Colebrookdale RR Aims to 'Cram a Car,' With Food

Blogger's Note: The following was submitted by the Colebrookdale Railroad.

In an ongoing effort to do our part and serve the communities in which we call home, we here at The Colebrookdale Railroad have partnered with the Salvation Army, Boyertown Multi-Service and other local food pantries, to give back in what we are calling “Cram A Car.”

During these uncertain times many people are struggling with where their next meal is going to come from, so please join us in helping to get our local food pantries “Back on Track.”

No need to leave the house. 

Now through April 24th using our Amazon Smile Wish List, you can donate as much or as little as you can. 

Click HERE to fill your cart, choose Colebrookdale Railroad as the delivery address at checkout and watch our train car fill up. Or check out the links on www.colebrookdalerailroad.com or our Facebook page, Colebrookdale Railroad—The Secret Valley Line.

All donations received will go directly to the charities listed above to help conquer hunger for those in need, right in our back yard.

We are all in this together and will come out stronger when it’s over. Thank you all for your continued generosity and support.

PECO Green Grants Support Local Park Projects

Inspiration for the design of the planned Steel River Station

in Pottstown's Memorial Park

Revitalization projects in Pottstown and Limerick are among those that will benefit from a PECO Energy grant program.

A total of $150,000 in grant funding from PECO's Green Region program, the company’s municipal open space and environmental grant program, will benefit a total of 20 communities.

Through PECO Green Region, PECO has awarded more than $2 million to nearly 300 projects since the program’s inception in 2004. The program is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support environmental initiatives across southeastern Pennsylvania, including open space preservation, improvements to parks and recreation resources, and environmental conservation, according to a press release.

In Pottstown, a grant of $7,500 will provide part of the 20 percent match for a $200,000 grant being sought by the Colebrookdale Railroad to improve connections with the new "Steel River Station" it is building in Memorial Park.

“This project will connect the visitor- and trail-user-oriented recreation amenities of the new Steel River Station to Pottstown's Memorial Park -- one of the region's largest and most asset-rich downtown parks -- and to the regional trail network," according to Kirsten​ Werner, senior director of communications for Natural Lands, which helped PECO assess applications.

"This connection brings critically-needed hospitality and visitor functions to the park and the trail system. This connection also enables the station to function as a hub for what the borough would like to market as a district of attractions in and around the park. Funds are sought for an ADA-accessible pathway, a small but critical component of the roughly $2 million Steel River Station project,” Werner wrote.

Monday night, Pottstown Borough Council authorized the full grant application to be made to Montgomery County's "2040 Fund," which was set up to support initiatives aligned with the county's Comprehensive Plan, adopted in early 2015.

In Limerick, a grant of $10,000 will help to pay for an update to the township's open space plan.

"Limerick Township adopted an open space plan in 1996 to guide the township's future decisions on developing parks and preserving open space. The last update to the open space plan was 2006," Werner wrote. "Limerick Township will undertake a second update to set a new strategy toward the preservation of open space and the natural resources of the Limerick community."

Here are a few of the other grant recipients:

• Chester County: East Bradford Township, East Fallowfield Township, South Coatesville Borough, and Tredyffrin Township 
• Montgomery County: Borough of Jenkintown and Upper Merion Township
• Delaware County: Borough of Prospect Park, Marcus Hook Borough, Marple Township, and Rutledge Borough

“The municipalities and nonprofits receiving grants are putting their energy into the environment, and we’re proud to support these initiatives as PECO remains committed to increasing the environmental sustainability of the communities we serve across southeastern Pennsylvania,” Mike Innocenzo, PECO president and CEO said in a press release from the company. 

“Each of these projects will positively impact the region as they create new green spaces, revitalize vacant lots, beautify trails, and much more.”

Pottstown Budget at 18.6% Hike, A Work in Progress

Despite two-and-a-half hours of talking, the only new thing we can tell you about the proposed $54.7 million 2018 budget at this point is that there will be more talking.

An additional budget workshop has been scheduled for Monday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. to keep this rip-roaring conversation going seeing as no decisions were made last night.

Several cost-cutting suggestions brought to the table by Council Vice President Sheryl Miller were reviewed during the course of the meeting and a particular combination of them could bring the tax hike down to 13.39 percent.

But none of them were voted on and Councilman Joe Kirkland had a few more, particularly cutting some positions to part-time.

