CNJ 1554 "Movin' on to Scranton"

On Thursday April 9, 2009 Jersey Central RS-3 #1554, which is owned by the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society (ARHS) was moved from it's long time home of Jim Thorpe, Pa to the Delaware-Lackawanna shops in Scranton, Pa. It will be stored there and when time permits by fully restored. The 1554 was picked up by Reading & Northern LEPI and hauled North between 2 hoppers to Pittston.

I didn't get much vid because PILE ran late and I ended up only having 45 min before I had to get to work...after waiting for 4 hours for R&N PILE to get there!!!

The ARHS along with the cabooses have to move out of the yard.

The 1554 is a genuine CNJ RS-3. It ran in Pa and it's last duty was to pull out the CNJ wreck train from Allentown Yard in 1972. After retirement it went to the Black River and Western in Ringos New Jersey. It then ended up with the Hawk Mtn. NRHS chapter who restored it and later sold it to the ARHS. During the 80's ARHS used the engine on some Rail Tours excursions. By the 90's however 1554 became unoperable and sat unused for over a decade. THe ARHS has moved the unit to a better home and somewhere down the line she'll be produceing some smoke from her stack again!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• alco
• rs-3
• reading
• and
• northern
• r&n
• jim
• thorpe
• pa
• cnj
• jersey
• central
• rail
• tours
• diesel
• locomtive
• sd50m

[GSpro]

Is 1098 going to be restored anytime soon?

[jimbo2317]

dunno...the R&N online newsletter states she's at their steam shop, but no plans.

[rwk360]

Too bad it left. This was an original CNJ diesel locomotive that was on it's home rails. Where are the F's going? I'm riding the Reading and Northern 425 excursion from Tunkhannock on May 16, looks like I won't see those diesels on display or the cabooses if the rest of them get moved soon. The Reading and Northern bought most of the other equipment, coaches, CP 4-6-0 that used to belong to George M. Hart.

[jimbo2317]

See the above comments for F-3's...they will still be there in May. Maybe I'll see you...I'm seriously thinking about chaseing the 425 that trip.

[smoothie6ft3]

Its now back in action!

[paintballsniper5]

i was at this track last summer all the trains are gone

[jimbo2317]

I got the info from the ARHS e-mail group from the president. I also have seen pics of it running in Thorpe.

[notalott]

Actually we haven't done a thing to it... It ran under Hawk Mtn. NRHS ownership and went out of service under their ownership. All ARHS did was buy it. Also, just a correction, ARHS' Reading RS3 is the 467.

[jimbo2317]

Yes it did suck! Had R&N came on time I would have got more and chased the move! the 1554 has no air brakes due to a hole under the steps. It is repairable, but needs to be done in shop. The main reason 1554 was stopped being used is #1554's engine is not complete. It had

some serious water jacket/liner corrosion issues many years ago which

led to it being taken out of service. An attempt to repair this was made but the ARHS was never able to get a covered work area so it was never finished

[GSpro]

Yea I saw where you watied for 4 hours, damn that must have sucked. What exactly is wrong with #1554 anyway, like why did they just stop using it?