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Woodstown Central Railroad Excursion 10/11/2024

The Autumn Conference of the National Railway Historical Society, sponsored by the Wilmington Chapter, took place in Wilmington, Delaware on October 11th and 12th, 2024. As with all conferences, there was a day of train excursions and a day of meetings. Elizabeth and I had checked into the Doubletree Hotel the day before and picked up our registration packets.

The two of us arose, went down to the hotel's restaurant for a buffet breakfast then returned to our room to do our Internet duties. We then walked out to the bus, joined the other participants and boarded for the journey to Woodstown.

In the harsh winter of 1851-1852, Salem Creek experienced a dramatic freeze, prompting a pivotal turning point. The confluence of frozen waterways crippling boat shipments and the lamentable state of local roads culminated in the imperative establishment of a transformative railroad. This game-changing endeavor was initially set in motion through a charter in 1853 by the West Jersey Railroad, aimed at forging a crucial connection from Camden to Cape May via Salem. Despite the visionary intent, this ambitious initiative unfortunately faltered, becoming a mere footnote in history.

Fast forward to the present day, and the once fragmented transportation landscape has evolved into a unified powerhouse. The convergence of the Conrail interchange and SRNJ, stretching from Woodbury to Salem in the south, now forms a seamlessly integrated railroad network. However, this achievement was far from a linear progression, as it materialized through the assembly of disparate sections rather than a single cohesive undertaking.

The Salem Railroad was charted March 13, 1856 wanted to build from Salem to reach any point of the West Jersey Railroad mainline, preferably in Woodbury. However, chose a different location. Last 6.6 miles of railroad is Salem Railroad; original ROW can be seen from maps. Split off North of Mowers Station Road, just South of Tanalorne Farms. Opened in 1863, and had two locomotives. Leased to West Jersey Railroad as of June 1, 1868.

The The Swedesboro Railroad charter approved February 21, 1866. Connecting off the West Jersey Railroad mainline, the Swedesboro Railroad is the Northern 10.9 miles, currently operated by SRNJ. The railroad opened for traffic on October 2, 1869. The Swedesboro Railroad had no locomotives or rolling stock, and was operated as part of the West Jersey Railroad.

The Woodstown & Swedesboro Railroad a charter was approved to connect Woodstown to the Swedesboro railroad on March 21, 1871.WJRR was interest in having a direct connection to Salem, and offered $50,000 in capital stock at $25 a share. After a lot of litigation, the 10.5-mile construction from Swedesboro to Ridgeway began November 29, 1882 and was completed on February 1, 1883.

History of the rail line that became the "Woodstown Central". Establishing an unbreakable link between Woodbury and Salem, the West Jersey Railroad officially christened this vital connection as "The Salem Branch", spanning an impressive 28 miles. The seamless streamlining of its corporate framework culminated in the incorporation of the West Jersey Railroad II on September 1, 1885. On the pivotal date of December 31, 1887, a momentous convergence unfolded, uniting not only the three railways but also amalgamating the Salem Branch Railroad Company and two other prominent railroad entities into the illustrious West Jersey Railroad III. Undergoing a transformative overhaul as part of an expansive restructuring initiative by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the West Jersey Railroad Company seamlessly transitioned into the esteemed "Atlantic Division", seamlessly nested within the overarching “New Jersey Division,” itself an integral component of the far-reaching “Eastern Region,” all under the aegis of the venerable Pennsylvania Railroad. This sweeping transformation transpired on the pivotal date of June 20, 1920.

With the advent of federal funding for highway construction, the competitive landscape shifted from inter-railroad rivalry to a contest between railroads and burgeoning highways. This transformation culminated in the merger of the West Jersey & Seashore line) and the Atlantic City RR, which took effect on June 25, 1933, resulting in the formation of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. While this consolidation left the Salem Branch untouched, it wasn't uncommon for Reading equipment to find its way onto this branch line.

The Salem Branch witnessed its final scheduled passenger service on Saturday, December 30, 1950, with official service cessation taking place the subsequent day.