Kirkland also pushed for a "task force" to look for other ways to cut the budget in the coming year, which could arguably duplicate some of the work the finance committee has ostensibly been doing, but hey, the more the merrier.

Also, Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. provided a little more breathing room when he pointed out that the law gives the new borough council until Feb. 15, 2018 to open up the budget passed by this council and make changes to lower the tax rate.

However, the only new voting member of council replaces Miller, who has taken the lead in pushing for cuts, so it remains to be seen what other changes might be made after the final budget is passed.

It is not clear when that may be.

Council President Dan Weand -- who pretended that no one could see all the assessment challenges that came this year, along with the sale of the hospital, despite warnings going back to 2007 -- said if he has to, he will have council meet on New Year's Eve to pass a budget.

Also of significance to the budget was the announcement by Borough Manager Mark Flanders that he was contacted by Zach Lehman, headmaster at The Hill School, who told him the school will donate $100,000 in 2018 toward the purchase of new police cars.

And now, without further ado, THE TWEETS!

Making it Easier to Ride the Colebrookdale Railroad

Junior Woman’s Club current president Anita Zuber and past president Jane Prutzman presenting Nathaniel Guest with donation surrounded by dedicated volunteer.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Colebrookdale Railroad.

The Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust recently received a boost from two local community organizations.

The First Presbyterian Church of Pottstown presented a check for $5,000 and the Junior Woman’s Club presented a check for $500 to Executive Director Nathaniel Guest recently. 

The donations will help fund the conversion of the railroad’s Café Car to be accessible to persons with mobility concerns. 

Additionally, the Junior Woman’s Club donation will also go towards offering free Santa Clause train rides to Multi-Service families and Pottstown Cluster clients. 

According to sources at the First Presbyterian Church the donation was made possible by the Mary N. Porter Designated Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward County, which awarded a grant to the First Presbyterian Church.

“This generous donation supports our efforts of becoming more accessible to a diverse group of passengers,” said Nathaniel Guest, Executive Director of the non-profit Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust. 

Coupled with a nearly-completed ADA-compliant boarding platform, and the construction of a similar platform and station in Pottstown early next year, the improvements to the Café Car, when complete, will make the Colebrookdale Railroad the only ADA-accessible tourist railroad serving both Berks and Montgomery Counties. 

Persons with mobility concerns will find it much easier to access the restored historic cars. “This has been a priority for the Trust from the very beginning,” said Guest.

According to Guest the work has only just begun. “We still have a way to go as the restoration costs for this project are expected to top $150,000,” he said. 

“Addressing these barriers will help us to fulfill our vision of making the country’s best tourist railroad from the Golden Age of Railroading an experience to be enjoyed by all persons, regardless of mobility.”

The Trust is seeking support to continue the conversion of the Café Car and ADA-compliance.

Donations can be to the Trust at its Boyertown office or online at www.colebrookdalerailroad.com.

The Unexpected View From the Bus

Photos by Evan Brandt

Borough and Montgomery County officials and guests, head for the bus that took them on a tour of Pottstown Wednesday.

Obviously, the bus tour undertaken by the Montgomery County Planning Commission and company was not something I needed to go on for informational purposes.

There were few things highlighted on the tour that I haven't written about in the 19 years I have been covering Pottstown for The Mercury.

Just as obviously, I was there to report on the impression of the people on the tour, including several planning commission members who were not -- shall we say "familiar?" -- with Pottstown.

But I did discover that my perspective shifted nonetheless.

It was a cumulative thing.

Sure, I know about the process that converted a former industrial PECO building in Riverfront Park into the home of both the Schuylkill River Heritage Area and the new sustainability and innovation center of Montgomery County Community College's West Campus, shown in the above photo.

And yes, I know about the conversion of the former Mrs. Smith's Pies complex into market rate

The adaptive re-use of the old Fecera's building into apartments for

artists and a new home for ArtFusion 19464, as seen from the bus.

housing and -- coming soon -- a mixed use office and retail complex at the southern gateway to Pottstown.

The multi-modal train station off Keim Street in the middle of the old Bethlehem Steel complex? Yup.

The businesses which have taken over some of those buildings, including one that runs almost entirely on solar power? Yes.

I would have to be blind to have missed the re-construction of the Route 422 Armand Hammer Boulevard intersection and the four new bridges over the Schuylkill River.

