Pemberton R.R. Station

[oji]

I stopped by the Pemberton Railroad Station on Sunday and learned that they had just located and dug out the old ash pit. The old steam engines would stop over this pit and pull a lever which opened a door on the bottom of the firebox dumping all the ash into the pit. The plan is to rebuild the track over the pit running to the turntable. They also want to rebuild the building that was next to the ash pit.They want to recreate the building but currently have just one photo with the building in it. If anyone has any pictures of the place it would be very helpful.

 

[Teegate]

That is a really interesting find. Did they say how they came about finding it? It looks like one edge may have been above ground.

Guy

 

[oji]

I think that after they uncovered the area where the turntable was they could approximate where other things went. For many years that land was a lumber yard with warehouses on concrete slabs. Wawa bought the property and dug up the slabs. Unfortunately they also built a Wawa there. One of the workers in the R/R museum told me they tried to find afoundation of a building that had a horse powered hay press in the basement but ran out of time and the Wawa was built. He also showed me an old powder flask someone found in a dirt pile as the store was being built.

 

[46er]

I used to travel past that spot every week on trips to West Point PA and remember the station and the lumber yard. The station wasn't in very good shape back then.

 

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I graduated from Pemberton H.S. in 1979. The kids in Carpentry class back then would go to the railroad station and do work on it. I think that most of them were either getting high on the roof or trying to sneak across the street to the North-End Bar.

 

[46er]

I graduated from Pemberton H.S. in 1979. The kids in Carpentry class back then would go to the railroad station and do work on it. I think that most of them were either getting high on the roof or trying to sneak across the street to the North-End Bar.

I usually passed there early morning and mid-afternoon; busy time around there.

I always wondered how the area got its name of 'Comical Corners', but could never find any info on it. Might you know?

 

[oji]

I believe it was a misprint of conical corners which fits better if you look at the intersection on a map.

 

[Kevinhooa]

Pemberton Station

It is indeed a neat place to check out. They have a lot of equipment stored there, and all sorts of other railroad stuff. That's neat they're doing some excavating and I can't wait to see the stuff they dig up in there. Here's a link to some photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinhooa/sets/72157603873250253/

I know the railroad went further than Pemberton, it just split there, and that's just the segment that the sets labeled for.

Kevin

 

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Along the rails to trails.

 

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[Jerseyman]

View attachment 763

oji:

Appears to be the four axle-mounted wheels and a much decayed frame (painted the obligatory “safety yellow”) from a manually powered section car (generally known as a hand-pumper track car). What do they have this assemblage sitting on? I can’t quite tell.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Jerseyman]

View attachment 765

oji:

This is a signal mast with the housing for a semaphore signal motor. Upper quadrant semaphore signals were commonplace on the Backroad. I recall seeing one in front of the now Lockheed Martin plant in Moorestown and also several of these signals guarding the abandoned interlocking for the Backroad and the Pemberton and Hightstown trackage at Birmingham. Outside of Camden, the only place I remember seeing the typical Pennsylvania Railroad position-light signals was at the interlocking linking the Backroad with the Delaware River Railroad and Bridge Company trackage at Pennsauken.

Thanks for posting the images!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

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It's sitting on a flatbed in the yard. They are also starting excavation on the Doodlebug stationhouse located next to the ashpit. close up

 

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Jerseyman, Have you been in the station? It's a little cramped but there's a lot of interesting items.

 

[Jerseyman]

Jerseyman, Have you been in the station? It's a little cramped but there's a lot of interesting items.View attachment 769

I’ve been there many, many times, oji. In fact, I provided Mike Tamn with the copies of the original drawings for the station when he first embarked on the building’s restoration. There ARE many items of interest there—both inside and outside the station/museum. I led a tour through the place back in May as part of a local history bus trip.

Now that I see your signal mast in better context, I can more properly identify it as a distant signal for the Birmingham interlocking.

Often we overlook the gems located right in our backyards. I’m glad you have discovered this one and will plan to visit it frequently!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

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Mike talked me into joining the Pemberton Historical Trust and I will be helping to excavate the stationhouse and in future projects.

 

[Jerseyman]

Mike talked me into joining the Pemberton Historical Trust and I will be helping to excavate the stationhouse and in future projects.

That’s great, oji! I wish I had the time to do so, but my work schedule is usually way too full for such activities. I will look forward to your handiwork on a future visit!

I presume you know that Burlington County has assumed control of the land where the museum is located in a land swap with the township. I think this arrangement will work out very well for the future preservation of the station and other aspects of the property.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

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Stopped by today and took some more pics.

 

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