Stop the Dangerous 142

We are a concerned group of New Jersey Citizens, currently deeply troubled by the mishandlings of New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Societys (NYS&W&THS) steam engine, the "142".

As one volunteer crewmember proudly told my wife this summer during our excursion trip in Phillipsburg, "a steam engine is really a rolling bomb". This is troubling considering the safety record of the 142 in 2004 alone. This so called 'Rolling Bomb' has set several recorded and verifiable forest fires in West Milford, New Jersey. In addition it has broken down 2 times due to poor up keep and careless operation. Most troubling of all, the crew has endangered NJT passengers recently by running not 1 but 3 red signals. This is like a runaway truck blowing 3 red lights on a highway.

Since the sale of the 142 by the New York Susquehanna & Western to the NYS&WTHS last year it appears that this part time, volunteer group has little or no qualifications to operate this 'rolling bomb' and on almost any trip minors as young as 15 can be seen operating at the controls of this dangerous machine. It seems that all one needs to operate this 'rolling bomb' is the childhood dream of being a train engineer with little or no qualifications whatsoever. A fact bore out by witnessing up to 10 people at any given time occupying a cab designed for no more then 3 people.

In closing we ask that New Jersey Transit and any other railroad to protect our communities in which they operate by not allowing this dangerous piece of machinery on their property.