RAILFAN & RAILROAD
50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Woodstown Central Railroad
SMS Lines
Swedesboro, N.J.
November 8-10, 2024
Thanks for joining us to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Railfan & Railroad Magazine! We can’t wait to see you all in our home state of New Jersey this November. Below you’ll find the tentative schedule (subject to change) to help you plan your trip. Any updates will be sent by email prior to the event.
REGISTRATION
Registration will take place before the night photo session on Friday from 6:00-7:00pm at the South Woodstown station. For those not participating in the night session, registration will again be open from 8:00-8:45am at the South Woodstown station.
FRIDAY NIGHT PHOTO SESSION
The night photo session will be held at Woodstown Central’s South Woodstown station, located at 650 Alloway-Woodstown Road, Woodstown N.J., on Friday, November 8, from 7:00-9:00pm. The lighting for the night session will be provided by strobes. Please bring a tripod and cable release, and a flashlight if you have one. Your camera should be capable to have a manually set shutter speed of “bulb” (B) or 2 seconds. Cell phones will not yield good results at the night session. Please familiarize yourself with how to set your camera’s ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed before the session, as we will not be able to assist you because there will be too many people and all cameras work differently.
SATURDAY MORNING
The Saturday morning trip leaves promptly at 9:00am from South Woodstown. We will have two trains out on the line and have several run-bys for photographers and videographers. Some of the photo locations may be a bit tight, so you might want to bring a small step-stool for some additional elevation. Please note, the equipment assignments are still being determined at this time.
SATURDAY LUNCH
Lunch will be on your own during a 90-minute break. Woodstown is located about two miles away from the train ride. Fast food options include McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Wawa. Sit-down options are also available including the Woodstown Diner and Papa Luigi’s Italian Restaurant.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
We will once again go out on the Woodstown Central line with two trains and perform more run-bys.
WHAT ABOUT RAIN?
We will perform all the photo stops rain or shine (unless we have a very hard rain). Umbrellas will not be permitted on the photo lines – they take up too much space and can be a safety hazard in a tight photo line. If rain is in the forecast, plan on keeping yourself and your camera gear dry without using an umbrella.
SATURDAY BANQUET
The Saturday evening banquet will be held at the Holiday Inn, 1 Pureland Drive, Swedesboro, N.J. A cash bar will open at 6:00pm, with a buffet meal served at approximately 6:30. We will have numerous presentations following the meal (full schedule to be determined).
SUNDAY SMS LINES TOUR
On Sunday morning we will meet at the SMS Lines Pureland Shop, 513 Sharptown Road, Logan Township, N.J., (approximately five minutes from the hotel) at 9:00am. Parking instructions will be given at the banquet, please combine vehicles if you can to help save space. There will be a special rare-mileage train ride around the Pureland complex. Since only one coach is available for the ride, the train will run twice – at 9:15 and at 10:15. You will be assigned a group at registration. Once you are finished seeing all there is to see, you may depart at your leisure.
SAFETY AND PPE
Many of the photo stops are in non-public areas on uneven terrain. If you don’t feel comfortable navigating to the designated photo areas, we strongly suggest you remain on the train. Hi-viz vests are not required (and in fact are discouraged), but boots with a defined heel and ankle support are strongly encouraged. Hosts Woodstown Central and SMS Lines are active, working railroads, and it is important that you follow the directions of train crew and event staff at all times.
More details to follow. Thanks for supporting Railfan & Railroad Magazine!
