Antique

The Maywood Station Museum has everything for the rail historian - from a restored historic train station with numerous photographs, artifacts and displays to historic equipment and operating model trains, there is plenty to explore and relive. The museum's collection of  railroad related and local historical artifacts is exceptional. Come and visit the Maywood Station Museum!

 

 

NYS&W ALCO S-2 #206

In October 2008, the Maywood Station Historical Committee acquired original New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad ALCO S-2 #206, which was donated by the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey and formerly in their collection. On October 14, 2008, the historic locomotive was moved into Maywood Station by the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway. The locomotive is on display at the Maywood Station Museum and has been cosmetically restored by the members of the Maywood Station Historical Committee.

The diesel-electric locomotive was built in March 1942 for the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad (NYS&W) by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York. The locomotive was multiple-unit equipped with a 1000 horsepower Seymour-McIntosh 539 engine producing a maximum tractive effort of 72,400 pounds while riding on ALCO B-B Blunt-style trucks. When built, NYS&W S-2 #206 weighed 230,000 pounds and was built as ALCO serial number 69664.

NYS&W S-2 #206 is the sole survivor of a class of (6) original ALCO S-2's that were owned by the NYS&W. All of the NYS&W S-2's were built between December 1941 and April 1942 and were numbered 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 and 208. As was NYS&W numbering practice for diesel-electric locomotives, those with even numbers (202, 204, 206 and 208) were multiple-unit equipped and could operate in tandem with other locomotives while those with odd numbers (203 and 205) did not have this feature and were restricted to operating alone as a single unit. All of the NYS&W S-2's were originally purchased for use in yard and local freight switching but the multiple-unit equipped ones could also be found occasionally in road freight service teamed with the NYS&W fleet of ALCO RS-1 road switchers.

NYS&W S-2 #206 had a long career on the NYS&W, which spanned 44 years from 1942 until it was retired in 1986. The locomotive was based out of the Little Ferry, New Jersey yard and earlier in its life, could often be found working locations between Jersey City, New Jersey and Paterson, New Jersey including the Lodi Branch, Passaic Branch and Edgewater yard. While on assignment, NYS&W S-2 #206 was a frequent visitor passing Maywood Station as well as working the local industries in Maywood, New Jersey. However, by the late 1970's, NYS&W 206 had been basically relegated to the role of Little Ferry shop switcher and very rarely strayed far from the yard limits.

NYS&W S-2 #206 wore three paint schemes during its career on the NYS&W - the original, as-delivered 1942 scheme of maroon and grey body with black underframe; the 1950's scheme of aluminum body with maroon stripe and black underframe; and the 1960's scheme of aluminum body and black underframe.

In early 1985, NYS&W S-2 #206 was rebuilt by the NYS&W, and through the efforts of the Bergen-Rockland Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, it was repainted into its original, as-delivered NYS&W paint scheme of maroon and gray body with black underframe. In the spring of 1985, the NYS&W acquired a portion of former Lehigh & Hudson River Railway trackage between Sparta, New Jersey and Warwick, New York and NYS&W S-2 #206 was moved there to handle local freight customers on the line. Later in the spring of 1985, NYS&W S-2 #206 suffered an engine failure and was sidelined. In 1986, the NYS&W officially retired NYS&W S-2 #206 and in 1988, it was used as a trade-in credit for the NYS&W's new order of (4) B40-8 locomotives placed with General Electric. In 1989, General Electric donated NYS&W S-2 #206 to the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey (URHS) for eventual inclusion in a planned State of New Jersey Transportation Museum. In the early 1990's, the URHS occasionally moved NYS&W S-2 #206 to several railroad related events and it was probably best known for its yearly appearances each September at the Hoboken Festival in Hoboken, New Jersey. In the late 1990's, the URHS placed NYS&W S-2 #206 into storage in an unused yard at the Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) generating station in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey where it resided in anonymity out of public view in the hopes that a State of New Jersey Transportation Museum would materialize.

In the summer of 2006, the Maywood Station Historical Committee approached the URHS about the possibility of giving NYS&W S-2 #206 a new life as part of the Maywood Station Museum, which the URHS embraced. In October 2006, MSHC members conducted their first work session at the PSE&G yard by performing brush cutting and securing NYS&W S-2 #206. During 2007, work was also conducted by the MSHC, URHS and other interested parties on NYS&W S-2 #206 as well other URHS equipment in the yard for an eventual equipment move to the URHS Boonton, NJ storage yard. On July 26, 2008, the URHS equipment move was made out of the PSE&G storage yard in Ridgefield Park via CSX onto the NYS&W. Once the move arrived onto the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway, NYS&W S-2 #206 was cut away from the rest of the consist while the remainder of the move continued to Boonton, NJ via the NYS&W and New Jersey Transit. On October 14, 2008, the NYS&W moved NYS&W S-2 #206 to Maywood Station and restoration work by the MSHC began and continued through 2009.

As in the past, like our station restoration, museum and Caboose #24542, the restoration of NYS&W S-2 #206 had no taxpayer ramifications for residents of the Borough of Maywood. NYS&W S-2 #206 was restored as a complete volunteer project by the MSHC without any Borough of Maywood funds.

On September 10, 2009, NYS&W S-2 #206 was placed on the State of New Jersey Register of Historical Places joining Maywood Station, which was previously placed on February 18, 2003. On March 19, 2010, NYS&W S-2 #206 was placed on the National Register of Historical Places also joining Maywood Station, which was previously placed on May 29, 2003. In the August 2010 issue of Trains Magazine, NYS&W S-2 #206 was featured in the Preservation section. Trains Magazine is the largest railroad industry magazine with a worldwide circulation of over 150,000 subscribers. 

The Maywood Station Historical Committee received the 2011 Historic Preservation Commendation Award from the Bergen County Historic Preservation Advisory Board for its work on restoring New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad ALCO S-2 Locomotive #206. The Maywood Station Historical Committee's restoration effort was cited to receive the award in the category of Preservation or Restoration of a Structure, Object or Site. Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan and the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders presented the Commendation at an Awards Program held on, May 26, 2011 at Historic Church on the Green in Hackensack, NJ. 

The MSHC wish to thank Nathan Fenno, Jim Howarth, Tom Charette, Bill Bloomfield, Frank Eichenlaub, Jim Thomas and members of the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway train and track crews for their assistance in moving NYS&W S-2 #206 to Maywood Station. The MSHC also thank the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey; Conrail Shared Assets; and CSX Transportation. Special thanks to Steve West of American Railcar Industries, Tennille, GA; Mike Barbato of Hempel Coatings; and Ricciardi Brothers Paints of Saddle Brook, NJ for their donations of the paint used in the restoration of NYS&W #206.   

 

 

Caboose 24542

Another restoration project of the Maywood Station Historical Committee is former Conrail/ex-Penn Central N-12 Class Caboose 24542, which is on permanent display at the Maywood Station Museum. The caboose arrived at Maywood Station on May 10, 2005 and immediately began undergoing restoration work by MSHC members , which was completed in August 2005. Work on the interior restoration began in October 2005 and was completed in November 2006. The interior of Caboose 24542 features additional displays complementing those found in the Maywood Station Museum and an operating model train layout. Like our station restoration, museum and NYS&W S-2 #206, Caboose 24542 has had no taxpayer ramifications for residents of the Borough of Maywood. Caboose 24542 has been restored as a complete volunteer project by the MSHC without any Borough of Maywood funds.

MSHC members view Caboose 24542 as a way of preserving railroading's rich heritage as a remembrance of a time when a caboose was found at the end of nearly every freight train. Once considered as possibly the most recognizable railroad car, the caboose has now become a rarity. Since the early 1980's, due to new technology and End-Of-Train detection devices, the caboose in North America has become almost obsolete. Caboose 24542 features a bay window design, which was common in the region around Maywood Station and it is similar to caboose #0121 currently operated by the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway.

The members of the MSHC thank Norfolk Southern Foundation; Steve Agostini of Conrail Shared Assets; the crew of Conrail Shared Assets Oak Island, Newark, NJ Car Shop; and Walter Rich, Dick Hensel, Tom Charette, Bill Bloomfield, Joe White, Jim Thomas and members of the NYS&W train and track crews for their support and help in moving Caboose 24542 to Maywood Station. The MSHC also thank James Weaver of railroad industry paint manufacturer, Carboline, for supplying the paint used on the exterior of the caboose, Tony Pizzanelli of Rainbow Detailing for lettering the caboose; and Hazuka Electric Co. and Haag Construction Co. for their assistance.