Official Bel-Del Discussion Thread

[NYS&W142Fan]

September 8th, come out and support this event.
Trains & Fire Trucks a Fundraiser
Public · Hosted by Delaware River Railroad Excursions
Everyone loves Fire Trucks almost as much as trains! Ride the train to the Susquehanna Mine. Once you arrive get up close and personal with the Fire trucks of the Huntington Fire Company of Pohatcong, New Jersey. Judge the best truck and meet the Firemen! At the Susquehanna Mine enjoy an interactive tour and history of the mine. You will also be able to pan for real gems and fossils, you can keep! While at the mine explore our Fire Trucks and Trains Corn maze. Play the game where getting lost is half the fun! Come on out for a full day of family fun and support a good cause, The Huntington Volunteer Fire Department! Food will also be available on site for an additional fee.

Tell everyone you know to come out.

[RailsEast]

This Saturday, September 22nd, is the annual Milford Alive! day long festivities in Milford, NJ. The BDRR will once again be in town, with not one, not two, but three hacks for half-hourly caboose hops. Come on out to see our recently delivered (like, literally today!) ex-Maine Eastern caboose, along with your favorite ex-B&O BDRR 133 and restored ex-C&O 3668.
Looks like 12pm to 6pm right now, and one day only this year, so an early arrival to town would be your best bet. Rare mileage on the ex-Pennsy Bel-Del division, hope to see many of you there.......
Chris

[RailsEast]

Working hard north out of Milford, approaching MP37 as our tie replacement program is in full stride. The plan is to bring Santa into Milford for a meet & greet on Friday night, December 14th at about 6:30pm. This will be a great option for those who cannot make it to Phillipsburg for the now sold-out Polar Express trains. Have some egg nog & join us for a special treat this holiday season...there hasn't been a train in Milford in December in 15 years!
https://ibb.co/mzyUjf

[pumpers]

Working hard north out of Milford, approaching MP37 as our tie replacement program is in full stride. The plan is to bring Santa into Milford for a meet & greet on Friday night, December 14th at about 6:30pm. This will be a great option for those who cannot make it to Phillipsburg for the now sold-out Polar Express trains. Have some egg nog & join us for a special treat this holiday season...there hasn't been a train in Milford in December in 15 years!
https://ibb.co/mzyUjf

For that first mile or so north out of Milford, at times the track is so close to the cliff down to the river, (a few feet IIRC - it's been a while) to me it's a miracle that back in the PRR/PC days, a whole ore train (or coal train?) heading to Bethlehem didn't end up in the drink.

How far north can you run more than a track car now, such as Millie and a caboose or two? Congrat's on all the work the last few years.

[RailsEast]

When the Belvidere Delaware Railroad was built in the 1850s, it was built on stable ground high enough above the Delaware River to prevent flooding during the worst of storms. The Pennsylvania RR rebuilt the line with 130lb rail to support the frequent coal/ore trains of the 40s/50s/60s heading north to the Bethlehem area. The BDRR is blessed to have that same 130lb rail in place today, along with the original roadbed from the 1850s. Things have been 'shored up' at one point in The Narrows (about a mile & a half north of Milford) to prevent any possible future problems, and we have replaced, sheesh, probably 1,000 ties north out of Milford at this time.

Millie and 3 hacks came down to the Milford Alive event in September, so the line is very clear and passable for limited movements at this time. The Riegelsville station area is the only spot which needs attention right now, and that will be addressed in 2019.
Please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/BelDelMofW/ for photos & news of the progress; big things happening in the future for Milford, as Hunterdon County has stepped up with plans for a recreational park alongside the river, which also includes the railroad.

If anyone would like to participate in this resurrection of the original Bel Del line, please feel free to reach out to Don at donko2317@optonline.net. We have a great crew now & we're always looking for others to join us...a few hours on a few weekends is all it takes. The pay is not great (ok, no pay), but the experience of real-world railroading is quite rewarding. The smiles on the children's faces at the old Pennsy station in Milford before & after a caboose hop is priceless!

Happy Holidays to all, hope to see you on 12/14 in Milford....
Chris

[pumpers]

I looked at some of the pictures at the Facebook link you just posted. Back around Oct 30 the pictures ("the Narrows"?) looked like the region I was referring to. From the sound of it the tracks were sliding over down towards the river before you all fixed them up. Super job. JS

[NYS&W142Fan]

I have been told the Bel Del was raised five feet after the 55 flood from Diane. One of the places where this is evident is in the area of Kent. You can see two levels by the bridge and the difference is about five feet.
I do know that several years ago the river came within three feet of the tracks.

[KJC]

What is the area of Kent you refer to?

[pumpers]

What is the area of Kent you refer to?

from a 2013 post by the late Philip Martin:
viewtopic.php?t=83072#p1219905

The switch at the south end of P'burg (Phillipsburg) yard was called Kent.

EDIT: I think that was just north of the current Bel-Del bridge over Lopatcong Creek, by the Phillipsburg sewer plant. Just south of the intersection of what Google maps calls Sawmill st and Main St. And looking at old maps, the Morris Canal ran right through there too, crossing the same Lopatcong creek next to the RR. On the map I am looking at (1906 topo at historic aerials.com), the Morris Canal started just south of the LVRR bridge over the Delaware in Phillipsburg. Never knew that!

[NYS&W142Fan]

What is the area of Kent you refer to?

Kent is the area where Builders First Source, (old Warren Lumber) is located off Sawmill St. and the bridge I am referring to is the one over the Lopatcong Creek. Pumpers is correct in his description.

[RailsEast]

The first Santa Train in at least the past 15 years delivered Santa & Mrs Claus to Milford, NJ this past weekend. A long summer of tie replacement on the south end of the BDRR by the NYSWTHS volunteers brought a much more stable roadbed into being. We visited Milford once in 2016, twice in 2017 and now 3 times in 2018, and things will just get better from this point on. A dedicated track gang and a dedicated fund raising program will get you everywhere....pulling into the ex-Pennsy Milford station on a chilly December night with 200 smiling faces looking up at you is way beyond cool. On a personal note, this was my 'Christmas morning'; not much can top the overwhelming reaction from the crowd this night. I would pay for the opportunity to take this little trip into town, and the RR lets me do it for free....

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5063697
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5063700
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5063705
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5063757

Please visit https://www.877trainride.com/milfordmile.htm to make a donation if you're so inclined...all monies go directly back into tie & spike purchases to help us close the gap from Phillipsburg to Milford. We are getting closer & closer every year, and please reach out if you are interested in volunteering your time in any capacity to help us reach our goals.

Thanks so much & Happy Holidays to all,
Chris

[NYS&W142Fan]

To all in the Railroad and Rail-fan Community, We hope you have a safe and Happy New Year.
Stay safe on and near the rails.

[Donko142]

If anyone is interested in what is going on the the MOW work on the Bel Del we have a facebook page that is updated weekly with photo's and information.

Go to face book and search "Bel-Del Maintenance of Way"

Have a good day. 2018 was a good year for the MOW dept. Improvements were wade from P-burg to Milford.

[brwfan]

Any updates with cpg getting cars, I passed by and still nothing

[NYS&W142Fan]

The Delaware River Railroad Excursions 2019 Season starts next weekend with their very popular Easter Trains. Saturday April 13th, Sunday the 14th and Saturday the 20th. Come out and support this great group.
The regular season starts on Saturday May 4th.