in the Central Railroad of NJ Jersey City Terminal Blue Comet Room. Presentations will be made to educate and update stakeholders and other interested persons on the initiatives of LHRy.
There is a public snack bar on the Train Concourse where coffee “and” can be purchased. A fast food lunch can also be purchased there. For those who desire deli-type sandwiches, sodas/water & chips for $5, we’ll provide them by advance reservation only.
In the afternoon we plan to have tours of the facility by former employees of the Central Railroad of NJ to learn about the historic activities which took place in the various areas. There will also be more and/or repeat presentations in the Blue Comet Room until about 3 pm. For lunch reservations, contact Bill McKelvey @ wjmckelvey@hotmail.com Or by phone: 908-464-9335 Liberty Historic Railway, Inc.
Liberty Historic Railway, Inc. was formed on 29 January 2010 as a non-profit, public benefit corporation meeting the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service for exemption from Federal income tax under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are further classified as a public charity under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). Contributions to Liberty Historic Railway are deductible under section 170 of the IRS Code. We are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfer, or gifts under sections 2005. 2106, and/or 2522 of the IRS Code.
© 2012
Liberty Historic Railway, Inc.
103 Dogwood Lane
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
Apr 02 2012
Matt PhalonAnnouncements, Easter Bunny Train, Excursions, February 2012, Newsletters, Santa Train, Toys For Tots
2011 Santa Train: The train was a resounding success. All together, we put 2,174 people on three trains from Wayne-Route 23 to Dover and back. We had a full train crew and parking lot crew. Thanks to Joe Phalon for picking up the lunch that day. Special thanks to Bob Lozanski, Senior Road Foreman with NJ Transit for his help, and to the NJ Transit train crew that day. Without their assistance and cooperation, we would not have had the success we did.
2012 Easter Bunny Train: This year’s Easter train is going to co-chaired by Carolyn Hoffman and myself. The March 31st date is confirmed by NJ Transit for Wayne-Route 23 to Dover and back at 9:30am, 12 noon, and 2:30pm. NJ Transit denied our request to run a trip over Metro-North’s Southern Tier line from Middletown, NY due to single-track territory and scheduling issues. Instead, we are waiting to hear back from NJ Transit about running east to West End or Hoboken from Glen Rock-Boro Hall. This would be an alternative to running west to Suffern in an attempt to lengthen the trip duration. For this train, we are going to need more help than ever, and the more hands the better. We need help with ticketing, putting up signs and banners, and posting the paper signs. Any and all help is greatly welcomed, and here’s to another successful VRA excursion!
Apr 02 2012
KC SmithAnnouncements, February 2012, Newsletters
By now you should have all received your ballots for the 2012 election, made your selections and mailed them back. But if you still have not either mailed them back or gotten one in the mail you still have time to vote. We will be accepting ballots up until the start of the business at our next membership meeting on Thursday February 16th. If you did not get a ballot and are a current member please let me know. I can be reached at .
We have uncontested races for President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer, but the one open Directors spot has three people running for it, so your vote is very important. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to read the candidates bios and then fill out your ballot and either mail it back in the SASE or bring it to the meeting.
Apr 02 2012
KC SmithFebruary 2012, Newsletters
Nineteen years ago this month Steve Weiss, Bob Blumenstock, Joe Weber and myself got together and came up with a crazy idea to start a new group to staff the NYS&W’s 142 steam program and we called it the Susquehanna Volunteer Association. Well here we are nineteen years later, the SVA is now the VRA, and the last of the original four (that would be me) is about to leave office ending nineteen years of serving our members.
I am very proud of what the four of us did and even more proud of what you, the members of the VRA, made happen. Because, while every group needs leaders, there would be nothing to lead if it were not for its members. I am also proud of those people who have volunteered their time to step up and help lead the VRA from when we created the 501c3 until today. These people helped take the vision started by the original four and turn it into more than any of us could have imagined.
As Old Blue Eyes sang, “regrets… I have a few.” The first is that Joe Weber never got to see the station completed; he would have loved what we have done. The second is that I wish select executive board members (including myself) could have kept more of the pure enjoyment of what we do in mind, and kept the politics and personality conflicts out of the picture. That is not to say that the four benevolent dictators (as we became affectionately known) did not have our difficulties, but we never let any of those problems effect the membership. These last four or five years I am sorry to say have not been that way and for that I am truly sorry.
