Lehigh & New England Photo Freight

On Saturday, November 4 the Jersey Central Railway Historical Society hosted the Lehigh & New England  Photo Freight excursion on the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern.   The passenger train, with approximately 60 passengers on board,  departed Kempton at 12:15 PM for a leisurely jaunt over four miles of former Reading Company trackage . The train, powered by GE 45 ton locomotive 7258, featured a former Lackawanna Railroad Boonton coach.  Upon departure from Kempton the train headed south over rare mileage to the end of track at New Albany where the first photo stop was held. Upon arrival at Kempton the photo freight was posed for photos in front of the Kempton Hotel. This train featured L&NE livery Whitcomb 602, L&NE gondola, L&NE flatcar, and an L&NE bobber caboose. A locomotive race ensued at the Kempton station, with both the passenger and freight trains running simultaneously on parallel tracks. Both trains then departed for Wanamaker with photo stops and runbys held en route. Upon return to Kempton, there was a dinner break, with most passengers dining at either the Kempton Hotel and Wanamaker Inn. To wrap up the day; a night photo session was held in Kempton.  Steve Barry, Joe Calisi, Denis Connell, Kermit Geary Jr., Fred Jones, and John Tully provided the lighting. Thanks go to Carl Perelman and Kermit Geary Jr. for organizing the trip, Michael Bast for logistics, and WK&S's Robert Piligian and the railroad's dedicated volunteers for making this trip a reality.

Please check the Trips Page often to find out about the next JCRHS trip. All photos by Randy Kotuby unless otherwise noted.