New Hope Railroad

Last updated
New Hope Railroad
New Hope Railroad Logo 2020.png
Overview
Headquarters New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Reporting mark NHRR
Locale Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Dates of operation1966 (1966)present
Technical
Length18 miles (29 km)
Other
Website www.newhoperailroad.com
Route map

Contents

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New Hope
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PA 179
West Bridge Street
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Ferry Street
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Ingham Run
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Ingham Run
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West Mechanic Street
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South Sugan Road
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Ingham Run
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Driveway
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Ingham Run
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Pennsylvania Shale Brick Company
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Reeder Road
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Deer Park
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Aquetong Road
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Lower Mountain Road
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Driveway
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Street Road
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Lahaska
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Holicong Road
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Driveway
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Abandoned quarry spur
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Upper Mountain Road
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PA 413
Durham Road
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Farm Lane
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Upper Mountain Road
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Buckingham Valley
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Lower Mountain Road
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Creek Road
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New Hope Road
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Smith Road
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Mill Creek
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Township Line Road
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Driveway
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Mill Creek
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Mill Creek
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Swamp Road
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Sackettsford Road
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Little Neshaminy Creek
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Grenoble
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Little Neshaminy Creek
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Almshouse Road
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West Bristol Road
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Ivyland Road
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PA 132
Street Road
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Warminster Line

The New Hope Railroad( reporting mark NHRR), [1] formerly and colloquially known as the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad, is a shortline and heritage railroad located in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Today, the railroad operates both steam and diesel powered locomotives and is an associate member of NORAC.

Services

Heritage

The heritage operations use both steam and diesel powered locomotives for excursion trips out of New Hope. Regular NHRR excursions typically operate between New Hope and Lahaska, with some occasionally going to Buckingham Valley. The railroad mostly uses former Reading Company passenger cars, which date between 1914 and 1932, for excursions.

Freight

NHRR is involved in the import and export of raw materials and manufactured products. Freight customers range from national chemical companies to consumer product manufacturers. NHRR interchanges with Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad in Johnsville, which in turn interchanges with CSX Transportation in Lansdale. NHRR's primary customers are based in Warminster; CRC Industries, Castrol and Double H Plastics are served on a weekly basis.

History

The first train to New Hope in 1891 First train to New Hope, Pennsylvania.jpg
The first train to New Hope in 1891
New Hope Railroad 2-8-0 40, GP30 2198, and SD40-2 5577 NHRR No. 40, 2198, 5577.jpg
New Hope Railroad 2-8-0 40, GP30 2198, and SD40-2 5577

The line currently operated by the New Hope Railroad was originally known as the New Hope Branch of the Reading Company (RDG), which leased it to the North Pennsylvania Railroad, of which it was a part. The railroad ran as far as Hartsville Station (near Bristol Road, which eventually became Ivyland) until March 29, 1891, when the line was extended to the long-desired terminal of New Hope, Pennsylvania. [2]

In 1932, steam powered trains above Hatboro were replaced with a Doodlebug after electric service was introduced between Hatboro and Philadelphia. In June 1952, Hatboro-New Hope passenger service terminated. In the early 1960s, the RDG's financial situation was precarious. Looking to rid themselves of unprofitable branch lines via abandonment, a group of train aficionados and businessmen led by Philadelphia attorney Kenneth Souser established Steam Trains, Inc. with the goal of operating steam trains on a for-profit basis. [3] Steam Trains, Inc. became organized as the 'New Hope & Ivyland Railroad (NHIR), and on June 20, 1966, the 16.7-mile line was sold for $200,000. [2]

Steam Trains, Inc. started their operations on a high note, often in an extravagant fashion, with the purchase of four steam locomotives and seven passenger cars. The company leased freight locomotives from RDG, and used only hired labor to operate their excursions. The "air rights" over the Southern portion of the line from Ivyland to just north of Almshouse Road, were sold to the former Philadelphia Electric Company (now Exelon) in order to stay solvent. Due to extremely low ticket prices to generate sales that led to no additional income of riders, Steam Trains, Inc. declared bankruptcy on June 5, 1970. [2] Operations continued under a court-appointed trustee.

