Not on a mainline - or even a common carrier - is the B. L. England Golf Course at the generating plant of the same name in Marmora, New Jersey. It's the public golf course associated with the power plant - formerly owned by Atlantic City Electric, then Pepco, most recently RC Cape May Holdings, LLC. It is located about 3 miles due west of Ocean City, NJ, just off Route 9 = Garden State Parkway there, on the southerly side of Great Egg Harbor River in Upper Township, Cape May County - locally known as Beesley's Point or Beasley's Point - the railroad calls it ''Palermo'', though.
The railroad tracks there are the plant's, and were used for coal and fuel oil deliveries. Various parts of the golf course abutted the yard and the 2 tracks leading into the place, 1 of which was usually used as a holding track. During the day, the plant's switcher would often be shuffling the cars into and out of the car dumper at the far end of the yard. It wasn't unheard of for a errant golf ball to bounce off the side of a hopper car . . . however, I recall hearing or reading that the plant may have discontinued its use of coal as a fuel, which would of course drastically impact the rail traffic.
More generally, there have to be hundreds - if not thousands - of such golf courses co-located with railroads. The golf course is a perfect open space 'buffer' between the RR and nearby houses - it makes use of the land without creating a noise nusiance to the homeowners. I have to believe there are many such arrangements in the southeastern US, such as the Carolinas, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, etc. I know that in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there are several others along the former Reading Railroad's - now SEPTA's - Bethlehem Branch = R-5 commuter line in the vicinity of Elkins Park to Fort Washington, and there have to be some along the former PRR/ now Amtrak an SEPTA's Main Line to Paoli and the west to Lancaster and Harrisburg.
Now here's a further thought - and if I knew anything about golf, I might consider doing it myself, but . . . : One of my neighbors - who is the library director for the local Penn State campus during the day - has written a book about golf courses in the southeastern US. From -
''In 2005, the author wrote Golfing Communities in the Southeast: Places to Live and Play in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, 317pp. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2005). This book combines his interests in sports and travel, with the timely subject of retirement. It includes details on golf communities and lifestyles in cities and towns located in six southeastern states.''
Heck, if he can do that, somebody can do a book on ''Golf Courses next to Railroads''. Any takers ?
- Paul North.
P.S. - I think Paul/ CSSHEGEWISCH is right about the Augusta Golf Course - I was thinking of it too, but didn't have time to confirm that.
"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
