What: The Black River Limited
The Black & Western Railroad began operations in 1954 and continues to offer freight services to several shortline railroads in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They also offer fun roundtrip old-fashioned steam train rides to the public on the Black River Limited. This train operates between Ringoes Station and Flemington Station.
Don't expect to learn anything about trains along the ride because you will not be given any information during the course of your ride. In fact, the conductors do not interact with the passengers at all except to welcome you aboard the train and collect your ticket. It is just a nice relaxing ride at a slightly slower pace than you may be used to if you frequently ride on more modern trains. The ride can also be somewhat bumpy at times but it is not too bad even if you suffer from occasional mild motion sickness as we have been known to. If you have severe motion sickness, you might want to skip it, however.
Along the route, you will see a lot of pretty foliage and flowers. There are also a few large farms and some other buildings including one with a beautifully colored mural painted across it. There is also a field of solar panels that kind of looks out of place with the rest of the sights you will see along the way.
At the Ringoes Station, there is a tiny railroad museum. It houses several toy trains as well as various train-related artifacts. There is also a gift shop where you can get a drink or a snack or purchase a souvenir. Available items on sale include key chains, stuffed animals, books, and toy train sets including the Polar Express, the Hogwart's Express, and others.
The Black River Limited operates on weekends during the summer as well as during the holiday season at a cost of $16 for adults or $8 for children. Rides are free for lap-sitting children age 3 and under. You can get on the train at either station for a ride to the other station. When you reach the other station, you will be required to exit the train for a short time before re-embarking for the return trip to the station where you started. Accordingly, we would recommend starting at the Flemington Station because the railroad museum and the gift shop are good places to spend time during the short layover. There are some stores and restaurants near the Flemington Station, but visiting them might take longer than the time allotted for the layover which is only about 15 minutes or so. The whole train trip including the stopover only takes a little over an hour.
And that's our view. For more about the Black & Western Railroad or to book a ride, visit www.blackriverrailroad.com
Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.
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