Black River and Western Railroad

The Black River and Western Railroad is a short-line railroad operating in Hunterdon County, New Jersey between Flemington and Ringoes. The railroad features vintage steam and diesel powered locomotives. The railroad maintains a regular limited freight service,^[1] but is operated mostly as a tourist attraction.^[2]

History

The Black River & Western Railroad was started by William Whitehead in Oldwick, New Jersey in the late 1950s. A portion of the defunct Rockaway Valley Railroad went through his back yard. He and his sons started collecting rolling stock and an engine. They started laying tracks but then the expansion of I-78 halted their dream of building a railroad at that location. They moved their equipment to the Chester Hill branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey with the hope of starting a railroad there. The section of railroad they were scouting soon became landlocked by the construction of I-80.

The Black River & Western Railroad (BR&W) was incorporated in 1961. The railroad's name is derived from the Black River, a river in Chester, and the direction that the river flows. The cars were moved to Flemington, New Jersey and the search for a place to start their tourist train was continued. A leasing arrangement was created the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) that allowed a tourist train to operate from Flemington to Lambertville. BR&W paid $5,000 a year and rehabilitated the railroad (the PRR operated freight service on the line during this period). Steam engine #60 pulled the first trip out of Flemington on May 16, 1965. Weekend and holiday schedules were devised. On March 16, 1970 the Black River & Western Railroad took over the ownership and operations of the entire Flemington/Lambertville line, purchasing it from the Penn Central. With the acquisition of both freight and passenger trains, a true shortline railroad was born.

On April 1, 1976 the central branch, which runs from Flemington to Three Bridges, was purchased from the Central Railroad of New Jersey.

Train service from Flemington and Lambertville ceased in 1998 due to several factors. The Federal Railroad Administration demoted the poor trackage to "exempted", reducing the amount of trains traveling the line. In addition, a quarry at the end of the line in Lambertville cancelled their contract with the BR&W. As the tourist trains generated little income, service was ultimately.

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