After going through Penn Central from 1968-1976, Conrail now owned the railroad. On November, 1984, Conrail gave official notice of its intention to abandon the Salem Branch south of Swedesboro. Fearing loss of freight service might have a negative impact on several of the county’s major employers, Salem County purchased the railroad south of Swedesboro from Conrail for $267,000 in May. The 18-mile line was named the Salem County Railroad.

After several months of negotiations, the county awarded the West Jersey Short Line on May 23, 1985. On October 1, 1988 West Jersey Short Line sold the railroad to Pioneer Railroad Company of Peoria, Il. The name was changed to the West Jersey Railroad Company IV.

On May 1, 1995, operation of the line south of Swedesboro was awarded to the Southern Railroad of New Jersey (SRNJ). After a several-million dollar project to rehabilitate the railroad, on April 1, 2021, SMS Rail Lines, of Bridgeport, took over operation and maintenance of the Salem County Railroad. SRNJ continues to operate the northern segment of the Salem Branch from Swedesboro to Woodbury.

After realizing the beauty of the Salem Branch, a new division of SMS Rail Lines, the Woodstown Central Railroad, was formed to operate historic passenger train rides. On November 5, 2022, Woodstown Central had its soft opening, featuring SMS engine 304 and newly restored Reading Company caboose 92857.

Over the next year, more equipment including passenger cars, other vintage diesels, and steam locomotive 9, will make its way to the Woodstown Central Railroad, as well as the grand opening of our new South Woodstown passenger station.

SMS Rail Lines S-12 304, ex. Erie Mining Company 7244, exx. Erie Mining Company 404, nee Monongahela 415, built by Baldwin Locomotive Company in 1953.

Our trainset.

SMS Rail Lines GP38-3 2003, ex. Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines 2003, exx. Conrail 7663, exxx. Bangor and Aroostook 362, exxx. Bangor and Aroostook 91, nee Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific 362, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1967.

Our trainset from the other end. Everyone boarded and we were soon off on new mileage.

Construction of the new engine house was progresing well.

The interior of our coach.

The scene as we left Swedesboro.

This area of New Jersey has plenty of farms.

Farm equipment and silos.

Agricultural scenes along the route.

We ran south to Mannington Meadows Bay.

Everyone detrained for the first photo runby at Mannington Meadows Road and I walked down the road to an entrance to the bay.

The scene.

Pumpkins were along the road.

Reverse move one.

Photo runby one. The journey continued to our next photo runby location at Cheney Road.

The view as we detrained.

Reverse move two.

Photo runby two.

Reverse move three. We reboarded and went to Bailey Street.

Woodstown Central coach 1319 "Oldmans Creek", ex. Green Mountain Railroad 1319, nee Central of New Jersey 1319 built by Pressed Steel in 1931.

Woodstown Central table car 1312, ex. Green Mountain Railroad 1312, nee Central of New Jersey coach 1312 built by Pressed Steel in 1931.

Woodstown Central parlour car 3004 "Mineral Spring", ex. Pennsylvania Railroad 7099 "Mineral Spring", nee Pullman parlour-drawing room "Mineral Spring" built by the company in 1927.

A Pennsylvania Railroad map on the wall.

The Woodstown Central Railroad drumhead.

Woodstown Central coach 1317 "Alloway Creek", ex. Green Mountain Railroad 1317, nee Central of New Jersey 1317 built by Pressed Steel in 1931. We travelled to a field just before Bailey Road.

Conference attendees, led by Richard Shulby, make their way to the photo line.

Reverse move four.

The photo runby scene.

Photo runby three.

Reverse move five. We all reboarded and went to Auburn Road in Swedesboro.

An industry that has rail service in Woodstown.

This building no longer has rail service.

Another field waiting for planting.

Oldmans Creek, a 22.1 mile tributary of the Delaware River.

We reached Swedesboro and now would return to Woodstown.

Memorial Lake, also known as Salem River. We made our way back to Woodstown, ending our journey on the Woodstown Central.

Woodstown Central's brand new station for their excursion service which houses the ticket office and gift shop, where we acquired mugs, T-shirts and pins.

The Krapf Group motor coach which transported us throughout the day and took us to a strip mall with three restaurant choices for lunch. Elizabeth and several others went to Ciconte's Pizzeria and I went to Acme Markets for snacks, after which we were taken to Pureland Industrial Complex for the next part of this adventure.

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