New Hope and Ivyland Railroad
Encyclopedia
The New Hope and Ivyland Railroad is a shortline railroad
in Pennsylvania
. It also operates a heritage railroad, offering passenger excursions.
The NHRR provides contract track and locomotive
services to freight and passenger railroads in North America and has been involved with various film and television commercial projects.
NHRR interchanges with CSX to provide its customers access to rail freight service anywhere in North America
. Its largest customer is CRC Industries
of Warminster
, a large manufacturer of chemicals used in the auto repair industry.
and diesel locomotive
s. Excursions depart from the passenger station
in New Hope
or at the passenger station in Lahaska
. Passengers may get off at either station and take a later train back to their originating station. Passenger trains depart the New Hope Station on the hour and from the Lahaska Station 20 minutes past the hour. The last train of the day ends in New Hope.
In addition to the regular New Hope-Lahaska excursion trains which operate daily between Memorial Day and late November and on weekends all year round, the NHRR also has several special event trains throughout the year. Special seasonal trains include Easter, Fall Foliage, Halloween and Santa trains. Additionally, rare 32-mile round-trip trains operate as the Spring and Fall Foliage trains to Warminster.
Special passenger trains are operated in charter service providing dinners, brunch and wine tasting trains through the rolling hills and valleys of beautiful Bucks County, Pennsylvania
.
(RDG), which leased the North Pennsylvania Railroad
, of which it was a part. The railroad ran as far as Hartsville Station (near Bristol Road) until March 29, 1891, when the line was extended to the long-desired terminal of New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Steam Trains, Inc. started their operations on a high note, often in an extravagant fashion. The company leased freight locomotives from the RDG, and used only hired labor to operate their excursions. The line was eventually sold to the former Philadelphia Electric Company (now Exelon
) in order to stay solvent. Steam Trains, Inc. declared bankruptcy on June 5, 1970.
By the summer of 1976, the railroad receive 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 toursity town of New Hope with SEPTA/Conrail commuter trains at Warminster Station
.
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, the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad finally emerged from its decade-long bankruptcy.
Beginning July 3, 1980, volunteers of the New Hope Steam Railway (NHSR) resumed weekend excursion service after the BVTA decided to end it. The NHSR 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. The BCIDC sold the line outright to the for-profit Bucks County Railroad Preservation and Restoration Corporation in 1990, who slowly began to rebuild the railroad to its current state of good repair.
was filmed on the tracks used by the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad today. The site is still called Pauline's Trestle.
railroad with passing sidings at Lahaska, Buckingham Valley, Wycombe
and Ivyland
. Most of those passing sidings (with the exception of Lahaska, which is used for moving locomotives used in excursions around the train in order to reverse to New Hope) are currently used as storage tracks for passenger and freight cars.
No block signalization exists on the NHRR, however, almost all highway grade crossings
have been modernized with full signals
and gates.
The stations along the NHRR were:
#40, which is a 1925 Baldwin with a 2-8-0
, or Consolidation
, wheel arrangement. #40 (ex Cliffside Railroad
, exx-Lancaster and Chester Railway
), is supplemented with a variety of diesel powered locomotives which are used primarily in the railroad's busy freight business.
Diesel locomotives include EMD GP30
#2198 (ex-CR, exx-PC
, née-PRR
), and modern six axle C30-7 and SD40-2 locomotives. During the winter months (January, February, and March) #40 normally receives its annual inspection, which leaves one of the diesels to resume passenger operations. The railroad also owns one other steam locomotive. Canadian National 4-6-0 #1533 was the railroad's workhorse until December, 1975, when it was partially dismantled and stored behind the New Hope engine house; its tender is stored on the deadline north of the depot. US Army 0-6-0 #9 had several careers on the New Hope; she ran in 1966 but was stored and replaced with #40 in 1967 until that engine was withdrawn from service in 1968. In 1969–70, #9 again ran but was then retired; in 1976 she was resurrected once more and ran until 1981 when her flue time ran out. The locomotive was partially dismantled and stored (with her tender) on the deadline until 2009 when it was sold to SMS Rail Lines of Bridgeport, NJ and trucked to their yard. It has since been undergoing restoration to active service. NdeM #3028 is a QR-1 4-8-4 which is on long-term lease from the Great North Eastern Railroad Foundation in New York. She has been under overhaul on and off since 1996, and as of September 2009 is undergoing heavy machining inside the maintenance shed, bumping out several coaches undergoing final restoration.
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It also operates a heritage railroad, offering passenger excursions.
The NHRR provides contract track and locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
services to freight and passenger railroads in North America and has been involved with various film and television commercial projects.
Freight service
NHRR provides a variety of industries with transportation services and 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 CSX to provide its customers access to rail freight service anywhere in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Its largest customer is CRC Industries
CRC Industries
CRC Industries is a manufacturer and distributor of industrial chemicals for maintenance and repair of marine, electrical, industrial, automotive and aviation equipment....
of Warminster
Warminster Township, Pennsylvania
Warminster Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 32,682 at the 2010 census.The town was named for the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England.-Geography:...
