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Black River & Western to mark 50 years
I wonder how many other operating tourist lines have been around for 50 years?
Strasburg, for sure.
I think the Roaring Camp & Big Trees is approaching its golden anniversary. It’s a dim recollection but I think it was being assembled in 1961 or '62.in the Redwoods north of Santa Cruz…
Picture Charlie Ward twenty-something, hostllng, (I was called to be his helper), sitting on the Watsonville Jct sandhouse’s 'steps,guitar in his hands, strumming chords repeatedly and singing “up the magic mountain” and asking everyyone if they’d heard it.
He’d heard a bit of Pete, Paul and Mary’s new song about the epoch of
“Puff the Magic Dragon.” and he had “nailed” the melody…
The sun faded int the ocean fog bank…'up the magic mountain… the local’s engines came home and we worked…“up the magic mountain”…"
Charlie worked with and later, I heard, for the Roaring Camp and…
Other operations that have reached, or are very close to, the 50-year mark:
Durango & Silverton (started under D&RGW)
Wilmington & Western RR (next year)
Midwest Central, Iowa
Branford Trolley/Electric Ry.
Seashore Trolley Museum
Edaville RR (in a sense)
White Mountain Central, NH
Mt. Washington Cog Ry.
Pine Creek RR, NJ
Arcade & Attica
Tweetsie, NC
Pioneer Coal Mine & Tunnel, Ashland, Pa.
Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern
Railways To Yesteryear/Rockhill Trolley Museum
New Hope & Ivyland
the aforementioned Strasburg RR
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, Arden
Black Hills Central
Tennessee Valley RR Museum
Cass Scenic RR
And a few museums–B&O, Canadian, Illinois Ry., National Ry. Museum in Green Bay, Travel Town L.A., St. Louis, etc.
I’m glad to hear they’re working on restoring the line to Lambertville. That was my favorite part of the railroad. In the 1980s and 90s they ran diesel powered trains (RS-1 or CF-7, later Geeps) between Ringoes and Lambertville. Then for a while they used a privately owned PRR gas-electric. I really miss that old gal. #60 handled the Ringoes-Flemington trains.