Re: Pine Creek Railroad

A railroad museum is of value if it knows how to keep every casting, spring, knuckle, bar, wheel and etc. The value is only known when you need to rebuild something and you need that part. For example, where can you find a Janney knuckle for an century old coupler? These photos are only a tiny part of the NJMT at the Pine Creek RR. Can you see the entire log bunk car in one photo? It only needed 4 pieces of wood, two center beams, and two bolster beams and could be back on rails as example of logging in Dismal Swamp. There were 5 of those cars rotting away years ago. W. S. Young short line publication showed their move to Cape May, NJ county air port, and then moved on to Allaire, NJ. They were owned by Doctor May of Cape May County. Someone at one point questioned that they may be owned by Mrs. Edgar Mead, who passed on question to her older son, one who did tremendous work at Portland Maine on the 2’ gauges trains. The NJ Museum of T. lost understanding of true ownership and scrupled any attempt to buy items from the original owner, even though both agreed to sell, since the Pine Creek RR was not succeeding in getting those parts into repair.

My personal experience was very short and I quickly learned it was far too hot to handle and I discovered that the entire problem in that Museum boils back to 2000-2004 when one person was chairman of the Board. This person was rejected in 2004 but his damage was done in the organization’s procedure. Even though he was excommunicated, he has inflected himself into every posting about this museum. I believe he is a giant part of the problem with the NJ State Government.

The most damaging things are when State Government looks at a museum or the photo that I just posted and call it junk. They are GOLD nuggets to anyone in the narrow gauge rebuild of trains. For Example, only three hours apart, a Tionesta Valley #111 Caboose has been totally rebuilt but is lacking 24” diameter wheel with 3’ 4” arch-bar truck, and the Pine Creek RR had 10 of these trucks, mostly un-needed. Can you see all the different coupler in the other photo? Or the sets of 42” gage wheels, and many good 36” gage wheels. That is all JUNK to the state eyes. Never have a museum on some one else property.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2019 03:15PM by OC MP62.