, a large manufacturer of chemicals used in the auto repair industry.
Heritage railroad
Excursion passenger trains are operated on a regular schedule during the tourist season using steamSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
and diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. Excursions depart from the passenger station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in New Hope
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
or at the passenger station in Lahaska
Lahaska, Pennsylvania
Lahaska is an unincorporated community in central Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies just east of Buckingham and west of New Hope on Route 202. Lahaska is home to one of the most popular shopping areas in the region, Peddler's Village, as well as Buckingham Friends School, a...
. Passengers may get off at either station and take a later train back to their originating station. Passenger trains depart the New Hope Station on the hour and from the Lahaska Station 20 minutes past the hour. The last train of the day ends in New Hope.
In addition to the regular New Hope-Lahaska excursion trains which operate daily between Memorial Day and late November and on weekends all year round, the NHRR also has several special event trains throughout the year. Special seasonal trains include Easter, Fall Foliage, Halloween and Santa trains. Additionally, rare 32-mile round-trip trains operate as the Spring and Fall Foliage trains to Warminster.
Special passenger trains are operated in charter service providing dinners, brunch and wine tasting trains through the rolling hills and valleys of beautiful Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
.
History
The NHRR was originally known as the New Hope Branch of the Reading CompanyReading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
(RDG), which leased the North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company formed in 1855, and served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County, Pennsylvania.-History:...
, of which it was a part. The railroad ran as far as Hartsville Station (near Bristol Road) until March 29, 1891, when the line was extended to the long-desired terminal of New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Steam Trains, Inc.
A decade after June 1952, when Hatboro-New Hope passenger service terminated, the RDG's financial situation was precarious. Looking to rid themselves of unprofitable branch lines via abandonement, a group of train buffs — established as Steam Trains, Inc. — were seeking to operate steam trains on a for-profit basis. Steam Trains, Inc. became organized as the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad, and on June 20, 1966, the 16.7 mile line was sold for $200,000.Steam Trains, Inc. started their operations on a high note, often in an extravagant fashion. The company leased freight locomotives from the RDG, and used only hired labor to operate their excursions. The line was eventually sold to the former Philadelphia Electric Company (now Exelon
Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an electricity generating and distributing company headquartered in the Chase Tower in the Chicago Loop area of Chicago. It was created in October, 2000 by the merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom, of Philadelphia and Chicago respectively. Unicom owned Commonwealth Edison...
) in order to stay solvent. Steam Trains, Inc. declared bankruptcy on June 5, 1970.
Bucks County intervenes
The Bucks County Industrial Development Corporation (BCIDC) purchased the trackage from the Philadelphia Electric Company in early 1974 to "preserve rail service through the center of Bucks County." The county selected McHugh Brothers Heavy Hauling, Inc. to operate freight service over the line via a lease agreement. McHugh Brothers continued hauling freight until James McHugh's departure in 1989.By the summer of 1976, the railroad receive 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 toursity town of New Hope with SEPTA/Conrail commuter trains at Warminster Station
Warminster (SEPTA station)
Warminster is a SEPTA train station located in Warminster, Pennsylvania, United States. It serves as the north end of the Warminster Line, and the station is occasionally served by the Fall Foliage trains of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad, which offers diesel powered excursions between Warminster...
.
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, the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad finally emerged from its decade-long bankruptcy.
Beginning July 3, 1980, volunteers of the New Hope Steam Railway (NHSR) resumed weekend excursion service after the BVTA decided to end it. The NHSR 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. The BCIDC sold the line outright to the for-profit Bucks County Railroad Preservation and Restoration Corporation in 1990, who slowly began to rebuild the railroad to its current state of good repair.
Perils of Pauline
In 1914, a segment of the classic silent film The Perils of PaulineThe Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the...
was filmed on the tracks used by the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad today. The site is still called Pauline's Trestle.
Stations and trackage
The NHRR is primarily a single-trackSingle track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
railroad with passing sidings at Lahaska, Buckingham Valley, Wycombe
Wycombe, Pennsylvania
Wycombe is an unincorporated community mainly in Wrightstown Township but also in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States...
and Ivyland
Ivyland, Pennsylvania
Ivyland is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as one of the finest collections of Victorian Buildings in the state and most of it is on the National Register of Historic Places...
. Most of those passing sidings (with the exception of Lahaska, which is used for moving locomotives used in excursions around the train in order to reverse to New Hope) are currently used as storage tracks for passenger and freight cars.
No block signalization exists on the NHRR, however, almost all highway grade crossings
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
have been modernized with full signals
Grade crossing signals
Grade Crossing Signals are the warning devices for road vehicles at railroad grade crossings. The basic signal consists of two sets of flashing red lights, one on the front and one on the back, a sign that says Railroad Crossing, and a bell. At crossings that typically get trains going at about...
and gates.
The stations along the NHRR were:
- New Hope
- Huffnagle (in Solebury TownshipSolebury Township, PennsylvaniaSolebury Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,692 at the 2010 census.The Solebury School is located in the township, off U.S...
