Woodstown Central 9 - Chasing along Swedesboro Rd & Cab Tour! New Jersey's beefy 0-6-0 steam train!

Woodstown Central's Steam Engine #9 Returns to the Rails Chapters 00:00 Chasing #9's Northbound run to Swedesboro. 01:27 #9 at South Woodstown Station 03:13 Inside the driver's cab of #90s 04:13 Walkaround of #9 05:28 Depature of South Woodstown Station 06:13 Whistle at crossing 06:50 Chasing #9's Southbound return to Woodstown 11:10 Whistle at crossing 11:50 Passenger Wagons 12:10 Interior Wagon 12:40 GP38 2003 15:25 #9 Manovering for the next run On Friday, December 20th, Woodstown Central ran their freshly restored steam locomotive, 0-6-0 #9, on the Santa Claus Special, carrying passengers between South Woodstown and Swedesboro. This marked the first time in over 60 years that a steam-powered passenger train traveled this historic route. For backup, SMS GP38-3 2003 stayed in Woodstown but wasn’t needed as #9 performed flawlessly, hauling trains both ways. The Journey of Locomotive #9 Built in 1942 by the American Locomotive Company (Alco), this switcher engine originally served the U.S. Army at Fort Dix, NJ, and Fort Eustis, VA, until 1958. It was then sold to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway, operating as #9 until 1963. After that, it moved to the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad, where it ran tourist trains sporadically through the 1960s and 1970s, with its last known operations in 1981. Years later, #9 sat idle in New Hope until 2009, when it was purchased by SMS Rail Lines in Bridgeport, NJ. They began a thorough restoration that took 14 years to complete, finishing in 2023. Its first public trips at Woodstown took place on the weekend of November 30–December 1, 2024, marking the engine’s return to service after decades of dormancy. About the Route and Experience SMS Rail Lines has operated the Woodstown Central Railroad since 2022, using a section of the former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines between Salem and Swedesboro. For this video, we chased #9 along Woodstown Alloway Rd, capturing remarkable parallel footage of the locomotive in action. We also had the privilege of touring the cab at South Woodstown Station, thanks to the kindness of the crew. It was a special opportunity to see the heart of this historic engine up close, completing an unforgettable day of steam railroading.