The Walk/Bike Pottstown trails planned for the borough; the well-designed Wawa and McDonald's in the east end; the conversion of the Jefferson School into affordable senior apartments; Hobart's Run efforts around The Hill School; the conversion of the old Facera's warehouse into apartments for artists and the new home of ArtFusion 19464 ongoing now -- I've reported on them all.

The slow-but-steady improvements to Memorial Park, its spray park, BMX and skateboard parks, the "Bark Park" for dogs and the trails that will connect all that to the Schulkill River Trail and parks upstream on the Manatawny and in Upper Pottsgrove, all are improvements worth lauding.

Pottsgrove Manor, the Manatawny Green mini-golf and the almost-but-never-quite-finished Carousel

The Colebrookdale Railroad's ever-informative Nathaniel Guest

explains the railroad's plans for a new station in Memorial Park.

at Pottstown and, of course, the Colebrookdale Railroad's "Secret Valley Line" and its lovingly restored vintage rail cars -- all things to be applauded over the years.

The attraction of Sly Fox Brewery (a personal favorite) and Manatanwy Stillworks (also a personal favorite); upgrades and improvements at Pottstown Municipal Airport; two-steps-forward-one-step back improvements on High Street have all been closely watched.

There is the tree park at Beech and Charlotte, the street trees (sorry, I'm a fan), the three community gardens with another coming at Barth Elementary School -- all good things

I've had a seat by the fountain in Smith Family Plaza dozens of times, had a beer (or three) at The Brick House; eaten in Grumpy's and Lily's Grill and even managed to scrounge up enough money to see a show at Steel River Playhouse.

Reporting on these things during the day-in day-out hurly burly of daily news reporting can give a close-in up-close perspective.

But on the bus, explaining details to visitors and seeing the sum total of these developments all at once, all at the same time, gave me pause enough to say that is no small record of accomplishment over the years.

Would we like more? Sure.

You can get a free bike to ride around Pottstown. How cool is that?

Was all of it handled with the greatest of foresight and efficiency? Not always, but close enough often enough. (After all, if you saw how efficiently we handled some things at The Mercury, you might say "who are you to point fingers pal?)

Have we lost a few battles in Pottstown? No question.

But we haven't given up yet.

People are quick to get frustrated with the pace of these improvements and just as quick to criticize and lament the lost glory of the old days, when everyone had jobs and there was enough money in town to sustain a well-balanced and even thriving borough.

But times and circumstances have changed, more because of things out of our control than in our control, and the best we can do is try to react and, when possible, predict those changes and make smart adjustments to take advantage of the ones we can.

There has been no small amount of that over the years.

So take a moment to pause, take a breath and look around and say "we haven't been sitting on our heels. We're still in there swinging and, when you look at it all, we have some things to be proud of."

OK, enough of that, now back to making progress.

Here are the Tweets that helped fuel this momentary revelation:

$10,000 Helps Restore Colebrookdale Parlor Car

David Roland of BB&T, left, presents Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust Executive Director Nathaniel Guest with a $10,000 donation from National Penn Bank.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Colebrookdale Railroad

Representatives from National Penn and BB&T, presented the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust with a $10,000 donation on May 5.

The donation will help pay for the restoration
of the 100-year-old first-class parlor car.

The donation will be used to help defray the costs of restoration of the railroad’s 100-year-old first class parlor car.

“We are pleased to offer this donation to the Colebrookdale Railroad as part of National Penn’s—and BB&T’s—commitment to supporting organizations that strengthen the region,” said Scott Fainor, BB&T Group Executive.

“National Penn has a long-established tradition of boosting programs and projects that revitalize the communities we serve, and the great work the Colebrookdale volunteers are doing fits squarely within that tradition.”

Founded in Boyertown as the National Bank of Boyertown, National Penn was recently acquired by BB&T. “BB&T is no stranger to Boyertown, and our commitment to this community and the railroad will continue the good example set by National Penn,” added Fainor.

“The Colebrookdale Railroad is exceedingly thankful for this boost, as the amazing work our volunteers are doing would not be possible without it,” said Nathaniel Guest, Executive Director of the non-profit Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust.

“The railroad has brought 30,000 visitors here from every state in the country and many foreign nations, resulting in $2 million back to Boyertown. Building an attraction that brings people in like that and keeps them coming back is a costly enterprise even with the amazing volunteer support we have. This boost from National Penn helps to make it possible.” 

