Jersey Central Business Car #98
CNJ #98 in 1980.
Jersey Central business car #98 was originally built in 1914 by Harlan & Hollingsworth. The car was acquired by the WK&S around October 1966. This car was not purchased by the railroad directly. Instead four men from within the organization each chipped in $200 to cover the car's $800 purchase price. Motivation for the purchase was to provide the public with "something new" in 1967. Number 98 was moved to the south end of the back track behind the station. The back track or "museum track" was home to an collection of static displays and other attractions. This collection included 0-4-0 Cooke locomotive #3 at the north end of the track followed by LNE caboose #512, Atlantic City car #72, B&O coach #4111 and then CNJ #98. The collection was calld the Museum Train and was run by a separate nonprofit organization called the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Rail Road and Historical Foundation. They planned to call #98 the "Mountain Queen" and had some grand restoration plans including a Royal Purple paint job. But the Foundation appears to have fizzled out with the railroad's closure at the end of 1968.
When the railroad came back in 1970 the Historical Foundation was gone and everything on the back track was repurposed. By 1973 car #98 was back in active service as an extra-fare or party/charter car. It was re-lettered for the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern and named "The Golden Hawk". The Golden Hawk appears in quite a few steam train photos from the 1970s.
As early as 1976 the car was regularly chartered by the Horlacher Brewing Company of Allentown. The Golden Hawk lettering was covered over by a red rectangular paint patch with "The Horlacher Club" in yellow lettering. The design also included a yellow suit of clubs symbol and a yellow border around the red rectangle. The livery was topped off with gold platform railings and a purple and orange drumhead. It all looked quite obnoxious. The brewery hosted outings two Sundays a month with a keg on tap. Horlacher had been struggling financially and went out of business in 1978 still owing money to the railroad. The red and yellow Horlacher Club logo was covered with a black or olive paint patch and the car was never re-lettered.
The car was deteriorating by the 1980s, but apparently there was one particular group that continued to hold their annual company picnic at the WK&S and would always charter The Golden Hawk. That would have been the car's last stand at the WK&S. Throughout most of the '80s and '90s and into the new millennium, #98 was out of service and left as a victim of weather and vandals. Starting in 2003 and continuing in 2004, #98 underwent a partial cosmetic restoration. The car was not re-lettered, but it did receive some body patching, a new roof coating and a new coat of olive paint. In 2004 a deal was struck to send #98 to Minersville, PA. The car has become part of the Railway Restoration Project 113. Project 113 is the CNJ 0-6-0 steam locomotive under restoration at Minersville. In exchange for #98, the WK&S received a 1956 General Electric 65-ton center-cab #734. Number 98 finally left the property on January 3, 2007. Since arriving at Minersville the car has been re-lettered for the CNJ.
The picture at the top of this page is from 1980. The car was more or less out of service by then. Note the semi-fresh paint patch covering The Horlacher Club. Note how the trap and steps are out of square because the frame under the platform was bent. The picture below is from a September 1966 newspaper clipping and shows the car earlier in 1966 before coming to the WK&S. Note the steps, trap and platform are straight.
Newspaper clipping from 09/14/66.
The picture below was taken soon after #98 arrived at the WK&S as the car has yet to be moved to the back track. It's possible the car arrived before the back track was ready. The frame under the observation platform had been buckled while in transit to the WK&S. The car had been carelessly humped because a yard crew assumed it was on its way to the scrapyard. Note the roof trusses in the foreground. These were for a planned engine house to be located south of Kempton station. But they ended up being used for a building at the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad.
This picture was shot soon after the arrival of #98.
As noted above, when #98 arrived at the WK&S it was owned and managed by an organization called the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Rail Road and Historical Foundation. The following flyer is overly flamboyant and, unfortunately, undated. It outlines their plans to restore car #98 and name it "Mountain Queen". Additional information indicated plans to paint the car Royal Purple with gold lettering and bronzed platform railings. The car was weather proofed, cleaned up and semi-furnished, but never painted purple or called Mountain Queen. Click for larger image of the flyer.
A promotional flyer for #98. Click for larger image.
CNJ #98 has been moved to the south end of the back track next to the B&O coach. The drumhead reads "WK&S RAIL ROAD MUSEUM".
Car #98 has been reactivated as "WANAMAKER KEMPTON & SOUTHERN", "THE GOLDEN HAWK".
The Horlacher livery.
Platform detail.
Horlacher logo detail.
This picture was snapped soon before the car was painted in 2004. Note the old Horlacher logo is beginning to show through the paint patch.
The picture above and the two below show restoration-in-progress shots during 2004. Photo by Keith Dorn.
Photo by Keith Dorn.
CNJ Business Car #98 was traded for GE locomotive #4 . Here they are together before #98 leaves for Minersville.
Another shot of the two. This time #98 sports its old platform skirt.
January 3, 2007 marked the final move of #98 on the WK&S. The car is shoved into Kempton for removal to Minersville. Photo by Jesse Dorn.
On the way to Minersville. Photo by Jesse Dorn.
On the way to Minersville. Photo by Jesse Dorn.
On the way to Minersville. Photo by Jesse Dorn.
Trucks on the way to Minersville. Photo by Jesse Dorn.
At Minersville. Photo by Jesse Dorn.
On Sunday August 4, 2013 I was driving through Minersville and went looking for #98. The car had been moved behind the station and coupled to #113. The car has been re-lettered for the Jersey Central. Otherwise the paint is washed out and the car remains in sad shape. As it happened, #113 was being test fired that day. But I didn't stick around to see if anything moved.
CNJ #98. August 4, 2013.
CNJ #98. August 4, 2013.
CNJ #98. August 4, 2013.