Summary
The Belvidere & Delaware River Railway Company (reporting mark BDRV) also known as Delaware River Railroad is a class III railroad in the United States.[1] It was formed in 1995 when the Conrail Delaware Secondary line was purchased by the Black River Railroad System, which operates several railroad services in western New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The Black River Railroad System also owns and operates the Black River & Western Railroad (BR&W). BR&W leases 10 miles of track to BDRV since 2004.[2] Trackage purchased was a segment of the original Belvidere Delaware Railroad, later controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central, then Conrail.
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Phillipsburg, New Jersey |
| Reporting mark | BDRV |
| Locale | Hunterdon County, New Jersey |
| Dates of operation | 1995–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 16 miles |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.cadrailroads.com/ |
The main freight service on the BDRV is south along the Delaware River from Phillipsburg to Carpentersville, a distance of 5 miles along the scenic Delaware River in New Jersey. Much of the industry currently is lumber and stone. BDRV originally served the James River Paper plant in Milford, New Jersey, assuming the task from Conrail: service to the plant ended in July 2003 when the plant closed. Rail service to a lumber transload continued serving Milford into 2004 when service on this part of the line was finally terminated. Freight service to Corrugated Paper Group (now Georgia Pacific) in nearby Riegelsville, New Jersey terminated in 2005 when the firm switched from railroad to trucking for product shipment.
BDRV interchanges with Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in Phillipsburg, which provides connections to the national rail network. Commercial agreements also provide a connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) at Allentown, Pennsylvania. BDRV is a NS handling carrier, meaning NS haulage rates include delivery to BDRV customers by BDRV.
The BDRV, along with BR&W, is part of the Chesapeake and Delaware[3] system, which also includes the newly formed Delaware and Raritan River Railroad out of Jamesburg, New Jersey.
Passenger Excursions edit
In 2004, the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYS&W) Technical & Historical Society, in partnership with BDRV, began operating Phillipsburg–Carpentersville steam-powered excursions. The main motive power for the society is ex-NYS&W locomotive No. 142. No. 142 is a China Railways SY type 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive built by the Tangshan locomotive works in 1989 for the Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut as Valley No. 1647, and sold to NYS&W in 1992. The locomotive was renumbered No. 142, and operated mainline excursions on NYS&W and, on occasion, New Jersey Transit.[4] The locomotive was brought out of storage by BDRV in 2004 for use on the excursions. In recent years, ex-Nickel Plate Road No. 811, an EMD GP9, has also been in frequent service on the line. NYS&W Technical & Historical Society (NYSWTHS) operates their trains under the banner name "Delaware River Railroad Excursions".[5]
All excursions originate out of Lehigh Junction in Phillipsburg with various station stops along the way depending on the season and/or any themed events that may be happening at the time.[6]
Passenger excursions reached Riegelsville in May, 2023,[7] where passengers disembark at a replica Pennsylvania Railroad station that formerly stood on the same site (still under construction).[8] As part of the track improvements to reach Riegelsville a siding that had previously been taken out by Conrail was put back in place; albeit slightly shorter than the original.
Out of service edit
NYS&W Technical & Historical Society began clearing the line of vegetation south of Carpentersville, eventually reaching Milford in late 2010. The borough of Milford has a yearly event called "Milford Alive"[9] which has included rail speeder rides on the line. There are future plans to restore regular train service south of Riegelsville to Milford when track conditions have been further upgraded.
References edit
- ^ "Belvidere and Delaware River Railway secures state rail grant | lehighvalleylive.com". Archived from the original on 2014-04-19. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
- ^ "Rail News - Belvidere & Delaware River Railway to lease track from sister short line. For Railroad Career Professionals". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ https://www.cadrailroads.com/
- ^ https://www.toytrains1.com/dunellen.htm
- ^ "Regular Season Trips". Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ https://877trainride.com/
- ^ Erickson, Courtnie (2023-07-14). "New Jersey's Only Scenic River Train Belongs At The Top Of Your Bucket List". OnlyInYourState®. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ "19th century Riegelsville Station, a 'gateway' to Warren County, coming back to life along Delaware River railroad". lehighvalleylive. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ https://www.visitmilfordnj.org/milford-alive
External links edit
- Official website