Belvidere & Delaware River

Company History: This line was launched in 1995 by the Black River Railroad System family of shortlines to take over operation of a 16 mile line between Phillipsburg and Milford, New Jersey along the Delaware River from the previous operator Conrail. The Milford end was cut back to Carpentersville in 2002. This was part of the former Pennsylvania Railroad’s “Bel-Del” line. The line has hosted steam excursions by the New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society. As of 2013, the BDRV diesel roster included three GP9’s and one each of SW8m, SW1200, SW1200RS, SW1500, GP7u, GP8, GP9u, and GP10.

Successor/Parent History: The Black River & Western began in the late 50s as a sort of family project for William Whitehead of Oldwick, New Jersey. The abandoned right of way of the old Rockaway Valley Railroad cut through the Whitehead property and they wanted to relay the track, acquire some rolling stock and run trains. Construction of I-78 doomed that plan but the Whiteheads were able to set up a tourist train operation on Jersey Central’s Chester Hill branch. The BR&W was incorporated in 1961. The arrangement with CNJ was short-lived and in 1963 the equipment was moved to a segment of Pennsylvania Railroad’s Flemington Branch (Flemington to Lambertville.) Operations behind steam began in 1965. In 1970, they took over the rest of the branch giving them a line from Three Bridges to Flemington and Lambertville, New Jersey. At this point, they added freight service to the menu. In 1976, they added more track in Flemington and Lambertville from Jersey Central and Penn Central. In 1998, the line to Lambertville had deteriorated to the point that passenger service was embargoed on that portion of the line and a hoped for last customer in Lambertville, a quarry, cancelled their contract. Lambertville remains on the official map though.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.