|
|
|
The UCTC
Special | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Coincidentally, the reason for this passenger train was the same reason that the railroad was built: The Baltusrol Golf Club . From June 9th to June 15th, 1980 the U.S. Open was held at the golf club. Interest was raised in having a passenger train travel to the golf course, so in conjunction with the United Counties Trust Company , the Rahway Valley Railroad operated the UCTC Special between Kenilworth and Baltusrol for one week. Passenger coaches were rented from the Delaware Otsego Corporation (mostly coming from their Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad), ironically the same company that would buy the Rahway Valley Railroad six years later. Passengers were treated to a ride between Kenilworth and Baltusrol, and return. On board entertainment was provided as well as a meal. The coaches were powered by a generator held in a Rahway Valley boxcar placed in the middle of the train, as the railroad's 70 tonners (#16 and 17 ) were not equipped to power passenger coaches. Andy Dick, who was a conductor on the UCTC Special, shares some insight on how the passenger train was operated over the course of that week: "We ran north in the morning, with an engine on each end. [Then we] stopped at Springfield where the north engine [was] cut off and went in the hole. We then shoved north with the other engine trailing. Once we were empty and tied down [in Baltusrol], the freight crew took off in the other engine to do work. They were driven back up for our southbound departure at [around] 4 or 4:30." "Most days the
crew would do their freight work and then be driven up to Baltusrol to
bring the passenger train home. One day they were running late and were in
the Union area so they just came north and we coupled the engines together
for the ride back to Kenilworth."
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