As leaders we should have all done a better job for you and while we cannot change the past we can certainly learn from it. So I ask the incoming board, and all future ones, to remember the lessons of the past, to not repeat the bad ones and to use the good ones to help grow the organization. Over the years the VRA has become one of the most respected groups in the New Jersey rail preservation community because of all we have done. Let’s all work to keep that reputation and to make it even stronger.
Enough with the bad stuff. I have a few people I need to thank for helping me through these last nineteen years. The first is my wife, Carol. She has sacrificed so much to allow me to do what I have done. The days and nights that I was not home count in the hundreds. She saw the passion I had for the VRA and (almost) never asked me to curtail my activities. She is a wonderful human being and I am lucky to have her on by my side.
My son, Kenny, was five years old when we started this group and he too did not have me around on those many days and nights. He too never complained and on the many occasions he got to take part in one of our activities he proudly stood by me, helping when he could or just enjoying what we were doing. My favorite memories are when he would put on the Snoopy or Scooby Doo costumes to entertain our passengers. I was then the proud one as he made so many kids (and kids at heart) smile.
There are a few more people who deserve an extra big thank you for all they have done for the VRA and me: Steve Weiss, Bob Blumenstock and Joe Weber for working together to create, grow and make our little group great. Chris Vitz for his calm and thoughtful leadership and for all his work to get our 501c3 status. He is a great example of how we should all act. Charles Smith, for always being there and for always being a good sport. Most of you probably don’t know this, but Charles stepped in and filled the void left when Joe Weber got sick and stayed doing all he could after Joe died. I am very proud to call Charles my friend. To all of you, our members, I want to thank you for giving me the chance to help lead our group. I hope I did a good job for you and that you enjoyed the time you have been part of the VRA. I look forward to being part of the VRA long into the future and hope you will join me. It will be great to watch our future leaders decide the projects and direction we will take and then join in to make the vision a reality.
I have made a lot of great friends in the VRA, friendships I will cherish long into the future. To those people (you know who you are) words cannot express how much I appreciate the laughs, good times, hugs, handshakes, support and guidance. You have made my life better and for that I truly thank you.
Your Very Humble Ex-Benevolent Dictator,
KC
Apr 02 2012
Joe MeleFebruary 2012, Newsletters, United Railroad Historical Society of NJ
The Boonton Yard shop building construction has begun; hopefully the building will be completed in the next couple of months.
Star Trak is continuing to work on our equipment at Boonton yard.
The URHS is still negotiating with Robert Franzen, the owner of the twin NYC Dining cars currently located in South Carolina. The URHS is offering to swap Robert four of their green coaches for his two diner cars. The URHS and Robert are working out the details; more information will follow as it becomes available.
URHS signed a lease agreement with the Black River Historical Trust for the Erie SW-9 #436. The BRHT will be using this locomotive for the 2012 operating season for their passenger trains on the Black River & Western Railroad.
Below are a couple of upcoming URHS member group’s model train / railroad shows that I would like to share with VRA members:
• The ELHS Spring meeting will be held on April 15, 2012 at the Parsippany Holiday Inn. The ELHS is looking for presenters for any DL&W, E-L or Erie RR theme shows.
• Jersey Central Rwy. HS: Mother Seton HS, Clark, NJ- March 4, 2012 – Railroadiana Show & Sale.
Apr 02 2012
Carolyn HoffmanExcursions, February 2012, Newsletters, Toys For Tots
The 'bucket brigade' of local citizens in Pompton Lakes help move the donations to the boxcar with remarkable efficiency. No one gave a second thought about pitching in. Absolutely wonderful!” – Photo & Caption by Ralph Bonanno
I am very happy to report that 2011 was the third very successful year for Operation Toy Train. The Military Transport Association of New Jersey along with the VRA, Norfolk Southern, NYS&W, and M&E ran two days of trains on December 10th & 11th, 2011. On Saturday December 10th, the train ran from Ridgefield Park to Butler with stops at Maywood, Hawthorne, Wortendyke, Wyckoff and Pompton Lakes. The weather cooperated and the overall turnout for the day was quite good and over 5000 toys were collected by the end of the day. UPS and Ikea both made huge contributions with a $3200 donation and over 250 toys respectively.
