There trains connected with the Western Maryland Railroad to continue westward. Also that year, the Reading leased the Pickering Valley Railroad, a branch running west from Phoenixville to Byers, Pennsylvania, which opened in 1871. Completed the Nesquehoning Bridge Phase II project to provide for progressive train movements across the Lehigh River. $80,000 - $120,000 a year. We all have a soft spot for George, Zurn said. Its mainline consists of the Reading Division between Reading and Packerton and the Lehigh Division between Lehighton and Dupont. [2][17], In Bridgeport, a new bridge was constructed over the Schuylkill River in 1903. 425 is a 12-38 D class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, PA in 1928 for the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad (GM&N). No. [18] Excursions run on weekends, holidays, and some weekdays between May and December. Muller said Thursday that he plans to sink millions into the railroad over the next few years. [clarification needed] In 1890, Reading president Archibald A. McLeod saw that more riches could be earned by expanding its rail network and becoming a trunk railroad. The Reading and Northern Railroad started operations in 1983 after acquiring thirteen miles of tracks from Conrail that ran from Temple to Hamburg, Pennsylvania. [2][3] The original Reading mainline was double track from its very beginning in 1843. In addition, RBMN operates the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, a heritage railway based in Jim Thorpe. All of our RDCs have functional windows and clean restrooms, and are fully climate controlled. Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad 27 Reviews #1 of 2 Transportation in Reading Transportation, Railways 3501 Pottsville Pike, corner of Bellevue Avenue and Route 61, Reading, PA 19605-1717 Save TFopinion Pennsylvania 588 271 Almost Perfect Review of Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Reviewed May 22, 2022 425 was present at the grand opening of Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton. With the acquisition of the Lehigh Line and the new connections between Jim Thorpe and the Lehigh River Gorge, RBMN was now positioned to offer the region a quality tourist attraction. With this agreement in place, we were able to guarantee good long-term rail service to the many customers located there. . A 3-foot-6-inch narrow gauge was selected because it would lower track laying and operating costs. As of 2023, four examples have survived, and the 2102 is in active tourist service with the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad. It used refurbished Rail Diesel Cars built by the Budd Company in the 1950s and operated along the Pottsville Line between Pottsville and Philadelphia via Reading until SEPTA discontinued diesel service in 1981. [7], Between 2009 and 2010, RBMN expanded operations due to the emergence of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in northeastern Pennsylvania. [5] In December 2016, the RBMN announced that it spent $2 million to build a train station at Pennsylvania Route 61 and Bellevue Avenue in Muhlenberg Township outside Reading, called Reading Outer Station, with plans to operate passenger excursions from there to Jim Thorpe. Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad. For twenty years the Reading Company, the holding company created for the P&R and the P&R Coal and Iron Company, only controlled the P&R after the sale of the P&R Coal and Iron Company. 8 hour shift. The BM&R also began operating three more state-owned lines, including the Allentown branch and Colebrookdale branch. In the mid-1990s, the RBMN discontinued the regularly scheduled passenger operations between Hamburg and Temple and instead focused on occasional excursions throughout the rest of its system. The Port Reading Railroad was chartered in 1890 and opened in 1892, running east from a junction from the New York main line near Bound Brook to the new port of Port Reading, on the Arthur Kill near Perth Amboy. Andy Muller , Andy Muller , owner of Reading and Northern, offered to purchase the line, which he currently manages for the county, in 2016. The commissioners also approved the motion unanimously. On May 29 the Reading leased the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Its Philadelphia terminus was at the state-owned Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (P&C) on the west side of the Schuylkill River from which it ran east on the P&C over the Columbia Bridge and onto the city-owned City Railroad to a depot at the southeast corner of Broad and Cherry Streets. [3] In 1901, the Reading gained a controlling interest in the Central Railroad of New Jersey, allowing the Reading to offer seamless, one-seat rides from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia to the Central New Jersey's Jersey City Communipaw Terminal by way of Bound Brook onto the Central New Jersey mainline. Reading & Northern Railroad, Pennsylvania's largest privately-owned railroad, announced