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New Hope Pa, In Bucks County, near New Jesrey, home of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. New Hope is our destination, and we hope you enjoy the trip on our histroric steam train and old number 40. Read more about the railroad and see some pictues on the way to Lahasha and the way back to New Hope,

New Hope & Ivland's History

Incorporated in 1962 as Steam Trains, Inc. by a group of Philadelphia area railroad enthusiasts and businessmen, this private venture searched for local trackage and acquired vintage railroad equipment in order to start their own tourist railroad, a trend which swept the country at that time. After investigating a number of area railroad rights-of-way, in 1996 the group obtained the northern 16.7 miles of the Reading Company's New Hope Branch in central Bucks County for a price of about $200,000. Using a former Canadian National steam locomotive and seven steel suburban passenger coaches, the new for-profit company was christened as the "New Hope and Ivyland Railroad" (NHIR) in honor of the villages situated at either end of the line.

Steam passenger service between New Hope and Buckingham Valley began on August 6, 1966. Freight service was provided by diesels leased from the Reading. The NHIR ran one of the last regularly scheduled steam-powered mixed freights east of Mississippi and the all-steamed tradition was broken in 1971 when the company finally purchased their own diesel, an Alco RS-1 from the Washington Terminal.

Within five years, extravagant spending and burgeoning debt had plunged the NHIR into insolvency. After selling real estate to Philadelphia Electric, the destitute NHIR filed for Section 77 bankruptcy in 1971, and by 1972 the struggling railroad operated with unpaid volunteers. When the Bucks County Industrial Development Corporation (BCIDC) acquired the railroad in 1974 to "preserve rail service through the center of Bucks County," it selected McHugh Brothers Heavy Hauling, Inc. as the railroad's freight operator, a relationship which endured until McHugh's departure in 1989. Passenger and freight service flourished during the 1970s, and on June 30, 1979 the NHIR was finally released from a decade of bankruptcy.

Beginning July 3, 1980, volunteers of the New Hope Steam Railway (NHSR) resumed weekend excursion service after the previous operators decided to end it. Thus NHSR ran trains under a lease agreement with the BCIDC until 1990, when considerable decay of the railroad's equipment and properties convinced the BCIDC to sell the entire railroad to the present owners.

Since then, the for-profit Bucks County Railroad Preservation & Restoration Corporation has embarked on a $2 million effort to completely restore the New Hope and Ivyland Rail Road (NHRR) to its turn of the century ambience. The Victorian New Hope station, freight house and boarding platform were refurbished, the tracks were rebuilt, and steam passenger service resumed in 1991 using 2-8-0 No. 40 and five vintage passenger coaches. Already hundreds of thousands of people have rode the NHRR's hourly train to Lahaska and return and other specialty trains. Freight service is also an integral part of the company. Now on a solid foundation the 102 year-old NHRR faces life anew!

boarding platform were refurbished, the tracks were rebuilt, and steam passenger service resumed in 1991 using 2-8-0 No. 40 and five vintage passenger coaches. Already hundreds of thousands of people have rode the NHRR's hourly train to Lahaska and return and other specialty trains. Freight service is also an integral part of the company. Now on a solid foundation the 102 year-old NHRR faces life anew!

History curtestsy of New Hope Railroad

New Hope Engine Roster

Number 40

2-8-0 "Consolidation"

This coal-fired locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (#58824) of Philadelphia, PA. in December 1925 and sold new to the Lancaster and Chester Railway Co., of Lancaster, South Carolina at a price of $25,125.96.

Dubbed as "The Springfield Line" for the textiles made by the cotton mills the railroad served, the Lancaster & Chester Railway used the utilitarian 40 primarily as a freight engine. The 40 apparently became surplus motive power for the L&C after World War II, leading to the locomotive's sale in 1947 to the neighboring Cliffside Railroad Co. in North Carolina.

On the Cliffside-also a prosperous textile carrier-the 40 shared the responsibilities Vulcan-built 2-6-2 No. 110. Interestingly, the 40 was regulated to secondary service, as Cliffside crews preferred using the considerably smaller 110. When the railroad took delivery of a second-hand 35 ton diesel electric in early 1962, the last steam run was made for company officials and special guests using the 110 on July 20 of that year.

