{"id":145315,"date":"2025-09-25T21:57:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T01:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145315"},"modified":"2025-09-25T21:57:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T01:57:22","slug":"the-phillipsburg-railroad-festival-returns-for-its-fourth-year-celebrating-173-years-since-the-rails-first-arrived-in-phillipsburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145315","title":{"rendered":"The Phillipsburg Railroad Festival Returns for Its Fourth Year Celebrating 173 Years Since the Rails First Arrived in Phillipsburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Phillipsburg Railroad Festival Returns for Its Fourth Year Celebrating 173 Years Since the Rails First Arrived in Phillipsburg<\/strong><\/p>\n

Phillipsburg, N.J. <\/strong>Phillipsburg is rolling out the tracks once again for a day of history, family fun, and community pride as the Phillipsburg Railroad Festival <\/strong>returns for its fourth year on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. <\/strong>This year\u2019s event marks 173 years since railroads first arrived in town<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Presented by Platinum Star Cleaning <\/strong>and the Warren County Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce<\/strong>, the festival features music, food, local vendors, historic exhibits, and hands-on experiences across three walkable locations.<\/p>\n

The festival is made possible thanks to the support of the All-Aboard Sponsor, Peron Development<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Honoring Phillipsburg\u2019s Rail Legacy<\/h1>\n

The first railroad to arrive in Phillipsburg was the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ)<\/strong>, which opened on July 2, 1852. Over time, Phillipsburg became a major transportation hub, once home to five major railroads<\/strong>, roundhouses, turntables, and the Morris Canal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing this festival back every year has been a privilege,\u201d said Aaron D. Coleman<\/strong>, owner of Platinum Star Cleaning and producer of the event. \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to showcase the railroad nonprofits and highlight Phillipsburg\u2019s incredible transportation history for the community and future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Festival Kickoff at Shappell Park<\/h1>\n

The celebration begins in Shappell Park (Area 1) <\/strong>with vendors, food, crafts, business booths, sponsors, and exhibits, along with music by DJ Clyph<\/strong>. At 11 a.m., the Phillipsburg High School Band <\/strong>will kick off festivities alongside Mayor Randy Piazza<\/strong>, local and state officials, followed by a ceremonial ribbon cutting <\/strong>commemorating 173 years of railroads in Phillipsburg and Easton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to see the Railroad Festival return for the fourth year in a row,\u201d said Mayor Piazza<\/strong>. \u201cOur transportation history has always been a source of pride. This festival does a fantastic job of bringing together railroad clubs, historians, and hobbyists to share their passion and hard work with the entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Railroad Historians and Special Exhibits<\/h1>\n

Nearby, the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians <\/strong>will celebrate their 35th anniversary<\/strong><\/p>\n

with free miniature train rides on the Centerville & Southwestern Railroad <\/strong>(formerly<\/p>\n

the Becker Farm Railroad), museum tours, antique vehicles, and the original<\/p>\n

horse-drawn Becker Farm Milk Wagon<\/strong>. The group also promises a special surprise announcement <\/strong>this year.<\/p>\n

Visitors can also explore railroad safety with Operation Lifesaver <\/strong>and see TUG<\/strong>, the National Museum of Industrial History\u2019s former Bethlehem Steel rail car mover.<\/p>\n

Tours of Historic Stations & Towers<\/h1>\n

In Area 2<\/strong>, guests can tour Phillipsburg Union Station<\/strong>, a 1914 landmark now owned by the Friends of the NJ Transportation Heritage Center. Newly restored exhibits feature antique railroad artifacts, Morris Canal history, and bus transportation displays, including a photo exhibit from McWane Ductile<\/strong>. The station\u2019s fa\u00e7ade has also been restored thanks to a county grant.<\/p>\n

A short walk away, the Phillipsburg Union Tower<\/strong>, a former CNJ switch tower under restoration since 2007, will also be open to visitors.<\/p>\n

Ride the River Train & Explore More<\/h1>\n

In Area 3<\/strong>, the Delaware River Railroad Excursions <\/strong>offers train rides along the scenic Delaware River to Riegelsville<\/strong>, where visitors can explore the historic train station.<\/p>\n

Excursions include stops at the Susquehanna Mining Company <\/strong>for gemstone panning adventures and the Corn Maze Train <\/strong>at the historic Snyder Farm. Trains run every two hours, allowing visitors to hop off for local attractions and return later. Advance booking is recommended.<\/p>\n

More Ways to Explore<\/h1>\n

The festival will also debut the Phillipsburg Self-Paced Audio Walking Tour<\/strong>, guiding participants through historical landmarks while sharing stories of the people and events that shaped the town.<\/p>\n

Sponsors and Partners<\/h1>\n

This year\u2019s All Aboard Presenting Sponsor is Peron Development<\/strong>, with additional support from Carnegie Agency, Unity Bank, IRCO Federal Credit Union, and SERVPRO Team Fabiani<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Festival Logistics<\/h1>\n

A free trolley service <\/strong>will run throughout Phillipsburg from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., connecting all three festival areas.<\/p>\n

Save the Date<\/h1>\n

Join us in celebrating 173 years of railroad history in Phillipsburg <\/strong>at the Railroad Festival on Saturday, September 27, 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

All aboard!<\/h1>\n

For more information, visit www.phillipsburgrailroadfest.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nPhillipsburg NJ Railroad<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Phillipsburg Railroad Festival Returns for Its Fourth Year Celebrating 173 Years Since the Rails First Arrived in Phillipsburg Phillipsburg, N.J. Phillipsburg is rolling out the tracks once again for … Continue reading The Phillipsburg Railroad Festival Returns for Its Fourth Year Celebrating 173 Years Since the Rails First Arrived in Phillipsburg<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/prr.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}