The URHS board is proud to announce the hiring of our new Executive Director and first-ever employee, Kevin Phalon! Phalon has served at URHS's President since May of 2020. In that time, URHS has grown substantially as an organization, and we are thrilled to be able to accelerate that growth with the addition of a full-time staff member.

A note from Kevin Phalon:
"I could not be more honored to be given this opportunity and responsibility. I, like many others, have dedicated a large portion of my life to the success of URHS. By hiring our first employee, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to grow beyond what is possible with volunteers alone. A little more than a year ago, we never expected to grow so fast that we would need staff so soon, yet here we are. I cannot wait to see how else we surprise ourselves.

Past years have been tough for URHS, without a doubt, but we arrived in 2022 stronger than ever. After working for years to put the organization back on firm financial footing, today we are shifting our focus to the public. As a nonprofit, our chief responsibility is to educate. For us, that means running more trains, holding more events, and making more of our collection accessible to more people more often. These short-term goals are reasonable and attainable, and we look forward to making all of the above happen in 2023.

While URHS is proud of the work we do at our yard in Boonton, NJ, a separate, permanent location will always be our goal. A year-round, indoor, public museum and operating railroad are vital to the sustained survival of our collection. It is our hope that such a museum would bring together all the interests that have long sought a permanent location in this state, so that our combined efforts can better serve the public. Part of my tasks as Executive Director will be to take these aspirations and make them into clearly-defined, workable long-term plans.

URHS and its collection are in a better place now than they have ever been. This organization has an incredible amount of untapped potential, and I think we all have reason to be excited about its future.”

Is he any relation to a Joe Phalon that was a Conductor with NJ Transit for many years?

I come from a railroad family. My grandfather started on the Erie in 1955, my uncle was a conductor for NJ Transit, and my brother is the superintendent of Morristown & Erie Railway. I spent a few summers working for M&E as well. For a career though, I followed my father’s path as a journalist. I have always been fascinated by railroading as a profession and as a topic of history.