Just a Short Line - The Story of the Rahway Valley Railroad - Locomotives & Equipment

The Rahway Valley Railroad was a colorful short line that operated in northern New Jersey for much of the last century. For the past several years, author and historian (and Tri-State President) Richie King has been researching and collecting everything he can about this little railroad. In an effort to share what has been found, Tri-State is hosting occasional programs on the Rahway Valley Railroad in addition to the regularly scheduled monthly meetings.

In this program, King was joined by Jeff Jargosch, a longtime Rahway Valley fan and steam locomotive aficionado, and Walt Switz, a retired railroader and former Rahway Valley employee, for a look at the railroad’s locomotives and equipment.  The show covers the earliest locomotives and their histories. With Jeff, we take a detailed look at the last three steam engines, Nos. 13, 14, and 15, what is was like to operate them, their differences, and idiosyncrasies. With Walt, we cover what it was like to work with the 70-tonners in daily freight service. We even cover the railroad’s lone caboose, the 102, and more.