As long as the topic came up under the 1533 header, here is SMS #9 this past week. She's a very long way from her retirement as irrepairable. And yes, SMS made an offer on 1533 and was told knock off the requests or the #9 deal would be cancelled. SMS is supposedly open to the 1533 at any time. I am told another steam locomotive is very much desired.
Incidentally, #9 is running on the wheels and gear of the late Lima built #7, which was cut up decades ago.

Expect to see her running in the very near future.

translation to plain/school english for someone living across the ocean and is not a
native english speaker

If I wanted to be a REAL troublemaker, I could suggest a couple locos long out to pasture or sidelined not far away, such as CN Moguls 91 and 92 at the Middletown & Hummelstown and the Wilmington & Western, respectively.......... though both probably suffer from the same "gonna get to her someday....." syndrome.......

Wonder if it would be at all possible to procure an engine from Steamtown? Maybe one of the neglected pieces in the yard, like CN 47? I do also like the idea of W & W 92.

John

I like the way you guys think. All of the engines mentioned above have a few things in common. CN heritage and aesthetics, for one. Definitely a plus in my view. They are all relatively close to south Jersey. They have all been discussed with interest. Unfortunately, none have been made available for sale, as far as I know. Other candidates exist, some much further afield, and of course there is always the small matter of price. Hopefully something will materialize.

Another that might be worth a look, and also near South Jersey, is former W & W/Queen Anne's 0-6-0T # 3, still on display but well kept in Bethany Beach, DE.

John

The owner has been approached several times and does not want to sell.

That's too bad, that could be an ideal locomotive for many operations.

John

As a Californian, I'd never heard of SMS either. Google to the rescue!
- Doug Debs

SMS Rail Lines operates freight and excursion passenger trains in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York
Freight: https://smsrail.com/
Excursion Passenger: https://woodstowncentral.com/

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/sms-rail-services-plans-passenger-excursions-on-new-trackage/

SMS Rail Services plans passenger excursions on new trackage
By Scott A. Hartley | July 6, 2022

Switching company will used restored steam locomotive on line in southwestern New Jersey

BRIDGEPORT, N.J. — SMS Rail Services, perhaps best known to enthusiasts as the operator of a roster of Baldwin diesel locomotives that work on several rail switching operations, is preparing to enter the passenger excursion business on its newest line acquisition.

SMS, established in 1994 to serve the large Pureland Industrial Park in Bridgeport, N.J., has grown to seven switching operations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Its newest expansion, not far from its original (and still busy) location, is 18 miles of onetime Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines trackage between Swedesboro and Salem, in southwestern New Jersey. In 2021, SMS entered into a 10-year lease with Salem County, which owns the line.

Although the tracks had been inactive for several years, SMS has purchased 92 acres of adjacent property in Pilesgrove Township, which it plans to develop for rail use, according to Paul Harland, who holds the title of Director of Passenger Operations on the currently freight-only railroad. Harland says that when he joined SMS six years ago, after a lengthy tenure at Pennsylvania heritage and freight railroad New Hope & Ivyland, he did not expect that he would once again have passenger duties added to new responsibilities.

The catalyst to SMS’s planned passenger operation is the railroad’s former U.S. Army 0-6-0 steam locomotive, purchased a decade ago. SMS president and co-founder Jeffrey L. Sutch had worked as a locomotive engineer for the Reading Co. and also volunteered at the New Hope & Ivyland, where he had run the steamer in the 1970s. Now rostered as SMS No. 9, the 1942-built Alco is nearing the completion of a $1 million return to service. When Sutch bought the little engine, his initial plans were to occasionally use it help out the Baldwins in switching service in the Pureland park. Harland says this swould not be much different from how the engine worked for the Army at Fort Dix, N.J., and Fort Eustis, Va.

Passenger service was not part of the plan when SMS leased the Salem line, Harland says: “We jokingly kicked around passenger operations at one point.” But with a soon-to-be-operational steam engine and a caboose already on the roster, SMS started looking at the concept. He says that Salem County leaders have been very supportive.

The operation already has been named “Woodstown Central,” named after an on-line town served by busy U.S. Route 40. Tentative plans are to run excursions from the railroad property at Pilesgrove, north through Woodstown to Swedesboro, and return, a 14-mile round trip. The railroad is in the process of acquiring secondhand passenger cars for the service, Harland says.

Local historical societies sponsor the annual “Woodstown by Candlelight” night early each December. Harland says that SMS will have a presence at the celebration in 2022, and hopes passenger trains might be part of the event in future years. In the meantime, steel wheels are once again rolling on SMS’s Salem Line. In June the railroad began partnering with Revolution Rail Co., and riders already are enjoying rail biking over the route.

Older news article:
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/sms-0-6-0-returns-to-steam/
August 10, 2021

BRIDGEPORT, N.J. — A well-known 1960s and 1970s short line and tourist railroad steam locomotive is back. SMS Rail 0-6-0 No. 9, an Army brat built by Alco in 1942, test-fired Saturday for the first time following a 12-year restoration, just two days shy of when it was taken out of service in 1981.

The engine, part of the roster on the Northeastern industrial switching railroad made famous for its fleet of Baldwin diesels, passed a hydrostatic test in 2020. The steam test went off well, and now the crew will finish the running gear, line the cab interior with wood, and install the cab. Additional work includes air brake valve installation and piping, lubrication lines, insulation and jacketing.

No. 9 began life as U.S. Army No. 4023 moving freight at Fort Dix, N.J. At Fort Eustis, Va., the engine was No. 616 until retirement in 1958, when the engine was sold to Virginia Blue Ridge in Piney River, Va., and became the short line’s No. 9.

Next stop was New Hope & Ivyland tourist railroad in Pennsylvania, where the engine ran sporadically in the late 1960s and 1970s.

SMS’s website says of the locomotive: “In the mid 1990s, NH&I put No. 9 up for sale. Sitting for several more years in New Hope, it caught the eye of SMS Rail Lines President Jeff Sutch. Jeff, and several other SMS Rail Lines employees had spent time on the NH&I and some particularly on No. 9. In 2009, SMS Rail Lines purchased No. 9 and moved her to the SMS Locomotive Shop in Bridgeport, N.J., with the intent of restoring her back to operation. The engine faces another new life doing what she was built to do; hauling freight.

Is this the locomotive that once sat in Cooperstown NY
Thank You
Al

Hi Al,

No, this locomotive was at New Hope since about 1966, arriving directly from the Virginia Blue Ridge and then being sold to SMS. The other locomotive at Cooperstown was VBR # 8, which became Delaware Otsego/Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley #2 and then displayed in Cooperstown. I am not sure exactly where that locomotive is now although a previous thread says it may have been bought by a private collector in Maryland.

John

SMS 9 was in service, handling freight, for a few days earlier this week, and did quite well. One move. made yesterday, was taking 18 loads up the grade from the interchange, and around a few curves. I wasn't there for that, came by later, but the engineer seemed to be happy with the locomotives performance. There is some video, taken by several other people, on Facebook.

Not far from Cumberland

Are there any plans for it? I believe this engine had been converted to burn oil but it looks like the oil tank was removed from the tender?

John

I had a ride behind this locomotive when it ran on the Delaware Otsego, probably back in the late 60s. They had a short stretch of track running east out of Oneonta, NY on which they pulled forward for a couple of miles then shoved back. I believe they stopped short of a large bridge on the east end and let everyone off for a few minutes to "enjoy the view"....such as it was. Not surprising that the operation did not last long. Glad to see that the locomotive still exists and hopefully, someone will find a decent home for it.

/Kevin Madore