Vets, Military Ride Steam Rails Free Memorial Day

This is the last weekend for some time that railroad enthusiasts can ride the Colebrookdale Railroad as it is being pulled by a real steam engine.

And for veterans and active military personnel, as well as reservists, that ride is free on Memorial Day for the 11 a.m. trip..

Locomotive 7236 will power our round trip from Boyertown to Pottstown and riders can choose from first class parlor, deluxe coach, or cafe.

Present your military ID at the gatehouse, Philadelphia Avenue, Boyertown for your free ticket.

Click here to buy tickets for the last steam ride.

LED Streetlights and Raises at Council Monday

It was a short Monday night, but a whole lot of things got resolved.

First and foremost was the settling of a contract with the borough's AFSCME workers.

You can read all about that on the front page of The Mercury today.

But there was also a lengthy presentation on how the borough could afford to replace all its streetlights with energy efficient LED lights. We broadcast that presentation on live video via the Periscope app, with a Twitter link.

Did any of you see it?

Well, we saved it and posted it to YouTube (and linked it in below) if you're curious. Videos posted on Periscope, I recently discovered, are automatically  deleted after 24 hours.

Council also approved a half-dozen cultural events over the next few months -- many of them with BEER!

It also seems that Pottstown's perennially unpopular buses are getting more popular after all. Ridership is up on PART buses.

You can read all about in the Tweets, links and videos below.

Christmas Comes Early for Coleberookdale Railroad

Maybe Santa's bag was too full, or maybe a new train car or a big donation wouldn't fit inside, but Christmas has come early to the Colebrookdale Railroad according to two recent announcements.

First, the big check: 

The Francesco A. Mascaro Charitable Trust recently awarded the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust a $10,000 grant. The funds will be put toward the restoration of a first-class parlor car slated for completion in early 2016, similar to the one show in the above photo.

"This gift demonstrates the uncommon commitment the Mascaro Family has made not just to our railroad, but the communities the railroad is working to revitalize," said Nathaniel Guest, executive director of the non-profit organization restoring the Civil War-era Colebrookdale Railroad. "

"We are exceedingly grateful to the Mascaro's for their generous support and the people of our communities are blessed to have them,” he said.

Nathaniel Guest, executive director of the Colebrookdale Railroad

Preservation Trust, jobs alongside Car 2001 as it arrives in Boyertown.

Now for the big car:

A 101-year old Pullman smoking coach built for the Maine Central Rialroad was donated to the Colebrookdale Railroad and recently arrived in Boyertown on the back of a very large truck.

The Titanic had been at the bottom of the sea just two years when the Colebrookdale Railroad’s newest addition was built. 

Car 2001 spent its life in the majestic White Mountains of New Hampshire.

“The car is a now- very rare example of a once ubiquitous design for the first generation of steel train cars, making its preservation a worthy goal and its value as restored immeasurable,” said Guest. 

The car was donated to the trust, the non-profit restoring the Colebrookdale Railroad. It will be stabilized and stored as funds are raised for its restoration. 

“It needs work, but it’s remarkably complete for a 101-year-old,” said Guest. “I wish we had it in service right now, as we need the capacity, but good things take time — and this will be a very good thing when completed.”

The car travelled on a truck through New Hampshire and Vermont, then to Albany, Oneonta, and Binghamton, New York, crossing into Pennsylvania with a stop in Scranton.

Support the Trust by making a donation at www.colebrookdalerailroad.com.

And you can see Santa on the Colebrookdale today and every day from next Saturday through Dec. 23.

Sip complementary hot cocoa or enjoy Christmas cookies and sing favorite carols as the Secret Valley passes by your window. Santa brings a gift for every child, and every child has an opportunity to give their Christmas letter to him (they even provide the crayons!) 

Opt to have your photo taken with Santa and it will be printed out for you on-board! New for this year, all trains stop at Secret Santa Village, where families can choose their Christmas tree. They will even load it on the train for you.

The railroad is also offering 'Twas the Night Before Christmas rides evenings from Thursday, Dec. 18 through Dec. 23. 

These special evening trains bring the storybook magic of the season to life.

Families are invited to ride in their pajamas and sip complimentary hot cocoa as T'was the Night Before Christmas is read.. 

Also, enjoy Christmas music and the comfort of our Edwardian-era cars as the holiday lights of the Secret Valley roll past your window. 

Rumor has it Santa himself may appear with a gift for every child. Opt to have a photo taken with Santa and they'll print it out for you on-board.

