Eagle Scout Service Project for the Black River & Western RR

The following article is from The Messenger-Gazette and was found on the nj.com web site. 

Branchburg Boy Scout helps Hunterdon County's Black River & Western Railroad

Published: Friday, March 09, 2012
 By The Messenger-Gazette

Dan Rosario, Dyan Rosario, Matthew Thiel, Ian Gallagher, Ron Fulper, Ken Rosario

with the new sign at Ringoes Station.

Hunterdon County’s own Black River & Western Railroad opens its operating season with the Easter Bunny Express on March 31. This is the first of many special events planned for the 2012 season.

Two Eagle Scout Leadership Service Projects were recently undertaken at Ringoes Station. Ken Rosario, of Troop 90 in Branchburg, is in the process of installing a new sign. Working with Ron Fulper of Horizon Signs Ken has replaced the station’s old signs with one that requires less maintenance. Ollie Shortridge, of Troop 99 in Newtown, PA, completed a project in the museum’s signal garden. Working with Scott Kwiatkowski and Bob Rowe, of Rowe Electric, Ollie cleaned, restored and installed a vintage switch stand and railroad signal light.

Trust president Jim Hager commented that the two Eagle projects “enhanced the appearance and visitor experience at the station.”

In addition to the regularly scheduled trains, the old favorites including the Great Train Robbery, Photo Freight and Three Bridges Excursions, Caboose Hops, pumpkin picking and the corn maze at Pumpkin Junction as well as the popular Santa and North Pole Express Trains will be back. New this year will be Readin’ Railroad Story Time Train for younger children and the Eerie Limited, a night train, which will feature tales of local train wrecks and railroad hauntings.

BRRHT volunteers have nearly completed an extensive restoration project on historic BR&W #60. They are currently planning for #60’s return to revenue service, marking the long awaited return of New Jersey’s only standard-gauge American built steam locomotive. Former Erie Railroad SW9 # 436 is on the property pulling trains this year as well.

Also new this year is the expanded Black River Railroad Historical Trust’s Museum which is housed in a 1915 baggage car built for the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Museum curators Greg Ill, and Pete Reimer, along with Mark Krisanda, Kevin Knobl and Rich Anderson, SR. created a unique museum that displays a wide variety of railroad memorabilia illustrating the story of railroading in the Northeast with a special focus on the BR&W. The museum, located at the Ringoes Station, is open on days which passenger trains operate.

Information about the BR&W, including schedules, history and special events can be found at flemingtontrain.org/index.html.