) - Reeder (on Reeder Road in Solebury Township)
- Huffnagle (in Solebury Township
- Lahaska (built by NHRR in the late 20th century on Street Road in Buckingham TownshipBuckingham Township, Bucks County, PennsylvaniaBuckingham Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 20,075 at the 2010 census. Buckingham takes its name from Buckingham in Buckinghamshire known as Bucks County in England...
)- Bycot (on Holicong Road in Buckingham Township, a small recent building exists there)
- Buckingham Valley (on Upper Mountain Road just off of PA 413Pennsylvania Route 413Pennsylvania Route 413 is a long, north–south state highway running from the PA/NJ state line on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge to PA 611 in Bedminster Township in Bucks County...
in Buckingham Township) - Wycombe (on Township Line Road in Buckingham Township)
- Rushland (on Rushland Road in Wrightstown TownshipWrightstown Township, PennsylvaniaWrightstown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,995 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 10.0 square miles , of which, 9.9 square miles of it is land and...
)- Grenoble (on Grenoble Road in Northampton TownshipNorthampton Township, Bucks County, PennsylvaniaNorthampton Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 12 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The population was 39,726 at the 2010 census.-History:...
) - Traymore (at Creek Road and Mearns Road in Warwick TownshipWarwick Township, Bucks County, PennsylvaniaWarwick Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,437 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 11.1 square miles , all of it land. It is drained by the Delaware River via the...
) - Ivyland (where Ivyland Road becomes Wilson Avenue at Greeley Avenue in Ivyland)
- Bonair (approximately where the current WarminsterWarminster Township, PennsylvaniaWarminster Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 32,682 at the 2010 census.The town was named for the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England.-Geography:...
train station is located)
- Grenoble (on Grenoble Road in Northampton Township
- Indented stations no longer exist
Roster
Locomotives used in the excursion passenger service is usually provided by steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
#40, which is a 1925 Baldwin with a 2-8-0
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
, or Consolidation
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
, wheel arrangement. #40 (ex Cliffside Railroad
Cliffside Railroad
Cliffside Railroad was a Class III railroad operating freight service in southwestern North Carolina from 1905 until service ended in 1987. The line was formally abandoned in 1992.- History :...
, exx-Lancaster and Chester Railway
Lancaster and Chester Railway
The Lancaster and Chester Railway is a railway headquartered in Lancaster, South Carolina, in the United States. The original route connects Lancaster, in Lancaster County, with Chester in Chester County...
), is supplemented with a variety of diesel powered locomotives which are used primarily in the railroad's busy freight business.
Diesel locomotives include EMD GP30
EMD GP30
The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963...
#2198 (ex-CR, exx-PC
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
, née-PRR
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
), and modern six axle C30-7 and SD40-2 locomotives. During the winter months (January, February, and March) #40 normally receives its annual inspection, which leaves one of the diesels to resume passenger operations. The railroad also owns one other steam locomotive. Canadian National 4-6-0 #1533 was the railroad's workhorse until December, 1975, when it was partially dismantled and stored behind the New Hope engine house; its tender is stored on the deadline north of the depot. US Army 0-6-0 #9 had several careers on the New Hope; she ran in 1966 but was stored and replaced with #40 in 1967 until that engine was withdrawn from service in 1968. In 1969–70, #9 again ran but was then retired; in 1976 she was resurrected once more and ran until 1981 when her flue time ran out. The locomotive was partially dismantled and stored (with her tender) on the deadline until 2009 when it was sold to SMS Rail Lines of Bridgeport, NJ and trucked to their yard. It has since been undergoing restoration to active service. NdeM #3028 is a QR-1 4-8-4 which is on long-term lease from the Great North Eastern Railroad Foundation in New York. She has been under overhaul on and off since 1996, and as of September 2009 is undergoing heavy machining inside the maintenance shed, bumping out several coaches undergoing final restoration.
| Number | Model |
|---|---|
| 40 (ex-Cliffside, exx-L&C Lancaster and Chester Railway The Lancaster and Chester Railway is a railway headquartered in Lancaster, South Carolina, in the United States. The original route connects Lancaster, in Lancaster County, with Chester in Chester County... ) |
2-8-0 Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
| 2198 (ex-CR, exx-PC Penn Central Transportation The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad... , née-PRR Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... ) |
GP30 EMD GP30 The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963... |
| 5577 (ex-CP) | SD40-2 EMD SD40-2 The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C locomotive produced by EMD from 1972 to 1989.The SD40-2 was first introduced in January 1972 as the mid-range offering in EMD's six-axle "Dash-2" series, competing against the GE U30C and the MLW M630... |
| 7087 (ex-CSX CSX Transportation CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles... , exx-L&N) |
C30-7 GE C30-7 The GE C30-7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1976 and 1986 as an updated U30C. It is powered by a 16-cylinder, FDL-series diesel engine. 1,137 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads.... |
| 1533 (ex-Canadian National) | 4-6-0 Montreal Locomotive Works Montreal Locomotive Works was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883–1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company... |
| 3028 (ex-NdeM) | 4-8-4 |
External links
- New Hope & Ivyland Railroad – Official site
- New Hope & Ivyland Railroad Photos