'Stealing' the Election?

Montgomery County Republican candidates from left, Steve Heckman, candidate for judge, Sheriff Russell Bono and district attorney candidate Bruce Castor, flank Horace "Babyface" Reinford III, the Colebrookdale Railroad's youngest volunteer, as they prepare to "rob" some campaign contributors on the train.  

Look out! Here they come!

So we've heard of "stealing an election" before, but this is ridiculous.

Montgomery County Republicans added a bit of fun to their fundraising last week when several candidates for county-wide office "robbed" the Colebrookdale Railroad 1930s-style as a way to raise cash for the election.

Riding into the Boyertown train yard on a vintage Chevrolet pick-up truck, County Sheriff Russell Bono, district attorney candidate Bruce Castor and county judge's candidate Steve Heckman waved fake weapons and boarded the train to meet with supporters.

Rarely has a train full of people been so willing to be robbed.

Of course, eventually, the masks came off, the candidates were revealed, and, undoubtedly, contributions were handed over anyway.

(However, "police" said the whereabouts of the youngest member of the gang, Horace "Babyface" Reinford III, remain unknown....)

Here are a few more photos from the event:

A 'reformed' Bono with area leader
France Krazalkovich

Bono with area leader
Gail Yoder

The oddly gregarious train robbers make their demands known aboard the Colebrookdale Railroad's "Open Car"...

Welcoming the Little Engine That Can

The Coilebrookdale Railroad's newest engine arrives at the rail yard in Boyertown.

The delivery truck lines up with the track to discharge
its locomotive cargo.

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

The historic Colebrookdale Railroad's Secret Valley line has recently welcomed a new arrival:  a pint-sized little locomotive.  

The locomotive, known as the "Plymouth," was built by the Plymouth Locomotive Works of Plymouth, Ohio, in 1964.   

Plymouth was one of the world's most prolific builders of small industrial locomotives, with over 7,500 constructed.

The Plymouth safely nested onto the tracks.

While most Plymouth locomotives were very small by comparison to today's modern diesels--nearly all of them weighed 25 tons or less--the Colebrookdale's new acquisition tips the scale at 30 tons.  

"It's just a little baby engine, but it will pull more than you might expect," said Nathaniel Guest, President of the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust non-profit.  

"We'll use it to shift cars in our yard and to do occasional jaunts down the line," he said.  

Wildlife, like these wild turkeys, is plentiful
along the Secret Valley Line.

The Trust has been leading the effort to restore the Civil War-era Colebrookdale Railroad linking Pottstown and Boyertown and plans to haul both freight and tourist passenger trains starting in the fall.

The locomotive was donated to the Trust by NRG Energy, Inc, of Princeton, New Jersey, operators of the now-decommissioned Titus Generating Station. 

The Plymouth served as Titus's primary shifting locomotive for many years.

"We are very happy the Plymouth will have a good home here," said Guest.  

"We know it will have a great retirement career hauling tourists," he said.  "I suspect little kinds will find it just their size."

Here is a video from the railroad's weekly video show highlighting the Plymouth's arrival.





Support the Trust's efforts to revitalize the Colebrookdale and its communities by joining as a member at www.colebrookdalerailroad.com

They've Been Working on the Railroad

Volunteers along the Colebrookdale Spur

Blogger's Note: The following is provided by Nathaniel Guest on behalf of the effort to transform the Colebrookdale Spur into a tourist excursion railroad.

On Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9, teams of volunteers came out to the

Colebrookdale to accomplish a very important task: cleaning up the right of way.

For some time, the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust has been advocating and planning for a tourist passenger railroad on the Colebrookdale. 

A recent report found that the Colebrookdale as a tourist railroad can be a powerful engine of economic development for our region.

One of our goals in getting the railroad ready for prime time has been to clean up the line. 

Saturday and Sunday brought 40 volunteers. 

The Pottstown Roller Derby Rockstars led the charge on Sunday, augmented by folks from the Montgomery County ARD program on Saturday.

Berks County Subway provided lunch for all volunteers, and the Pottstown Health and Wellness Foundation provided water. 

J.P. Mascaro & Sons provided two dumpsters. 

The clean up was coordinated by the Beanie Clark with support from the Borough of Pottstown.