Tuesday that it will begin operating regular weekend passenger excursion train service from Pittston to Jim . The shops were completed four years later; with their imposing brick architecture, they were the largest railroad shops in America and, unlike most railroads, allowed the Reading to make its own engines. This included triple and quadruple tracking many of its major routes, improving signaling and track quality, as well as expanding system capacity and station facilities. SEC filings of Reading Entertainment Inc. SEC filings of Reading International Inc. Reading Company employment and real estate records, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reading_Company&oldid=1136665308. ", "Home Page - Reading Railroad Heritage Museum - Reading Company Technical & Historical Society", "The Use of Historical Production Data to Predict Future Coal Production Rates", https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1023993/000089843002000002/dsc13e3a.txt, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/716634/000089843001503845/d425.txt, Reading Company Technical and Historical Society. The corporate records include two volumes of the General Manager's records of agents, station men, and trainmen, 1882-1883. Find out what works well at Reading and Northern Railroad from the people who know best. C&S; Railroad gets new partner ** Reading &, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Richard E. Forgay of Lansford, a charter member of the commission and former secretary of the Lansford Borough Council, was instrumental in the purchase by securing the federal grant through Lansford. Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Co - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Markets Bloomberg Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas,. Like most railroads, the Reading had contracts with the U.S. Post Office to haul and sort mail en route. Zurn told the commission, which includes the three county commissioners, that Harts cars are so out of date they lack bathrooms, and he does not have a ticket office. Some people love New York, I love Jim Thorpe, he said. In 2020, it finished construction on a new $14 million Nesquehoning Bridge. [20], Reading also offered through passenger car service with the Lehigh Valley Railroad via their connection at Bethlehem. By the time RBMN celebrated its twentieth anniversary in the fall of 2003, we were a very successful short line. On a system 8,316 miles in length, its trains carry freight, passengers, mail and express in the area between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean. The early Philadelphia and Reading Railroad named all of its locomotives with names such as Winona or Jefferson, as did most American railroads following in the British precedent, but in December 1871 the P&R replaced all the names with numbers. Reading & Northern entered into an agreement with CAN DO to purchase the rail assets of the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazleton, the region's largest rail-served industrial park. The Reading and Northern was recognized again when we were named the Regional Railroad of the Year by Railway Age Magazine. 425 remained at Steamtown until 1997. This connects our two Divisions, Reading and Lehigh under common private ownership. . C&S; Railroad gets new partner ** Reading & Northern is now guaranteed use of Carbon County line. It also owns 92% of BH Energy, with $4.3 billion in earnings. The Reading Company was forced to file for bankruptcy protection in 1971. The grant was used by Carbon County. To connect its two divisions, RBMN negotiated trackage rights over the Carbon-County owned 18-mile railroad between Hometown and Jim Thorpe. Evidence of our customer focus became clear to all when, in 2002, the rail industry publication Railway Age chose the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad as Regional Railroad of the Year. That was a huge concern of the public, Nothstein said. Among the cars bought at auction are several notables, including the former Southern Railway steam program open-air coach Lookout Mountain and the former Illinois Central Under his leadership, the Reading Company was formed and the P&R was absorbed into it on November 30. This gave it a line from Philadelphia north to Bethlehem, and also the valuable Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, the descendant of the National Railway project, providing a route to New York City in direct competition with the Pennsylvania Railroad's United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company. Amid the turmoil of the Panic of 1893, Joseph Smith Harris was elected president. The G1 class 4-6-2 were passenger locomotives. The Great Northern Railway serves a vast, diversified and productive region -- the great Northwest. By the early 1990s, the Reading and Northern Railroad expanded its lines into Schuylkill, Luzerne, Carbon, and Columbia counties after building a stellar reputation with their growing clientele. MNHS