NYS&W Engineer Steve Weiss poses with Santa, U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots representatives, and members of the Wyckoff Fire Department.
The Hot Dog Caboose in Wortendyke was open and offered food to our Marines and volunteers at no charge. The Wyckoff Fire Department brought out a number of trucks at the Wyckoff station stop and loaded a large number of toys onto the boxcar. Several Girl Scout troops from the area were at various stops throughout the day as well. As in previous years, Pompton Lakes made this a huge event for their town. The local radio station was there along with Mayor Kathleen Cole, and various community groups. The North Jersey Jeep Club was in attendance with quite a few Jeeps stuffed with toys, as well as a few utility trailers. On the way back east that night a special stop was made at Hawthorne Station for the Hawthorne Fire Department who was unable to make the train stop that morning. Suddenly NS #3010 shut down and could not be restarted. Luckily, NYS&W #3018 was also in the consist, so we were able to make it back to Little Ferry Yard. There was some concern as to how the cars would make it to Morristown for day two, but luckily Morristown & Erie came to the rescue! John Sobotka, our Operation Toy Train organizer and NS engineer, and an M&E crew were able to get to Morristown to pick up M&E #19 for Sunday.
The 2011 Toys for Tots train pulls west past Wyckoff depot.
M&E boxcar
Sunday dawned clear as well and went extremely smoothly. The train left Morristown under the power of M&E #19 and made its way to Dover to pick up more volunteers. From there we headed to the Flanders Fire Station for our first stop. The Flanders FD has opened their station to Operation Toy Train all three years and provided the volunteers and community with coffee & hot chocolate as well as donuts & cookies and a generous donation of toys. From there the train proceeded to Route 10 in Ledgewood next to Sleepy’s.
Once again the public turnout was very good. Giancarlo’s Bakery brought Santa in and took numerous pictures and then gifted a full sheet cake to the Marines to thank them for their service. A small stop was made in Kenvil for a local Girl Scout troop who gathered over 750 toys alone from local businesses. The train continued on to Dover and stopped next to the Municipal Building, and then continued on to a small stop at Lakeland Bus just to pick up. We finished out the day in Rockaway at Pot Belly’s Cafe to a great turnout. At the end of the day the Marines met us as we left the boxcar on a siding in Rockaway and the crew and volunteers headed back to Morristown.
Special thanks go out to our VRA Train and Ground Crew who worked very long days loading toys, managing crowd control, and making our visitors comfortable and happy! All volunteers had full access to the train for the entire day including hot drinks and food and a place to sit down. Everyone worked extremely hard to make this train a huge success! After two collection trains and various pickups by Military Transport Association of New Jersey members over the next week, the final count came to roughly 11,500 toys!! Thanks to everyone who was involved and keep an eye out for Operation Toy Train 2012 information this summer.
Santa Clause, Morristown & Erie Employee, Matt Phalon, and CSX Engineer, Ralph Bonanno, ride the observation end of the Ohio River on the M&E’s High Bridge Line.
Mar 05 2012
Steve GeritsenFebruary 2012, Newsletters, United Railroad Historical Society of NJ
The year 2011 was a very productive year for the URHS in the Boonton Restoration Yard. Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 #4877 received its as-delivered, Brunswick Green, five-stripe paint scheme.
New Jersey Department Of Transportation E8 #4253 has a fresh coat of blue and silver,
and former Chicago & North Western / New Jersey Transit F7 #424 has been painted to represent a Reading F7 with the number 284.
Two of the hospital cars used by Star Trak as an office and shop were prepped to get army colors.
A General Electric 45-ton locomotive was delivered to the yard as well. Owned by Liberty Historic Railway, it will be repaired and repainted by Star Trak.
At the end of 2011, work began on constructing a shop building that will cover two tracks and will make the restoration much easier and faster since there will be no weather constraints.
When the shop is completed in 2012, Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 #4879 and New Jersey Transit E8 4326 will be worked on and restored.
I look forward to setting up an Open House for this year so look for a date in the future. (All photos this page – Larry Gross)
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