NEWS  RELEASE

 

 

Contacts:  Dr. Michael Skelly, Executive Director – Bordentown Heritage  (609/379-3110)

                  John Kilbride, President – Camden & Amboy RR Historical Group (609/577-7281)

 

 

 

BORDENTOWN RAILROAD DAYS TO COMMEMORATE FIRST LOCOMOTIVE RUN

 

(Bordentown, NJ)… The first run of a steam-powered railroad locomotive in New Jersey is to be commemorated during Bordentown Railroad Days, a two-day event to be held on Saturday, November 12, 2011 and Sunday, November 13, 2011. The locomotive, named the John Bull, was first operated on a stretch of newly laid railroad track northward from Bordentown on November 12, 1831 by the managers of the Camden & Amboy Railroad shortly after its assembly upon arrival from its British manufacturer. The two-days of Bordentown Railroad Days events commemorate the 180thanniversary of that first run of the historic steam engine, now housed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

 

The 1831 event provided railroad officials the opportunity to demonstrate their new locomotive to state legislators and invited guests. During that first day, it was repeatedly operated to and from downtown Bordentown up to a point just over one mile north, and enabled many of Bordentown’s prominent residents to sample the birth of railroads in New Jersey. A ceremony during Saturday’s schedule will commemorate that first day’s event.

 

On Saturday, three morning presentations, beginning at 9:00 am, will focus on various regional histories: the development of the Camden & Amboy Railroad, the John Bull’s first run and a glimpse of Bordentown’s history. The commemorative ceremony will be held trackside at noon, followed by a luncheon at Jester’s Restaurant. The afternoon is planned for attendees to visit various railroad-themed displays that will be set-up at various Bordentown sites.

 

The weekend’s activities are to include book signings, operating train displays and railroad-themed artwork and displays, to be located throughout downtown Bordentown at locations of Downtown Bordentown Association member businesses.

 

Presentations kicking off the weekend’s events will be held at the Christ Episcopal Church (130 Prince Street) between 9am and 12 noon on Saturday, November 12th.

 

Running model train displays will be open to the public on Saturday, November 12, 2011, 10am to 4pm and Sunday, November 13, 2011, 12 noon to 4pm, at First Baptist Church of Bordentown (127 Prince Street) and First Presbyterian Church (420 Farnsworth Avenue).

 

Book signings will be held at the Old Book Shop (200 Farnsworth Avenue) from 2pm to 5pm featuring author Linda J. Barth. Artful Deposit Gallery (201 Farnsworth Avenue) will have a gallery reception for the opening of their show “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” 5pm to 9 pm Saturday, and 12 to closing Sunday. Farnsworth Gallery will feature transportation art Saturday and Sunday.

 

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Bordentown Railroad Days

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A two-tier ticket program will be in effect for the weekend. A “First Class” ticket of $25 (in advance, $30 at the door) will entitle attendees to the presentations, banquet luncheon, and all exhibits and activities. A “Coach” ticket is available for a free-will donation, will provide attendees with access to the model train displays, book signings and the planned displays of railroad art and historical railroad artifacts. All ticket holders will get their tickets stamped/punched at the established ‘station stops’ (displays and activities) throughout Bordentown and become eligible for a drawing for a $50 Downtown Business Association gift certificate.

 

Ticket purchases and donations can be made online at www.bordentownrailroaddays.com Further details on the weekend’s planned activities and events can be also viewed at the Bordentown Heritage’s Bordentown Railroad Days web site www.bordentownrailroaddays.org

 

• Bordentown Heritage is a New Jersey non-profit organization established to preserve, promote and advance the arts, history and environment of Bordentown, NJ. www.bordentownheritage.org

 

• Camden & Amboy Railroad Historical Group is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the state’s first railroad through research and publishing histories of that railroad and its successor lines in the Garden State, including the Pennsylvania Railroad.

 

• The Downtown Bordentown Association is comprised of 70 members with Bordentown City businesses, and has a mission to promote the City as a great place to live, work, dine, shop, and have fun – all within a peaceful, historic setting.