The New Jersey Museum of Transportation is a museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, and operation of historic railroad equipment. The organization runs excursion trains on a narrow gauge tourist railroad named the Pine Creek Railroad. The museum is independently operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization along with the Allaire Village and is located in Allaire State Park in New Jersey. The museum runs Easter Bunny Express trains in April, Haunted Halloween trains in October, and Santa Special trains on the weekends in December.

History The origins of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation began with the purchase of a Baldwin 0-4-0T engine from the Raritan River Sand Company in 1952 by a pair of railroad enthusiasts. This first engine was named the Pine Creek No. 1 and was eventually sold to the Walt Disney company, where it was overhauled and renamed the #4 Ernest S. Marsh. The engine is still in use today at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, operating on the Disneyland Railroad, albeit rebuilt as a 2-4-0.

Initially a plot of land on Route 9 in Marlboro was purchased where the railroad was run as a tourist attraction, but in 1952 when the organization was facing large property tax increases the not-for-profit Pine Creek Railroad Division of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation was formed and the operations were moved to its present-day location in Allaire State Park.

While the Pine Creek railroad loop runs adjacent to the abandoned Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad that skirts the park (now known as the Edgar Felix Bikeway), it was never part of that rail line right-of-way.

Collection The following is only a partial listing of equipment that has been or is currently at the Museum. Original Owner Number TypeDate Built Builder Acquired Sold Status Notes Steam Locomotives Raritan River Sand Co. 10 0-4-0T ? Baldwin Locomotive Works 1950 1959 Off Roster Hope Natural Gas Company 3 0-4-0T ? H. K. Porter, Inc 1956 1960 Off Roster Raritan Copper Works 9 0-4-0T 1924 H. K. Porter, Inc 1956 N/A In storage Ely-Thomas Lumber Co. 6 Two-Truck Shay 1927 Lima Locomotive WorksShop Number 3314 1955 N/A In Storage One of the last narrow gauge Shays left in the world Chiriqui Land Co. 46 2-6-0 1914 H. K. Porter, Inc 1969 N/A In Storage Cavan and Leitrim Railway 3 4-4-0T 1887 Robert Stephenson & Co. 1959 N/A In storage Lehigh Valley Coal Company 117 0-4-0T 1925 Vulcan Iron Works 2005 N/A On display Surry, Sussex and Southampton Railway262-6-2 1920Baldwin Locomotive Works2014N/AIn storage Diesel LocomotivesPlymouth Locomotive Works (?)1B?Plymouth Locomotive Works?N/AIn StoragePouch Terminal Co.2B1929Mack Trucks Inc.1982N/AIn StorageMarcus Sand Company5B1920 (?)Plymouth Locomotive Works?Operational Jackson Model 4000 Track Tamper 12B?Jackson 2005 N/A Under Restoration US Steel39B-B1955General Electric1991N/AIn Storage41Parts Only45OperationalAlcoa701B1920sDavenport Locomotive Works?N/AIn StorageUnited States Army7751B1942General Electric1977N/AOperational Rolling StockUnited States Navy?Flat car1942 (?)United States Navy (?)1977 (?)N/AIn StorageRaritan River Railroad7Caboose?Raritan River Railroad (?)1920s (?)N/AUsed as OfficeNewfoundland Railway502Coach1902?1960sN/AOperational509In StorageEast Broad Top Railroad824Hopper?American Car and Foundry Company1967 (?)N/AStatic DisplayCentral Railroad of Pennsylvania (CNJ)22866 BoxcarEarly 1940s Association of American Railroads1983 (?)N/ANot Operational2319324343United States Navy331787Flat car / Excursion1942United States Navy (?)1977N/AOperationalCentral Railroad of New Jersey91155Caboose1874New Jersey Southern Railroad1973N/AOperational912451893?N/AUnder Restoration

Grounds

Buildings on the grounds include the Allenwood Station (built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1940s for use in Allenwood, NJ), the Freneau Station (built by the Jersey Central in the early 1900s on the CNJ Freehold Branch), a Union Newsstand (built circa 1910 in Manasquan, NJ, purchased in 1969), a crossing shanty, a maintenance shop, a heavy equipment building, a car barn (used for storage of rolling stock), as well as an office (Raritan River Railroad #7).

Sunken engines In 1985, two steam engines were found side by side and in an upright position by charter boat Captain Dan Lieb in of water off the coast of Long Branch. Further identification of these engines occurred in 2004 when a team of diving and railroad enthusiasts working along with the History Channel production team investigated the engines. After viewing several digital images it was discovered, through the evidence of several artifacts on the engines, that they were Civil War-era Patentee Class 2-2-2T locomotives from between 1850 and 1855.

On September 25, 2004, the New Jersey Museum of Transportation was granted custody of the two engines by U.S. District Judge Joseph Irenas. The museum hopes one day to raise the relics for display and interpretation at the museum.

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References

External links

Allaire State Park