Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ukma!psuvm.bitnet!psuvax1!burdvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!intelca!qantel!dual!lll-lcc!lll-crg!seismo!brl-tgr!tgr !Satterthwaite.pa@xerox.ARPA
From: Satterthwaite.pa@xerox.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Re: McClure Brothers Railroad
Message-ID: <682@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 13-Dec-85 18:17:49 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.682
Posted: Fri Dec 13 18:17:49 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Dec-85 01:19:06 EST
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
Lines: 46

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.