Who Are We?
The Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society is an all-volunteer historical society dedicated to promoting, preserving, and fostering a public appreciation of the railroading heritage of Bellefonte and Centre County, Pennsylvania. We own several historic pieces of rolling stock including two BUDD RDC self-powered passenger cars, a wooden caboose and snow plow on static display, and three speeder cars. Currently we host two annual excursion weekends, in October and December, with the support of the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority and the Nittany and Bald Eagle RR using restored 1920s era passenger equipment from Jeff Pontius' Penn Valley RR. BHRS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with no paid employees or administrators.
BHRS News
- BHRS recently had several hundred board feet of new siding and roof decking milled. This material will be used for replacement work on our former Bellefonte Central caboose #103. The siding was milled locally from old barn timbers. Starting in the spring, we will be making structural repairs to some rotten beams on the caboose and then installing the new siding and roofing material. We hope to have the entire roof and siding project completed by the end of 2012.
- All remaining windows have been ordered for 9167. There are only 13 left to be installed.
- On August 13, a BHRS work crew started removing the roof of Bellefonte Central Caboose #103. This is the first step in the full restoration of this historic piece of equipment. Ten members of BHRS participated in the work day and good progress was made. BHRS continues to raise funds for this conservation effort and is always looking for both sponsors and folks who are interested in becoming active participants in the restoration process. Donations can be made to BHRS at Bellefonte Train Station, 320 W. High St., Bellefonte, PA 16823.
Upcoming Events
- Work Day | Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 9:00 AM | Bellefonte Train Station
- Caboose Committee Meeting | Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:00 PM | Bellefonte Train Station
- General Meeting | Monday, March 5, 2012 at 7:00 PM | Bellefonte Train Station
How You May Help
BHRS is vital to the tourism industry of Bellefonte and has brought several thousand people annually to the community of Bellefonte and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Donations to BHRS support the restoration of the historic caboose and snow plow on display near the train station in Bellefonte, the RDC cars that we hope to return to service, and maintenance on the track and speeder cars owned by BHRS.
We need volunteers with a variety of interests: Photographers, historians, grant writers, administrators, graphic designers, web site designers, fundraisers, marketing and many other areas that are not specifically railroad related. Of course we also need members willing to "work on the railroad" doing maintenance-of-way, rolling stock maintenance, wood working, engine repair, painting and many other hands-on jobs. When you join BHRS you will have a chance to help preserve history, learn new skills, discover the past, and share your experience with future generations.
Meetings are held at the Bellefonte Train Station the first Monday of each month at 7pm. All are welcome to attend.
We are now accepting donations through Paypal. Your donation to BHRS (a 501(c)(3) corporation) is tax deductible.