In 1962 the 40 was retubed in anticipation of future use, however, this never transpired due to the sudden diesel purchase. Instead, Steam Trains, Inc. from Pennsylvania purchased the locomotive for $5,000 and shipped it north with spare parts for storage at the Reading's Beech Street roundhouse in Wilmington, Delaware and later at the Reading's St. Clair shops. In 1966, much of other Steam Trains equipment was assembled in a transfer move to New Hope, PA., with the 40 dead-in-tow.

Although it was in operating condition, the 40 only saw service on the New Hope and Ivyland during the 1967 season. It underwent a major rebuilding in 1974, and replaced 4-6-0 No. 1533 in NHIR passenger service beginning in 1975. While the 40 operated periodically during the late 1970s, it frequently pulled New Hope Steam Railway passenger trains from 1981 to 1986. During the latter period, the locomotive was decorated as a circus freak, wearing flashy florescent colors and garish tender heralds. Last steamed during the 1986 season, the 40 was stored unserviceable for the next couple of years.

Because the future of the railroad seemed questionable at that time, the NHSR was reluctant to make the necessary repairs to repair the 40 for service. When the Bucks County Railroad Preservation and Restoration Corporation purchased the railroad in 1990 they engaged their own mechanical forces and those of the Strasburg Rail Road in extensively rebuilding the 40, which was completed in June 1991. Now in excellent mechanical condition, the 40 has been returned to a more original appearance and currently serves the New Hope and Ivyland as its only operating steam locomotive.

No. 2198

GP-30
Diesel

Built new by the Pennsylvania Railroad in May 1963 as no. 2250. The 2250 was re-numbered 2198 when the PRR recieved a series of new GP-35's. The 2198 received a complete rebuild in October 1978 with 645 powers assemblies, and all new major components.

The 2198 operated mostly in PA, NY and NJ. Conrail retired the 2198 on May 16, 1991 with less than 200,000 miles on her engine components. Conrail offered the 2198 and 200 other engines for sale by sealed bid in 1996. A sucessful bidder purchased the 2198 and two other units and sold the 2198 to the NH&I.

The 2198 was restored to service after replacing 2 contactors, 16 injectors, 9 batteries, a water pump and 240 gallons of oil. The 2198 was placed in service on February 2, 1997 after passing it's FRA inspection. Repainted in a new NH&I paint scheme during the summer of 1997 the 2198 serves as motive power for freight and work trains as well as the substitute passenger engine.

Recently, the 2198 was sold to Rail Power Inc., a consortium of three full-time NHRR employees who lease the engine to the NHRR.

New Hope Freight Roster

Number	Former Railroad	Description	Built	Owner
4435	Lehigh & New England	40' steel boxcar	192?	NHRR (1)
8570	Lehigh & New England	40' steel boxcar	192?	NHRR (1)
9005	Lehigh & New England	40' steel boxcar	192?	NHRR (1)
9811	New York, Sesquehanna,	40' steel boxcar (PS-1)	193?	NHRR
	& Western 537
	(re-numbered from NHIR 811)
12260	Reading Company	40' wooden boxcar	1906	Private
?????	Philadelphia & Reading	40' wooden boxcar	ca. 1890s	NHRR (2)
13914	Philadelphia & Reading	40' wooden boxcar	ca. 1890s	NHRR (3)
38009	U.S. Army	four-truck flatcar	1951?	NHSR
?????	?????	flatcar built from	1942?	NHSR
		crane body
55926	GATC	steel tank car	1927	NHSR

New Hope Coach Roster

Number 1113 76 seat coach

The 1113 was built in 1925 as a class PBn by the Harlan and Hollingsworth division of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company for the Reading Company, one of eleven on the property. These coaches were designated as class PB and were the first all-steel passenger fleet on the Reading. Often these coaches were constructed in kit form by Harlan & Hollingsworth and subsequently assembled in the Reading shops. Some classes of cars were purchased from other manufacturers and many of identical design were sold to the CNJ and the Boston & Maine.

The class PB passenger fleet was commonly classified as "suburban" coaches, though many were on exclusive Reading intercity commuter varnish such as the King Coal and The Wallstreeter. They could be found in passenger trains virtually anywhere on the Reading Company system, especially on suburban Philadelphia locals pulled by Camelbacks.

By the 1940s several hundred cars of this class were in service on the Reading. Some of them gained noteworthy exposure on the Iron Horse Rambles of the 1960s, while others were preserved by tourist railroads, like the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern, the now defunct Quakertown & Eastern, and the New Hope & Ivyland. Obtained from the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad by the New Hope and Ivyland in the late 1960s, the 1113 has been stored for several years in the New Hope yard awaiting refurbishment.

