just stumbled on the website for the nearby Raritan Valley RR which is tiny compared to other NJ RRs. Its size and features, river crossings, serving just a few towns (google map) with many branches, seem like it would make a nice medium size layout. It's interesting for me see a local railroad primarily serving local industries instead of just trains moving between Philadelphia and New York.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
At one time it was the most profitable RR for its size in the country. Fred Deibert of the Model Railroad Shop in Piscataway, NJ wrote a fine book on this railroad called "Rails Up The Raritan" in 1983. It has been reissued. Call the Model Railroad Shop for more Information.
Lately I've been making regular business trips down to Edison, NJ. The office of the company I am visiting is located in the same business park (Raritan Center, which may be the biggest business/industrial development in the Northeast) as the RV's headquarters and main facilities.
There are a bunch of businesses in the development that use rail (warehousing and recycling operations mostly) so RV has a steady customer base.
The Industrial park is built on the former site of a major arms depot/arsenal and there is an extensive network of trackage left over from the Army operation which must have been a major selling point for the developers in seeking businesses that needed rail access..
"I Often Dream of Trains"-From the Album of the Same Name by Robyn Hitchcock
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