Reward Offered to ID Vandals

RIO GRANDE — Fed up with vandalism to a string of railroad cars on a sidetrack here near the Route 47 crossing, Cape May Seashore Lines President Tony Macrie is working with the county Crimestoppers program to set up a cash reward to bring to prosecution those who damaged historic coaches and motorized Budd Cars.
While details are still being worked out, Macrie hopes to offer a $5,000 reward.
Coaches are covered with graffiti, windows are broken, parts are missing from below the cars and in at least one car, seats have been torn from the floor. One Budd Car is entirely covered in bright Day-Glo graffiti.
“I can’t believe not one person saw it happen,” said Macrie. “You can’t spray paint a whole (railroad) car without someone seeing it.”
He said police apprehended a man removing parts from a car with a hacksaw and bolt cutter in broad daylight.
Last winter, a fire was set in one coach.
Macrie has photos of when the cars were placed on the sidetrack, showing the coaches in pristine condition.
Cape May Seashore Line trains are unlikely to run between Court House, Cold Spring and Cape May until August.
Macrie told the Herald an April Nor’easter that pounded the county washed out a section of track in Dennisville cutting off access to the south end of the line.
“There are several spots where we had some undermining, some of the stone washed out, ties were taken away,” he said. “We are working on getting it repaired and soon as we do, we’re back.”
All of the railroad’s operating locomotives and coaches are located in Tuckahoe, cut off from the south end of the county. The railroad runs a 30-mile excursion on Saturdays to Richland in Atlantic County, Macrie said all the railroad’s equipment was moved from Rio Grande because “It was getting trashed left and right on a nightly basis.”
The tracks are owned by NJ Transit, which is responsible for repairs. Macrie said he did not believe the state had any interest in operating its own trains on the line due to the seasonal nature of the market.
He said the railroad does not receive any operating subsidies, but exists on ticket sales.