Firing up CNJ

Have you ever wondered how to fire up a steam locomotive? Then join me in Minersville, Pennsylvania as the crew fires up Central Railroad of New Jersey #113 in preparation for Easter Bunny train rides the next day.

#113 is the only operating CNJ steam locomotive left. She's an 0-6-0 switcher built in June 1923 by the American Locomotive Works (Alco) in Schenectady, New York. She was later sold to the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company and worked in nearby Locust Summit until being retired in 1960.

In the 1980s Robert E. Kimmel Sr. bought the locomotive and moved her to Minersville. Restoration began in 1999. It took 10 years, 60,000 volunteer man hours, and over $600,000 to restore her to operating condition.

She is now owned and operated by Railway Restoration Project 113, a 501(c) non-profit organization dedicated to the history of railroading in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Headed by Robert E. Kimmel, Jr., a group of two dozen or so volunteers keep this locomotive on the tracks.

Thank you so much to the crew for this unique opportunity to see the work that goes into getting a century-old steam locomotive ready to run! In particular, thank you to Jerry for the invitation and Phil for the excellent explanations of so many things about the locomotive.

Learn more about CNJ #113 at https://www.rrproject113.org

0:00 intro
1:11 preparations
8:33 lighting the fire
14:00 locomotive controls
21:20 building pressure
31:09 loading the coal
32:40 atop the tender
33:50 ready to run
36:17 outro

(Note: short sections of music were overlaid to avoid YouTube copyright issues, but you missed no dialog in these sections.)

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