The Bucks County Industrial Development Corporation (BCIDC) purchased the trackage from the Steam Trains, Inc. in early 1974 to "preserve rail service through the center of Bucks County." [4] The county selected McHugh Brothers Heavy Hauling, Inc. to operate freight service over the line via a lease agreement. [2] McHugh Brothers continued hauling freight with Edward L. McHugh as president until his departure in 1989. [4]

By the summer of 1976, the railroad received state funding to rehabilitate crumbling infrastructure that sorely needed fixing. By August 1977, volunteers from the Buckingham Valley Trolley Association [BVTA] (now the Electric City Trolley Museum Association) were operating state-sponsored passenger service connecting the touristy town of New Hope with SEPTA/Conrail commuter trains at Warminster. [2] Bucks County had made a wise investment, as both passenger and freight service flourished during the 1970s once track upgrades were made. Finally, on June 30, 1979, NHRR finally emerged from its decade-long bankruptcy. [4]

Beginning July 3, 1980, volunteers of the New Hope Steam Railway (NHOP) resumed weekend excursion service after the BVTA decided to end it. The NHOP ran trains under a lease agreement with the BCIDC until 1990, when the line and its equipment were once again in a state of decay and disrepair. [4] The McHugh Bros. operated NHIR until 1989 when their lease ended and the Morristown & Erie was contracted to operate the railroad. [3] The BCIDC sold the line outright to the for-profit Bucks County Railroad Preservation and Restoration Corporation (BCRP&RC) in 1990, who slowly began to rebuild the railroad to its current state of good repair. [3] In 1993, the reporting mark was changed to NHRR. BCRP&RC is the official corporate structure, doing business as the New Hope Railroad.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Company</span> Defunct transport company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines</span> Railroad that operated in southern New Jersey

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The Wilmington and Western Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad in northern Delaware, operating over a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) branch line between Wilmington and Hockessin. The 10.2-mile (16.4 km) railroad operates both steam and diesel locomotives. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a national historic district in 1980. Wilmington & Western serves one customer for revenue service, and interchanges with CSX Transportation at Landenberg Junction, Delaware

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strasburg Rail Road</span> Heritage railroad in Pennsylvania

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excursion train</span> Chartered train run for a special event or purpose

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio 614</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive

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North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852, and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, predecessor to the Reading Company, leased the North Pennsylvania in 1879. Its tracks were transferred to Conrail and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad</span> Class II railroad in eastern Pennsylvania

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Hope Railroad 40</span> Preserved American 2-8-0 locomotive

New Hope Railroad 40 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in December 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lancaster and Chester Railroad (L&C) in Lancaster, South Carolina. No. 40 is the only operating steam locomotive on the New Hope Railroad in New Hope, Pennsylvania. As of 2023, No. 40 is operational at the New Hope Railroad, pulling excursion trains.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Hope station</span>

New Hope is a heritage railroad station on the New Hope Railroad in New Hope, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycombe station</span> Railway station in Pennsylvania, 1891–1952

Wycombe is a defunct station on the Reading Company's New Hope Branch. The station is currently on the line used by the New Hope Railroad.

Lahaska is a defunct station on the Reading Company's New Hope Branch. The station is currently on the line used by the New Hope Railroad. The station is located in the 18938 zip code on Street Road at milepost 33. Passenger services ended in 1952 when the line after Hatboro was shut down. After passenger service was discontinued, the station building was purchased by a local land owner who moved it to his property about a quarter mile away from its original location and converted it into a private residence. In 1966, it became a part of the New Hope Railroad. In the late 1980s, the New Hope Railroad constructed a passing siding, built at Lahaska, for locomotives to run around their train. Lahaska became the terminus for the new regular train, which replaced the destination of Buckingham Valley station, of which trips took 75-minutes to complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warminster Branch</span>

The Warminster Branch is a railway line in the state of Pennsylvania. It runs 8.3 miles (13.4 km) from a junction with the SEPTA Main Line just north of Glenside to Warminster, where it meets the New Hope Railroad. It was originally built by the North East Pennsylvania Railroad, a subsidiary of the North Pennsylvania Railroad, between 1872 and 1874. It was part of the Reading Company system from 1879 until 1976. Today it is owned by SEPTA and hosts Warminster Line commuter rail service. A later extension of the branch to New Hope, Pennsylvania is now the New Hope Railroad heritage railway.

References

  1. "Reporting Mark Search". Railinc. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Pawson, John R. (1979). Delaware Valley Rails: The Railroads and Rail Transit Lines of the Philadelphia Area. Willow Grove, Pennsylvania: John R. Pawson. pp. 115–117. ISBN   0-9602080-0-3.
  3. 1 2 3 Balkin, Marc (2007). Ride the New Hope Line!. Mark I Videos.
  4. 1 2 3 4 New Hope Railroad. "History." Accessed 2011-01-22. archive