shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...
based at Pureland Industrial Park in
Bridgeport, New Jersey
Bridgeport is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community that is part of Logan Township, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 United States census, the population of the CDP was 389. in the 201 ...
. The company handles all freight car delivery to businesses located within the industrial park. It also operates lines in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and
Guilderland, New York
Guilderland is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands.
The town of Gu ...
. Guilderland-based operations operate as SMS Rail Lines of New York, LLC . SMS maintains many locomotives built by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...
. SMS provides chemical off-loading equipment and transload facilities to enable businesses to receive rail freight traffic. The company also operates the Woodstown Central Railroad, a tourist railroad based out of
Woodstown, New Jersey
Woodstown is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,678, an increase of 173 (+4.9%) from the 2010 United Sta ...
.
Operations
In the
Delaware Valley
The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...
, SMS Rail Lines operates both industrial park switching operations and a county controlled rail line.
*Morrisville – Serves the Penn Warner Industrial Park in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, with access to the
Conrail Shared Assets Operations
Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO) is the commonly used name for modern-day Conrail (reporting mark CRCX), an American railroad company. It operates three networks, the North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit Shared Assets Are ...
Woodstown, New Jersey
Woodstown is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,678, an increase of 173 (+4.9%) from the 2010 United Sta ...
, and
Swedesboro, New Jersey
Swedesboro is a borough within Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,711, its highest decennial count ever and an inc ...
interchanging with
Southern Railroad of New Jersey
The Southern Railroad of New Jersey is a small short-line railroad company based in Winslow Township, New Jersey. The railroad operates freight service in two areas in Southern New Jersey. In the Winslow area, trains operate out of Winslow Junc ...
. Woodstown Central excursion trains operate out of Woodstown.
In
Guilderland, New York
Guilderland is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands.
The town of Gu ...
, SMS Rail Lines of New York, LLC serves the Northeastern Industrial Park, interchanging with
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...
at Guilderland Center, NY and
Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
at Delanson, NY.
History
SMS Rail Lines began operating in the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
area in June 1994. In November 2006, the railroad began operations in Albany, New York. The company began passenger excursions out of
Pilesgrove Township, New Jersey
Pilesgrove Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,183, an increase of 167 (+4.2%) from the 2010 census count of 4,016, which in turn refle ...
in 2022 and now runs scheduled excursions. Passenger excursions along the Salem Branch are operated as the Woodstown Central Railroad out of a passenger station in South Woodstown.
Motive power
SMS runs a variety of locomotives, most being built by the Baldwin Locomotive works. SMS also owns units built by GM's Electro-Motive Diesel and GE Transportation.
*ALCO
**
0-6-0
is the Whyte notation designation for steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. Historically, this was the most common wheel arrangement used o ...
steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
EMD FP7
The EMD FP7 is a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, ...