Liberty Historic Railway Inc.

Name: Liberty Historic Railway Inc.
Address: 103 Dogwood Lane, Berkeley Heights, NJ, 07922, US
Telephone: +19084649335

Home
United States
Berkeley Heights, NJ
Liberty Historic Railway Inc.

Call Directions Website Contact the museum

Liberty Historic Railway, Inc. (LHRy) was formed on January 29, 2010 to educate the public about New Jersey’s transportation heritage.

This is accomplished by promoting and providing direct monetary grants and other financial support to historic preservation projects and initiatives within the State of New Jersey, undertaken by both Liberty Historic Railway and other 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.

10/11/2026

Had a good crew show up yesterday for our October work session! Tasks included raising the one sweeper brush up a bit to take the weight off the frame and body at the more damaged end of the sweeper. The side wing hand wheel assemblies were removed successfully which provides greater access to the floor which needs replacing. Cast iron side door sills removed, again to allow full access to the floorboards. Security system was also worked on, and the process continued to document how the car body is built. This understanding and documenting the design of the body has provided us with a careful approach to rebuilding the wooden structure of the body while preserving the actual interior of the body and not disturbing the complex plumbing and electrical systems within the car. Our November work session will probably transition to the T&MC 288 which is at our Farmingdale, NJ site.

10/05/2026

We will be holding a work session on the Trenton Transit sweeper this Saturday. If interested in helping out, send me an email, [email protected]

09/07/2026

We have talked a lot lately about the Trenton and Mercer County Traction Co snow sweeper #51 to include its acquisition, move, and subsequent work sessions over this past spring and summer, but we cannot ignore our T&MC #288, the JG Brill trolley car that we rescued from the interior of a house in Hamiliton and today have at our Farmingdale, NJ facility.

LHRy initiated the restoration of the #288 in 2023, hiring a contractor to address the needs of the main body of the car, an effort that unfortunately ended in nothing but disappointment. After a nearly two-year legal battle, LHRy is now embarking on a recovery process to move forward on the project. A different approach is being taken and over the past few weeks progress has been made onsite to prepare the T&MC #288 for its restoration to move forward once again.

Due to the financial hit LHRy took with the previously failed effort on the #288, more work will need to be done by volunteers, with some support of paid professionals. Wood working tools and machinery have been graciously donated to LHRy which will support the restorations of the #288 and the #51.

If interested in participating in work sessions on Sweeper #51 or Trolley #288, please reach out to [email protected]

Have attached one of the few photos of the 288 in operation, along with an interior shot taken this weekend as we prepare to rebuild the side wall of the car. Always looking for help!

08/30/2026

LHRy hosted another successful work party on the T&MC Sweeper #51 on Saturday, 29 August with nine people coming out to help. Key was to remove the cumbersome pantograph that was last used to by NJT to power the sweeper from the overhead lines. The pantograph was sitting in the center area of the car adjacent to the side doors. This section of the floor is also in poor shape which made the effort a bit dicey. As part of the effort, this section of the floor was temporarily stabilized with 2x10s and a sheet of particle board. We also did a bit more clean up along the exterior of the building while additional careful documenting of the car body was performed. Lunch was provided by LHRy to the crew. We took time to develop a plan of attack for the next phase of the stabilization of the car body focusing on replacing the rotted area of the floor. A future work session will remove some equipment adjacent to the side doors in the car (to be cleaned and painted), the side door sill plates, and the rotted floorboards. New tongue and groove boards will need to be milled to match the full dimensional lumber used on the construction of the car originally. Stay tuned for a future work session. If interested in helping, reach out to [email protected]

08/17/2026

Real progress this weekend on both the T&MC #51 snow sweeper and the T&MC #288 trolley car. As to the #288, LHRy has had multiple contractors visit the #288 and discuss options for moving the project forward, especially as we look at the unfortunate situation left to us by the previous contractor. On Friday afternoon we were onsite and feel we have a plan to move the project forward, so a bit of good news. As to the #51 sweeper, we had a nine person crew show up on site to address a long list of tasks to include documenting the body and loose pieces to ensure a successful path forward; cleaning up the area outside the building; accepting a large donation of tools and then organizing them; finalizing security system requirements; disassembling the pantograph so that it can be easily removed from inside the #51; and cleaning out the car so that it can be better shown to visitors and VIPs as needed. Surprisingly, the car cleans up pretty well, at least on the interior, and really highlights the completeness of the car. A few photos from the day are attached, but overall, a good weekend for both cars which operated originally in Mercer County. Thank you all for the support and enjoy a few photos.

07/20/2026

Despite the ominous weather forecast, we had a very efficient work session this past Saturday focusing on removing the shrink wrap from the Trenton and Mercer County snow sweeper #51, allowing us to see its “face” up close. We had a great crew come out, to include several new faces from the local community. We are always looking for additional help, so feel free to reach out via messenger or [email protected] as we work to restore this piece of local history.

The T&MC No. 51 is a 1921 wooden-bodied Russell trolley snow sweeper originally built for the Trenton & Mercer County Traction Company as their No. 51, and used until 1934, when the Trenton system was converted to buses. Russell Car and Snow Plow Company, based in Ridgway, PA, was a premier manufacturer of snow fighting equipment, including trolley snow sweepers, wedge plows, and flangers, dominating the market from the 1890s until the 1950s. They specialized in custom-built heavy-duty wood and steel equipment for both steam and electric street railways. No. 51 was sold to the Third Avenue Railway System as their No. 82 and was used in the Bronx until 1947. The Toronto Transportation Commission next purchased it as their No. S39 and used it until 1973. Transport of New Jersey, later to become New Jersey Transit, in need of a sweeper for the Newark City Subway after theirs burned, purchased it from TTC as No. 5246. In February 2005, it was used one last time, to help clear a heavy snow on the now renamed Newark Light Rail, most likely becoming last trolley snow sweeper to be used by a transit system in North America.

05/03/2026

Mission accomplished! With a lot of help, the 105 year old NJT snow sweeper made it to its new home. Last weekend, a crew from multiple states and organizations, with the support of NJT, prepped NJT snow sweeper 5246 for its move to a secure indoor storage facility in Mercer County. During the week, the sweeper was shrink wrapped and on Friday it was loaded up for the ride to Mercer County.

Today, with a wide-ranging crew on hand, the 5246 was unloaded safely into its new home.

As a bit of history, 5246 began its career as Trenton and Mercer County 51 having been built by Russell in 1921. After that system gave up streetcars in 1934, the sweeper went to the Third Avenue Railway in NYC, as number 82, before, once again, moving on, this time to Toronto, where it wore S-39. It was acquired by Transport of New Jersey for the Newark City Subway after their own sweeper was destroyed by a fire in 1971. 5246 continued to serve the NCS through the beginning of the LRV era in the early 2000's, when it was finally retired by NJ Transit. NJERHS and LHRy worked together to ensure the T&MC 51 lives on. If you're anywhere near the Trenton area, and are interested in assisting with the restoration/stabilization, contact Liberty Historic Railway.

Address

103 Dogwood Lane
Berkeley Heights, NJ
07922

Telephone

+19084649335

Website

http://www.lhry.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Liberty Historic Railway Inc. posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Liberty Historic Railway Inc.:

Want your museum to be the top-listed museum in Berkeley Heights?