Click here to buy tickets. Some rides are already sold out.

And who knows, maybe it will even snow for your ride on the Colebrookdale.

A 'Storm'-Y Authority Meeting

Like the council meeting Monday night, Tuesday's Pottstown Borough Authority meeting was swift and packed with action.....

OK, not so much with the action. More with the: "this-is-how-you-run-a-water-and-sewer-system-" type stuff.

But still important.

One of the more interesting things going on at the authority (at least to me) is their decision to take on managing stormwater as well as wastewater and just regular old drinking water.

Last night they awarded a $56,00 contract to a Blue Bell firm to study the borough's aging stormwater system and come up with a master plan for maintaining it and, ultimately, dealing with more stringent regulations coming down from the federal level.

Of course, how that gets paid for may turn out to be a sticky wicket.

Read the Tweets from last night's meeting and you will see what I'm talking about.

What Happened at Borough Council Last Night?

Monday night's council meeting moved swiftly and covered many topics.

They included some I have already written about, such as the fire services agreement vote, and the push to re-name Cross Street after late NAACP President Newstell Marable.

And topics included others I have yet to write about.

You will have to wait in suspense, or try to guess from the Tweets below, which topics merit stories of their own.

Pottstown: It's About Time

Photo by Evan Brandt

The opened time capsule stands empty in front of

Pottstown Borough Hall as Ron Downie reads a

composition to mark the occasion.

Pottstown's past and future shared the stage Sunday.

During the annual Carousel of Flavor, a time capsule buried at the corner of High and Hanover streets was opened.

Minutes earlier, on the same stage, two over-sized checks from Montgomery County transferred $500,000 to two projects that highlight Pottstown's past to help improve its future.

The checks, $250,000 each, are for the Colebrookdale Railroad station in Memorial Park, and for the final physical improvements needed to open the Carousel at Pottstown building across King Street from the station.

(Full disclosure: I was once paid by the Carousel project to write grants and other things, but no longer am.)

Both projects highlight Pottstown's connection to the past, a genuine connection that Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust Executive Director Nathaniel Guest recently pointed out to me as being so crucial to attracting tourists interested in history.

He was right when he said they understand the difference between a Walt Disney building made to look like it was built in the 1870s, and an actual building that was -- or a railroad for that matter.

Photo by Evan Brandt

The contents of the freshly opened time capsule

were a big hit Sunday during the Carousel of Flavor

Part of the tourism and recreation district that is to be created around the two projects, and Pottsgrove Manor; and the Mantawny Green mini-golf ourse; and Memorial Park; and the Trilogy BMX Park and spray parks there; and the Schuylkill River Trail; and Montgomery County Community College; and the Schuylkill River Heritage Area interpretive center, Pottstown stands posed to finally capitalize on the historic heritage it has preserved for so long.

And, if you'll pardon the pun, it's about time.

Pottstown's future will not be made by making it look like any other suburb, it will be made by being unique, a uniqueness that people who have lived here their whole lives sometimes fail to recognize and appreciate.

The town just celebrated the 200th anniversary of its incorporation, obviously its history is one of its greatest assets.

And one of those assets, the Carousel and its trademark restaurant festival, is being used to leverage one of its potential assets -- Americans' growing appreciation for good food.

Terry Jones, a longtime volunteer with the Carousel, told me that it was looking good for Sunday's Carousel of Flavor Restaurant Festival to break last year's record-breaking returns.

Opening the time capsule during this ever-more-popular festival was a good decision, as it put together the people who appreciate all that the "foodie" movement represents, with those who appreciate and remember what Pottstown was like 50 years ago.

Here is some video of the contents:




It was hard not to smile watching people who have lived in Pottstown all their lives, pouring over the photos of those who they knew, where they worked and how they made their way into the sealed steel time capsule that nevertheless leaked a little -- Thanks Hurricane Agnes.

Here's to another 200 years Pottstown.

There was the evidence, as Ron Downie noted in the composition he read for the event,  of the vibrant town Pottstown once was -- and can be again.

The industries will be different,

The interests may be different.

But it we're smart, and don't let old thinking stab us in the foot, the results will be all too recognizable -- a town filled with people who love living here.

Welcome the artists, welcome the educated and make Pottstown a place where learning and creativity are applauded and Pottstown can be vibrant again.

Like it was 50 and 200 years ago.

Without further editorializing, here are the Tweets I could not resist making during this year's event: