BERKELEY – There are treasures all over, if you know where to look for them.
For instance, there’s the Plymouth locomotive built in 1926 that’s being restored in town. It had been instrumental in removing soil from the man-made lake in front of what is known today as Crystal Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
It was recently found online for sale, and is now in the possession of the Berkeley Township Historical Society. Chris Lynch and David Donley are leading the reconstruction, and on one warm Saturday they were joined by Michael May and his son, Mason, of Barnegat. Mason is a third generation of people in his family who worked on trains.
This locomotive is now in a shed behind the Recreation Department and Historical Society buildings on Route 9. They roll it out when they have to work on it.
How do they roll it out? On a track of course. Historical Society President Gerry Morey said he envisions a loop of track so kids can go on train rides on special holidays.
The track for the railroad came from an amusement park built at Allaire Airport (now Monmouth Executive Airport) by previous owner Ed Brown.
“The current owner was more than happy to part with it,” Lynch said.
They spent the afternoon disassembling pieces and sandblasting them. The engine was out being taken apart to make sure there was no crack in the block.
Donley said most of the new material in the locomotive will be cosmetic. About 70% of the original locomotive is still working.
Even the stuff that is new will be designed to look classic, Lynch said. The roof, for example, had rotted away so that will be a brand new piece of metal.
He explained that a few months ago he was testing out the torque converter. He put the engine into first gear and was able to move it manually. This suggests that the interior is working, it just needs to be done right.
Crystal Lake provided a meal for the workers, who have been volunteering their time.
“It’s like watching magic,” Morey said. “I’m so in awe of watching them.”
“There’s no tool they can’t figure out how to work. They’ve all independently researched every bit of this locomotive,” he said.
Next year, the train will be 100 years old, and he’d like to have a “transportation day” to celebrate it.
That afternoon, Mason took a ride on the locomotive. He sat in the cab and the men pushed it on the track, giving a glimpse into what future events could be like when they celebrate the past.
