Longtime Tri-State member, Mitch Dakelman, presented EXPLORING THE RAILROADS OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY. His presentation encompasses the iron mining story in Morris County, from the 19th Century through the 1950s, as the Mount Hope Mine was one of the last. Dairy farms prevailed in Sussex County, providing business to the DL&W, and travel to Lake Hopatcong via the CNJ and DL&W. Among the railroads covered will be the Central Railroad of New Jersey, emphasizing their coal business. and activities on the High Bridge Branch. We also see Lehigh Valley, Lehigh & Hudson River, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Reading, using vintage black and white and color slides that Mitch has gathered through a number of collections.
Mitch is the Media Service Director for the National Railway Historical Society. He joined Tri-State in 1981 with the guidance of the Sandy Shaw and the late Joe Van Hoorebeke, Jr. Mitch has authored numerous books for Morning Sun, and articles for the Block Line, Jersey Central News, and the NRHS Bulletin.