The Central Railroad of New Jersey Class B-7 was a class of five 0-6-0 switcher type steam locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Central Railroad of New Jersey.
History[]
Construction and Delivery[]
A total of five examples of what became the Central Railroad of New Jersey Class B-7 were ever constructed in 1923 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and all five of them were delivered to the Central Railroad of New Jersey that same year.
Retirement[]
They were all retired from active service and all but one example were scrapped, with No. 113 being spared from the scrap heap.
Sole Survivor[]
Main Article: Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 113.
CNJ No. 113 was constructed in June 1923 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and was delivered to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and was taken out of service in favor of diesels by 1951.
In 1953, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company, bought No. 113 and used the engine at a colliery in Locust Summit outside Ashland, Pennsylvania, and it operated there until 1960. No. 113 also ran a few fan trips with CNJ No. 774 in 1954, but 774 was soon scrapped. No. 113 was then stored outside at Locust Summit for many years and as a result, suffered a massive amount of deterioration and there were even some trees growing around the locomotive.
The Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company eventually decided to donate No. 113 to the Historic Red Clay Valley Inc. in Wilmington, Delaware in 1980. In 1986, No. 113 was purchased by a railfan by the name of Robert E. Kimmel Sr. and it was later moved to Minersville.
It was rebuilt and restored back to operation between 1999 and 2012, which had cost a total of $600,000, but the restoration was complete and it was tested for several test-runs, after the test-runs for the engine in late 2012 and two/thirds of 2013, the locomotive began operating on some passenger excursions in late 2013 with Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad No. 425.
CNJ No. 113 continued to run more excursions by itself and with RBM&N No. 425 during the 2014 season. Every year since then, the No. 113 has been hauling excursions across the RBM&NR's lines in cooperation with the railroad. For the excursions, the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad provided passenger cars and occasionally some helper locomotives to Railway Restoration Project 113 in order for the excursions to occur.
As of today, CNJ No. 113 operates out of Minersville, PA at the Minersville Train Depot hauling multiple excursions each year.
Stock list[]
| Photograph | Loco No. | Build date | Manufacturer | Operators | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
111 | 1923 | American Locomotive Company (ALCO) | Central Railroad of New Jersey | Scrapped |
|
112 | 1923 | American Locomotive Company (ALCO) | Central Railroad of New Jersey | Scrapped |
|
113 | June 1923 | American Locomotive Company (ALCO) | Central Railroad of New Jersey
Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company |
Operational |
|
114 | 1923 | American Locomotive Company (ALCO) | Central Railroad of New Jersey | Scrapped |
| Frameless | 115 | 1923 | American Locomotive Company (ALCO) | Central Railroad of New Jersey | Scrapped |