By Railfan & Railroad Staff
BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey announced last week that it has officially moved into its new restoration shop at its rail yard in Boonton, N.J. The 6,600-square-foot building is the first indoor workspace that URHS has operated in during its 37-year history.
“For more than a decade, we had been working out of an old boxcar. This upgrade could not be a bigger deal for our volunteers,” said URHS President Kevin Phalon. “Our team’s capabilities have increased greatly over the last few years, but we have always been beholden to the weather and the hassle of working outdoors. Being inside has already made a huge difference in such a short amount of time.”
The inside of the URHS shop in Boonton, N.J. Photo Courtesy of URHS.
The 66-by-100-foot building is constructed primarily out of recycled shipping containers. It provides for two passenger car-lengths of workspace undercover, plus 3,200 square feet of indoor storage and workspace in the containers themselves. Built in 2012, the building was previously leased to a for-profit entity until that lease ended in October. URHS took that opportunity to move its own operations into the building.
URHS is seeking donations to build out the new shop. Individuals can donate directly to URHS online at URHS.org/donate, or by mail to 104 Morris Ave. Boonton, NJ 07005. The estimated cost to make these initial improvements is $25,000.
“We still have a long way to go to turn this building into a full-fledged restoration shop,” Phalon said. “The building is very bare-bones. In the immediate future, we will need lights, a paved floor, electric, compressed air, internet, and most importantly, a security system.”
Volunteers intend to outfit each of the four ground floor containers into purpose-built shops for tools, welding and machines, paint and body, and parts storage. Additionally, part of the building will be used as a permanent office for URHS to run its business. The building will be used to restore locomotives and cars from URHS’s nearly 60-piece collection. It will also be the home base for maintenance of the New York Central Hickory Creek and Tavern-Lounge No. 43 as they operate as part of URHS’s Hudson River Rail Excursions program.
