Two of the Reading's RS-3s wait at the CNJ's facilities in Jersey City. More proof of the fact that the Reading kept their equipment clean and well-maintained, these RS-3s were over 10 years old by this point but still look like new.
Two of the Reading's RS-3s wait at the CNJ's facilities in Jersey City. More proof of the fact that the Reading kept their equipment clean and well-maintained, these RS-3s were over 10 years old by this point but still look like new.
One of the Reading's St. Clair-based Baldwin AS-16 road switchers heads westbound along the four-tracked Main Line with what looks like empty coal hopper cars most likely from the Pennsylvania Electric Company's coal-powered generating plant at Cromby near Royersford, PA. To the very right is the base of a coal trestle, for dumping coal for sorting and sales. PECo was very active at the plant and yard, with daily coal trains and it wasn't uncommon for crews to "outlaw", hit their 12 hour FRA work limit, while drilling cars at Cromby. It was a common practice for westbound trains with power and work time to spare to pick up empties at Cromby Yard and head west for car disposition. Those forty-three AS-16s were originally supposed to be RF-16 "sharks", and Baldwin even set out constructor numbers for a like number of RF-16s, but then Reading decided that road switchers were much more useful and had the order converted to a like number of AS-16 road switchers. Unfortunate, because RF-16s in the Reading carbody livery would have been quite sharp.
A whole lot of cold Reading T-1s sit at the Reading, PA engine facilities, flanked by a Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 switcher and a bunch of new Geeps in spring of '59. The coaling tower in the background sits unused as well, with steam fully retired at this point.
Reading #2124 with an Iron Horse Ramble at Coatesville, PA in 1960. The #2124 was part of the final ten locomotives, which didn't reuse the firebox from the I-10sa that it was rebuilt from, and also had roller bearings on the drive axles, unlike the earlier engines that had roller bearings on the lead, pilot and tender axles but plain bearings on the drive axles. The roller bearing-equipped T-1s were also equipped with steam lines for heating passenger cars, meaning that they were technically passenger train capable, but accounts of them being used in regular passenger service are nil. They saw some troop train service, but by and large, Reading kept all of the T-1s in time-sensitive fast freight hauling. It wasn't until late in life that they were bumped down to coal drags and helper service.
Shiny new steam generator-equipped GP7s sit at the other station in Reading, PA, the Franklin Street station. The arrival of the steam generator-equipped GP7s really put the nail in the coffin for the G3 Pacifics, which weren't even that old. They were shuffled off to the jointly-operated Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines to finish out the end of their careers. The GP7s are leading the King Coal, which was Reading's named train between Philadelphia and Shamokin
Some quite full Budd RDCs depart from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, PA. The #9163 is part of a secondhand RDC buying spree that the Reading went on after buying 12 directly from Budd and being a big fan of them. The #9163 came from the Lehigh Valley, while #9164, #9165 and #9166 came from the Boston & Maine. The Reading assigned the RDCs to handle what couldn't be handled by EMUs, and the leftover trains were handled by the FP7s. By the mid-1960s, that was pretty much just a single train, the push-pull train between Philadelphia and Reading. An interesting note is that Reading & Northern's RDCs numbering picks up right after the Reading's. R&N actually ended up with ex-B&M RDC #9166, and then numbered the next two that they acquired to #9167 and #9168.
Reading I10-sa Consolidation #2018 at Shamokin, PA. No, this is not some sort of fantrip behind the big 2-8-0, it's the Shamokin yard crew, which has tied on to the tail end of the passenger train that day to move the equipment out to the yard a mile away until time for the return trip at 5:00 p.m. that Sunday. You can also see them burning the coal waste on the hillside behind Shamokin.
Freshly-built Reading GP39-2s at the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad's Barr Yard, in Riverdale, Illinois. These were actually financed for the Reading by Chessie System, since at the time, Chessie System thought they were going to end up with the east end of the Erie-Lackawanna, as well as the entirety of the Reading and the CNJ and were trying to prop up the Reading's roster. This allowed the Reading to finally retire the last of the RS-3s, as well as the early small fuel tank GP7s (although the RS-3s ended up over on the CNJ and the Geeps were bought by ICG to rebuild). Of course, Chessie Systems was never able to work it out with the E-L unions and the deal fell through, and then the D&H was made Conrail's competitor and was allowed to raid the Conrail motive power cookie jar. The D&H had just ordered a batch of GP39-2s for themselves, so they also took the Reading units, assuming the Reading's payments (yes, the D&H was forced to double in size by the federal government, and still had to buy out the units from the federal government and assume the debt). These units hung out on the D&H roster until 1991, when CP bought out the D&H, and the GP39-2s were all sent back to Chessie Systems, by then CSX, to operate on their roster for the first time in 27 years. The small rain gutter over the top of the window was unique to these GP39-2s (most had angle awnings off the cab edge) and these are still on the units, a spotting feature for the ex-Reading units that are serving on the CSX.
Reading N1-sa Mallet #1810 gets it's ashpans cleaned out at the Gordon, PA facilities. Check out the old wooden gondola with the Philadelphia & Reading lettering on it being used for ash disposal
An old Reading I5 camelback 2-8-0, now in the employs of Philadelphia & Reading Iron & Coal Company, also oddly equipped with a slopeback tender. You can also see one of the P&RI&CCo's three steeple-cab electric motors, all used for switching cars at the Locust Summit Breaker. The old I5, #957, would be retired in favor of ex-CNJ monster 0-6-0 #113 in the early 1950s, and the #113 would run there until 1960. The #113 was eventually preserved and restored and runs on ex-Reading trackage out of Minersville.
