WOODSTOWN, N.J. — The Woodstown Central Railroad, the heritage rail operation of SMS Rail Service, has announced that its restored Alco 0-6-0 locomotive No. 9 will make its revenue debut Nov. 30 in Santa Claus Special passenger service.
The locomotive, built for the U.S. Army in 1942, also worked for the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway and the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. Santa Claus Special runs will continue weekends through Dec. 22, in addition to runs on Monday, Dec. 23. Information on those excursions is available here.
The locomotive underwent a 14-year restoration after its purchase from the New Hope & Ivyland in 2009, arriving at SMS’ Bridgeport, N.J., shops in disassembled form. It was test-fired in 2021 [see “SMS 0-6-0 returns to steam,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 10, 2021] and after further mechanical work was certified for operation by the Federal Railroad Administration over three days last November [see “SMS Lines 0-6-0 … certified for operation,” News Wire, Nov. 25, 2024]. Since then, the SMS has been putting the finishing touches on the locomotive and completing cosmetic restoration.
The 0-6-0 is one of five remaining Virginia Blue Ridge steam locomotives, but the only one currently in operating condition. Three of its diesel replacements survived VBR’s closure in 1981; two are known to still be in operation.
Woodstown is a 45-minute drive south from Philadelphia and 30 minutes east of Wilmington, Del. More information on the Woodstown Central is available here; more on parent SMS Rail Service is available at its website.
— Updated at 8:08 p.m. to correct byline.
