Last I heard this locomotive was at a vocational school in New Jersey.Are there any groups interested in bringing the 385 back to the southeast?

The 385 is no longer at Bergen Vo-Tech. It was moved in a (literally) midnight run to a warehouse in Harrison, NJ.

385 has been gone from the vo-tech school for many years (something like 8-9 years). Unless it moved recently, 385 is stored outside on an industrial siding in Harrison, NJ. See the below link for a photo posted a couple years ago on webshots.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1393606 ... 5820NGBPRT

Any idea who owns this loco? Any plans on what they are going to do with it?

Later!
Mr. Ed

Real interesting thing....

It was a BIG deal when Senator Torricelli brokered the deal to send it to Bergen Tech, with Supor & Sons going through an all-day rigamarole to load it on a lowboy and transfer it via Main Street in Hackensack to the school.

Somebody came up with the "pixie dust" to make it disappear without ANYBODY seeing it move from the school, though. Moreover, how did what was then a County asset get disposed of without a peep?

More than a few of us have wondered how that happened...

Wouldn't it be wonderful occupying a stall in the roundhouse at Spencer? Something it has done many times in the past......

dave

The loco is still in Harrison. I occasionally do some work for a company on the other side of a brand new fence from the loco. They recently repaved their fire lane providing what would be relatively easy access to photograph the locomotive. However, Supor, the owner of the property that the locomotive sits on, put up a fence, preventing photography except with a ladder or through the fence. A quick visual showed some appliances missing (as can be viewed in my photos which were linked above) but some still seem to be in place. The engine hasn't been under cover for the last few years. I don't know if Supor owns it but there are several other pieces of historic importance stored throughout his property including several buses and a steam traction engine. Sometimes one of these items leaves the property for a time (possibly for a film shoot) so this may be in the eventual future.

The engine is and always has been privately owned. It was on loan to Bergen as the owner worked at the VO Tech School as a teacher.

There was a plan to bring the loco to a nearby PA tourist road, but its still in limbo as getting it there is not going to be too easy....or cheap.

This is simply not true. The 385 was owned by the NYS&W Railway after the default of the old Morris County Central. As an earlier poster noted, U.S. Senator Torricelli put heavy pressure on the NYS&W to donate it to Bergen Vo-Tech. I attended the press conference where an NYS&W VP (I think it was Bob Kurdock) handed over the paperwork, along with a few small appliances to the Superintendant of the school. This was going to be a hands-on project by the school - "practical" training for the students it was claimed. As was noted by isaksenj, after several years of inactivity, it was gone. On the way in it was an all-day lowboy, close the streets operation as the school is at least a mile away from NJ Transit's Pascack Valley line. No street closings, no trace on the way out, just gone. Then a few pictures trickel out from Harrison.

If the transfer of ownership to the County was fake, as poster junior implies, then somebody in the government should resign or be fired - oh, wait, didn't Senator Torricelli have to quit after his tendency to accept large gifts from Korean businessman? Never mind...

I'm guessing the steam traction engine is the one from Bergen Tech. They had a Frick steam tractor. In addition to 385, the school had a 0-4-0 Fireless Cooker. I remember seeing on the web where the Fireless Cooker went, but I can't recall now where that was.

Regards,
Jim Robinson

Isn't this interesting....

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers seems to think 385 belonged to the school:

http://www.asme.org/Communities/History ... _Steam.cfm
(Note particularly the link to the .pdf listing the school's collection of steam appliances at the bottom of the page).

The late Carl Lathrop seemed to think 385 was given to the school -- note his letter to Steam Traction magazine, excerpted below:
http://www.steamtraction.com/archive/4525/
(Carl knew just a little bit about the VBR!)

""On October 22, 1990, the school was deeded Morris County Central locomotive No. 385. This 2-8-0 had been built by Baldwin in 1907 for the Southern Railway." From there it went to the railroad nearest to my heart, the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway, as their No. 6 only to be sold to the tourist carrier, Morris County Central. When the MCC went belly-up the old boomer ended up on the ledger of the Delaware Otsego Corporation, a short-line holding company, and was assigned to their New York, Susquehanna & Western.

"Delaware Otsego had considered rehabilitating this steam engine and had it surveyed by the Rome Locomotive Works, primarily a diesel rebuild shop now, but still with steam capabilities." Its restoration had to compete with the importation of a Baldwin K-7 that had been exported to China after World War I, but now was rebuilt by the Chinese and available at $150,000 delivered to the U.S. Delaware Otsego, however, elected to have a 2-8-2 of these called J. David Conrad class built for them like the two imported last winter.

"But, back to No. 385, what to do with her." When we stopped building traction engines and railroad locomotives and reciprocating stationary steam engines, we stopped educating the young in that craft. Not so at Bergen County, for old No. 385 now sits on a short length of track between the river and the athletic field within sight of the steam classroom. The students will hone the edge of their craft getting the old girl under steam again."

By the way, SO, I was at those ceremonies with Bob Kurdock and Senator Torricelli, as well. Guess I need to scan those pre digital images tonight...

They had a very nice collection of stationary steam engines and pumps, as described in the ASME publication; I wonder what happened to them as well.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

Can one surmise that Mr. Vopasek is no longer teaching a steam engineering course at Bergen Tech?

There was an "Eastrail" held at that location about 1996, and a tour of the boiler room/steam department was offered. It was quite fascinating, and was everything that had been described in the RyPN article a few years before. Quite a shame if it all has gone away.

Howard P.

No, It has since been shut down on the grounds that "steam is now classified as outdated and irrelevant technology."

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

Well, I guess quite a few power generating stations will have be turned off, too, eh?

Seriously, what happened to Mr. Vopasek and his machinery?