The more modern Reading Silverliner EMU cars, built by Budd of course, at Doylestown, PA, sometime shortly after delivery in 1963. These cars, which were bought by both PRR and Reading, were running in SEPTA service as late as 2012.
The Reading Crusader at Jenkinstown, PA. The Crusader was the Reading's top train, running the 90 mile route from Philadelphia to Jersey City with five stainless-steel passenger cars and a specially-streamlined G1-sa Pacific. The passenger car set was rather unique for having a round-end observation on each end, which was intended to alleviate the need to wye the whole consist at either end of the run. Instead, the locomotive could just be cut off and turned on a turntable and recoupled. The tender had a special shroud that extended rearward to cover the front of the observation car attached to it, so that it wasn't noticeable when viewed from trackside. In the early '50s, the streamlined Pacific was replaced with an FP7, and by 1962, the stainless-steel set of cars was sold off to Canadian National and replaced with five smooth-sided cars originally made for the Reading's other upscale Philadelphia–Jersey City train, the Wall Street. By the mid-1960s, the Crusader and Wall Street were the only Reading Railroad trains operating beyond West Trenton north to Bound Brook. In May of 1967, the Aldene Plan went into effect, allowing CNJ to closer their Communipaw Terminal at Jersey City, and instead diverting trains to Newark Penn Station, which added 13 minutes to the commuter going to Wall Street. The trains could not go beyond Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station because diesel-powered trains were not permitted in the PRR's Hudson North River Tunnels. Locomotive-hauled service soon ended and was replaced by two RDCs, a sad end to a proud name. Deteriorating track and additional stops to the prior Crusader schedule caused the length of the Philadelphia-Newark trip to increase from its 90 minutes to 110 minutes.
A Reading G2-sa at Norristown Junction, sometime post 1947. The G2-sas were given a cosmetic overhaul that made them look like the G3s sometime around 1947-1948.
Reading passenger equipment in the mid-1960s. To the left is one of the new Silverliners, then in the center is one of the three remaining FP7s by this point, likely with the "push-pull" and another FP7 on the other end, and then an old original EMU car on the right. At far right, that looks like an RDC tucked back.
That's G1-sa Pacific #108 with what appears to be the Crusader train set at Jenkinstown, PA. The #108 had been uilt in Reading Locomotive Shops in 1916, then received semi-streamlining in 1935 (skyline casing over the rear domes, running board skirts, centered headlight in a conical casing), and had the air pumps and shield moved to pilot in 1946. She is probably subbing for streamlined the Pacifics.
Reading #219, the final G3 and the final Reading steam locomotive constructed. They were pretty short-lived engines; they were built in '48, used until early 1953, then sent to be operated on the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line until 1956, but only during the summer months. There were still G3s sitting on the dead lines, waiting for their equipment trusts to expire, while the T-1s were romping around the system on the Iron Horse Rambles, and the passenger 6-chimes that the Ramble engines wore were actually culled from the G3s. It's a pity that none of the G3s were reactivated for the Rambles, or even just one of them was preserved.
Almost brand new GP-35 on servicing track with fresh paint at the Rutherford Yard east of Harrisburg in 1964. Note the big, disused coaling dock in the background.
Reading FA-1 #303 and a partner passing through the Reading, PA yard in 1950. Note the cinder ballast, an easy way to get rid of coal ash that was lying around, although not a particularly good ballast media.
An unindentified Reading I9 Consolidation blasts up the short 2% Vinemont Hill on it's trip into Lancaster County over the Reading & Columbia Branch to Sinking Springs, PA
The original Reading Outer Station, sometime after the trainsheds were removed but before it's 1969 closure.
Reading EMU cars at Tabor. The lead car is one of the much more uncommon combine cars, with a built in Railway Post Office and coach seating. By the time of this photo, 1972, the railroads had lost the mail contract and it was used as a baggage compartment.
A Reading C630 and a Western Maryland SD40-2 wait at Hagerstown, MD. The Reading had trackage rights over the Western Maryland from Harrisburg to as far west as Connellsville, and the two also participated in the "Alphabet Route" and the "Central States Dispatch" route with various other railroads.
What is a freshly-painted Reading SW1500 doing in Paducah, Kentucky? The #2763 was struck by a runaway grain car and derailed while working the hump yard in Port Richmond, PA, in late 1973. During the derailment the cab was crushed and the hood was heavily damaged, and for whatever reason it was decided to have it repaired at Illinois Central Gulf's big shop in Paducah. Workers at Paducah fabricated a new cab and repaired the hood. The locomotive was also repainted in the Reading's late solid green paint scheme, which made it more closely resemble the MP-15s that they were just taking delivery of than the other SW1500s still in the green and yellow.
Reading G3 #213 at Emmaus, PA with what is most likely "crossline" (joint RDG-CNJ) train #193 Harrisburg Special from CNJ at Jersey City in mid-morning headed down the East Penn Branch to Reading and on to Harrisburg, PA.
Freshly-delivered Reading RDCs being given a once-over at the Saucon Yard roundhouse in Bethlehem, PA before being placed into service. Definitely an odd sight to see RDCs in a roundhouse.
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