So some things have changed since I created this blog years ago. I have finally found a focus for my modeling. The National Docks Railway is my prototype inspired freelance railroad. It was in fact a "paper" railroad created by the Lehigh Valley Railroad to provide access to the New Jersey waterfront and connect to other railroads in the area.
The premise of my version of the National Docks is that the Lehigh Valley created a subsidiary using the name in January 1968. All Lehigh Valley property and trackage east of the Newark Bay bridge was conveyed to the National Docks Railway. In June of 1968 the Erie Lackawanna Railroad became a partner in the National Docks by adding its properties and track east of Bergen Jct with the exception of the Hoboken passenger terminal which would go to NJT. In 1971 the National Docks signed a 75 year lease of the Erie Lackawanna Northern Branch. In 1972 a 50 year lease was arranged for the Newark Branch and an industrial branch from Kearny Jct to Kingsland Jct. And also in 1972 the National Docks becomes the operator for the Hoboken Shore Railroad.
Locomotives
The company starts out with a shoestring budget so all locomotives in the first year are second hand Alco S-2 or EMD NW2 models along with a few end cab switchers provided by the owning railroads. Management's intent was to acquire enough locomotives to eliminate the need for the Lehigh Valley or the Erie Lackawanna to supply any. However the sales teams success in keeping and even attracting new sources of traffic, along with the leasing of EL branches meant that the roster was still short of power through 1975.