Number 1127 84 seat coach

Formerly the Reading company 1127, this 84 seat coach was built in 1924 as a class PBn. Equipped with Taylor flexible-type trucks, coach 1127 ran in several Reading Company Iron Horse Rambles during the 1960s before purchase by the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad who renumbered it as their "1776."

When the Valley Forge Scenic dissolved in 1969, the 1127 and its sisters were shipped to the NHIR where they continue in their passenger service today. Rebuilt and repaired frequently over the years, the coaches' outward appearances have ranged from the original NHIR Tuscan red scheme of the 1960s and 1970s, to the gaudy green, orange, and maroon "circus" colors of the New Hope Steam Railway during the 1980s.

Currently displaying vintage Reading Company livery and lettering, only five coaches of the class PB designation presently compromise the backbone of the NHRR's operable passenger fleet.

Number 1202 76 seat coach

Formerly a Reading Company 1202, this 76 seat coach was built in 1922 as a class PBn. The 1202 retained its same numbering on the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad. In 1983, the New Hope Steam Railway "backdated" the car to a fictitious Philadelphia and Reading Railroad paint scheme to commemorate the P&R's 150th anniversary, which it retains today. Presently owned by the NHRR and stored out of service, the 1202 will require structural repairs before it can again operate in passenger service.

Number 1220 84 seat coach

Formerly the Reading Company 1220, this 84 seat coach was built in 1922 as a class PBn. It was renumbered "1775" on the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad, and operates today in NHRR passenger service.

Number 1366 Open-air coach

Formerly the Reading Company 1366, this open-air coach was built in 1918 as a class PB1. Originally built as a 76 seat coach, it was converted to a bench-fitted open-air excursion coach by the NHIR in 1970. Last used in the late 1970s, the 1366 resides in storage at New Hope, awaiting a return to service.

Number 1424 76 seat coach

Formerly Reading Company 1424, this 76 seat coach was built in 1913 as a class PBh. The 1424 was used on the Reading's Iron Horse Rambles excursions in the early 1960s. Retaining the original mahogany interior, the car is serviceable for use on NHRR passenger trains.

Number 1430 32 seat coach-diner

Formerly Reading Company 1430, this 32 seat coach-diner was built in 1913 as a class PBh. Originally built as a 76 seat passenger coach the 1430 was stripped of its seating and converted into its present configuration as a dining car in the early 1970s. It was named the "Vivian Andrews" for the wife of the NHIR's trustee-under-bankruptcy Kenneth Andrews. In 1987 and 1988 it was refurbished with new carpeting and given other improvements by volunteers of the New Hope Steam Railway. In addition to the original mahogany interior, the car has been equipped with a serving bar, tables, and chairs, and is now used as an extra-fare food service car on regular NHRR passenger trains and for private charters.

Number 1505 75 seat coach

Formerly Reading Company 1505, this 75 seat coach was built in 1916 as a class PBh. With its original mahogany interior preserved, this car is presently in regular service for use on NHRR passenger trains.

Number 1525 Open-air coach

Formerly Reading Company 1525, this open-air coach was built in 1927 as a class PBr. Originally built as a 76 seat coach, it was converted to a bench-fitted open-air observation car by the NHIR in 1969. Both ends of the car were windowless while the middle section is enclosed with regular seating for year-round use. This car is one of four surviving Reading Semi-streamlined passenger coaches known to be in existence. Last used in 1979 the 1525 is currently stored north of the New Hope shop awaiting refurbishment.

Number 1536 74 seat coach

Formerly Reading Company 1536, this 74 seat coach was built in 1927 as a class PBr. Currently stored adjacent to the New Hope yard, the 1536 is of the Reading semi-streamlined design and outwardly displays its faded NHIR blue paint scheme from the 1960s.

Number 1542 74 seat coach

Formerly Reading Company 1542, this 74 seat coach was built in 1927 as a class PBr. Also a Reading semi-streamlined coach, the 1542 arrived on the NHIR in 1966. It was equipped with sealed windows and quirky air-conditioning units that often failed at the expense of the passengers. These conditions ultimately sidelined the 1542 and its sister 1536 by the early 1970s. It was later moved to a quarry spur north of Buckingham Valley, where it sat for many years openly exposed to the elements. In 1987 all of the equipment stored at this location was moved to the Grenoble siding where the 1542 is currently stored. Although the car has its skirting, it had been heavily vandalized and will require extensive repairs before it can return to operation.

New Hope Photos