BERKELEY – A locomotive – the engine car at the front of a train – with an interesting tie to Berkeley has been found and is being restored.
The public is invited to the next work session on Saturday, October 18 behind the Berkeley Township Historical Society’s museum at 630 Atlantic City Boulevard (Route 9) in Bayville, beginning around 10 a.m.
“We will have the locomotive out in the open on display while we work on it, and we welcome anyone and everyone to stop by and see it,” a member of the historical society said. “We love sharing the locomotive’s history with everyone. In short, this locomotive helped construct Crystal Lake and the Royal Pines hotel in Pinewald in the late 1920s, but has a much more storied career overall.”
The locomotive was built in 1926 (making its centennial birthday next year) by the Plymouth Locomotive Works in Ohio and bought by the BW Sangor Corporation.
Benjamin Sangor sold about 8,000 lots in Pinewald between 1928 and 1929, and built the Royal Pine Hotel and an 18-hole golf course.
In front of the hotel – which is now Crystal Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center – is a manmade lake. After excavators dug up the soil, the train was used to cart it elsewhere.
Engine #2173 was one of two used for this project, said Josephine Morey, Historical Society Publicity Chair. A photo exists of Ziegfeld Follies girls dancing on top of the train as a publicity stunt.
The locomotive changed hands several times and disappeared into history until it showed up online for sale one day. Once its legacy was learned, it was transferred to the Berkeley Township Historical Society.
The Berkeley Times recently spoke to Chris Lynch and David Donley, who are reconstructing the locomotive. They gave an overview of what still worked in the vehicle, and what didn’t, and what the restoration process will be.
