http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 19&nseq=52


Anybody know the details? Shine it must run it may, or does it run???? I knew it needed work, and was sold to a locomotive mechanic in PA. But what is the Columbia and Reading Railway?

I'm not positive this is anything to do with the same thing I'm describing here, but as I recall the Middletown & Hummelstown had a small switching operation down in Columbia which they apparently operated on a contract basis for some industry or two down there with a 44- or 65-tonner. This could be anything from a new operator to the same folks with a different loco, or a different contractor or new contractee. Given that the M&H already has one Alco switcher, it wouldn't surprise me if this red loco were related to the M&H.

A wider Internet search shows the same loco photographed at the NYS&W Binghamton yard on Nov. 7th, and the following:

"JNCX 27 is former Pioneer Valley 106 , nee Frankfurt & Cinncinati 106, nee C&O(?)). Came from the Claremont Concord who bought it from the PVRR. It was operable but needed alot of work so the CCRR bought the former GMRC 305 which was in much better shape."

"JCNX = DIAMOND CROSSING ENTERPRISES, LLC
Diamond Crossing Enterprises, Llc Diamond Crossing Enterprises, Llc is a private company categorized under Business Services (Unclassified) and located in Langhorne, PA. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $110,000 and employs a staff of approximately 2."

Loco was in the C&C shop having work done to it prior to shipment to PA in January. Not sure where in Columbia it is headed but will try and find it on Friday. I don't believe that this has any relation to the M&H but as always may be proved wrong.

Langhorne, PA is in Bucks County where Jim McHugh of McHugh Brothers Crane Rentals operated. For a time, Jim ran the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad also in Bucks County. So I wonder if he, or his son JC, is back in the railroad business with this Diamond Crossing operation.

Sloan

....

I believe Mr. Mitchell is referring to the Frankfort and Cincinnati railroad, a Kentucky shortline that ran from Frankfort to Paris, KY. The railroad is profiled in Elmer Sulzer's Ghost Railroads of Kentucky. Of interesting note, I believe the locomotive was actually a former B&O unit. The ever-thrifty F&C turned the "B&O" on the cab side into an "F&C" and retained the capitol dome herald, as Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky.

A correspondent of mine has inferred/alleged that the initials "JCNX" relate to John C. Nolan of the former East Penn/Penn Eastern lines in southeastern Pennsylvania--a surprise to him and me, as he had sold those other lines previously............

...

I see the unit has......JACK IN THE BOX bearings. I thought the railroads didn't allow these anymore. Detectors could not check them out being in a box. What's the story?

the columbia & reading railway operates on appox.1.25 miles of ex reading & columbia railroad track in columbia pa. It's sole purpose right now is to bring gondolas to Frank Sauds Salvage Company for scrap loading, the locomotive is stored on his property within the scrap yard itself when not in use.this railline came dangerously close to becoming a railtrail (thankfully it did not happen). Frank saud himself purchased the line before the brough could with the intent of getting rail service into his business back in early 2004. recalling from memory a newspaper article about the rail line Mr.Saud stated that "IF I DON'T HAVE RAIL SERVICE I'M OUT OF BUSINESS." The article also stated that somewhere between 15-30 trucks a week will be taken off the roads with the opening of the rail line. I believe it also stated that anvil international (the last shipper on the line when it was abandoned in the first place) had expressed intrest in possibly recieving railshipments again. iI think there was a developer looking at possibly building a rail served industrial park in a field between rt 30 & rt 462 just east of anvil international's location. Mind you all that talk was back in 04 and it took tiup to 2010 to finally get a train to the scrapyard so i have no idea if those plans could still go thruogh or not, but if the do garenteed it with do a lot more for columbia then a dang trail could ever do.
hope this answers everyone's question

Here is a link to one of several photos of the Columbia & Reading's first day of operation January 20, 2010.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 49&nseq=19

I can tell you that this operation is not associated with the M&H. The M&H hauled coke into the former ITT Grinnell in the 1980's with GE 65-ton center cab #2 which now does the passenger trains at of Middletown. They also hauled some occassional scrap for Saud. Grinnell shut down their coke furnaces and switched to electric furnaces which ended the M&H's business. Their last revenue move was some inbound processing equipment in 1990. M&H #2 was moved to Middletown in 1992. Then Conrail tore out the interchange switch in the 1990s. The M&H filed to abandon the line in the early 2000's and had a deal to sell the RoW to a rails to trails group. Saud fought the abandonment and the line was sold to Saud in 2004. It took a long time to get the track up to service standards with a PA rail freight grant and a switch put back in for NS to serve the line that is why service is just now starting.

I was sent this information by a friend today. I want to caution that this is third hand information:

This coming Friday Feb.26,will be the (Grand Opening) of the Columbia & Reading and
the New Owner/Operator will put the Diesel Switcher Locomotive 'On Display'
at the 4th St.& Mill St. Crossing in Downtown Columbia from 2:00 PM till ? Also they moved their 3rd carload of scrap since start up from Saud's this week to the NS interchange.

From a preservation perspective, if any one is interested, the old Reading & Columbia Weigh Scale shanty in Columbia was moved in the 1990's by the M&H to Indian Echo Caverns station where it served as the ticket office until 2007 when it was moved to Middletown and is now on display on a concrete pad next to the "House Track". It is currently used as a handy spot to store sand for the locomotives.

Has to be more than 3 carloads. I know personally of at least 5 loads were moved off the line.

Interesting about the shanty. I wondered what happened to that.

I just got word that the event for Feb. 26 has been postponed to another date to be announced because of the weather.

I'll be darned. I missed that one too. Yup, it appears that JCNX belongs to Diamond Crossing Enterprises, which belongs to Mr. Nolan. I'm glad he's not totally away from the railroad biz, as he seems to have the ability to make things happen.

http://www.pwrr.org/rrm/rrmj.html

http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_wnqq5

And on topic, good to see the new C&R running service.