Satterthwaite.pa@xerox.ARPA (12/14/85)
I believe that McClure Brothers is the outfit that took over the old New
Hope & Ivyland. I grew up in the area and still visit occasionally, but
my memories of the specifics are pretty hazy and I don't have any good
references or maps at hand. Be appropriately suspicious of the
following recollections, some of which are quite hazy.
The New Hope & Ivyland took over the old Reading trackage from Ivyland
to New Hope in Bucks County, PA. I think this line was an extension of
what is now the SEPTA/Conrail branch from Jenkintown to Hatboro (or
maybe of the Newtown branch). It had been in decline for a long time; I
remember several newspaper stories of brush fires set by RDG's old
Baldwin diesel switchers in the final days of operation.
The NH&I was basically a tourist operation, although I think they also
did a little handling of freight traffic, especially at the Ivyland end.
When I rode them (which must have been 8-9 years ago), the passenger
excursions actually went from the old New Hope station to a field near
Buckingham Valley and return. Motive power was, I think, an ex-CP
4-6-0. There was also another WWII-military-style locomotive (0-6-0?)
sitting regularly near the New Hope station, but I never saw it in use.
The operation apparently was never a commercial success. I think they
entered official bankruptcy at least once. Several years ago, an outfit
that I presume to be McClure Brothers (the name sounds right) bought the
line to serve as a base for scrapping and/or rebuilding old freight
cars. They might have also used NH&I as home port for a fleet of leased
box cars back when that was all the rage. I think they were originally
scrappers in Philadelphia, but I'm not at all sure of that.
I don't know much about the structure of the current management or their
operations. If the NH&I still exists, it might be another name for the
same outfit or there might be some lease arrangement. I do know that, a
few years ago, a lot of old freight equipment had accumulated in
Rushland, Buckingham Valley and perhaps elsewhere. The operations in
Rushland were particularly unpopular with the neighbors and generated a
lot of controversy at the time. I think they have since moved their
storage and repair operations from that area.
I wonder if they've now gone into the locomotive leasing business; the
line surely doesn't need a couple of U-28Bs. New Hope itself has become
very much a tourist trap, and I don't think there's anything resembling
heavy industry in central Bucks County these days.
Let me know if you want confirmation of the above or more information; I
can probably get it from my parents.
David.Black@A.CS.CMU.EDU (12/16/85)
Some additional tidbits:
1. The New Hope/Ivyland trackage is an extension of the former Reading
Hatboro branch. SEPTA now owns the branch and has extended
electrification and rail service to Warminster.
2. Once upon a time Buckingham Valley was the home of a trolley museum.
For a while (~10 years ago ?) one could ride the Reading to
Warminster, an interurban streetcar to Buckingham Valley, and
thence the New Hope and Ivyland to New Hope. The BV group
had a falling out with the NH&I owners and wound up moving to
leased space onthe Phila. waterfront (where they operate a vintage
streetcar line on Delaware Ave.) This group is now having problems
with the city due to redevelopment of the waterfront. (Seems
there are far more productive things to do with old piers than
house a trolley museum.)
--Dave