Call Number: Digital Finding Aid. The RBMN system expanded again with the addition of the seven-mile Towanda line near the New York state border. that were operating roads in 1925 but whose totals were included in Reading's after 1929. It opened in 1864, using the Lebanon Valley Railroad from Sinking Spring east to Reading. The Santa Claus Special train operates out of Jim Thorpe between the day after Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas, with a visit from Santa Claus aboard the train. Led by Samuel Richards, an officer of the C&A for 24 years, they established the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway (P&AC) on March 24, 1876. Its headquarters is in Port Clinton. Bought the 19-mile rail line from Carbon County for 4.7 million dollars. Today, the railroad (now known as Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad) runs about 320 miles from Reading PA to Mehoopany PA and operates a 7 mile rail line from Towanda to Monroeton in Marcellus Shale territory. Zurn said an agreement that runs through 2038 between the commission, railroad and county gives C&S; the power to name a tour operator. The Reading and Columbia Railroad was chartered in 1857 to build from Reading southwest to Columbia on the Susquehanna River. "We are investing in our future and the future of the communities we serve," Reading & Northern founder and owner. CONTENTS. Time, temperature clock returns to Palmerton, Donerds to offer treats, coffee at second location in Bethlehem, Cosmetology students keeping busy at CCTI, State trooper, Seuss book hits at library, Lansford man charged with hiding explosive in luggage at LVIA, FBI catches wanted person in Lansford raid, Three people killed in 5-vehicle Monroe County crash, Palmerton considers plans to curb vandalism. Trump supporters who drove Hummer with guns and ammo to Philadelphia vote-counting site spared more jail time, Paul Muschick: Would money motivate Pennsylvania businesses to move to a four-day work week? At Mount Carbon, it connected with the earlier Mount Carbon Railroad, continuing through Pottsville to several mines, and would eventually be extended to Williamsport.[6][7][when?] It had formerly been operated by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad. In October, the LGSR operates abbreviated 45-minute trips that offer views of fall foliage in Lehigh Gorge State Park. ARMLS #6525703. After the militia and Coal and Iron Police went to retrieve a train carrying coal that was blocked in a railroad cut, they fired on rioters and protesters, killing at least 10 and wounding more than 40. Even though moving and mining of coal was its primary business, the P&R eventually became more diversified through the development of many on-line industries, averaging almost five industries per mile of main line at one point, and the expanding role of the Reading as a bridge route. The Lebanon Valley Railroad was chartered in 1836 to build from Reading west to Harrisburg. The return trip leaves Jim Thorpe in the late afternoon and returns to Port Clinton and Reading in the evening. The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum, located in Hamburg, PA, is owned and operated by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society ,a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the Reading Railroad. In 2009, Berkshire Hathaway bought full control of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, giving it ownership of North America's largest railroad. 425 passing 2 Diesels. In 2005, RBMN took a big step forward to expand its passenger excursion business. The following suburban lines were electrified during the onset of the Great Depression: The notable exception was the Fox Chase/Newtown branch. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was also looking for access to the New York City market, and in 1903 it gained control over the Reading and ensured track rights over the Reading and Central New Jersey to Jersey City. Working with NS we were able to provide P&G with an excellent service and rate package, which ensured that inbound raw material continued to move by rail. [5], Even though the Reading was never again to regain its powerful position of the 1870s, it still was a very profitable and important railroad. Reading Blue Mountain & Northern No. Developed greenfield site for a sand distribution terminal in Tunkhannock, PA. April Invested $2 million dollars to purchase from Kovach 10 acres containing nine buildings for company expansion efforts. Raffa began his career in 1989 as a trackman with RBMN predecessor Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad. In May of 2005, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway was born. Commission Chairman William OGurek questioned who has the power to hire tour operators. [10] The segment included 4.9 miles of double track and 16.7 miles of single track, including sidings and turnouts.[11]. The railroad runs about 400 miles from Reading PA to Mehoopany PA and it also operates the 7-mile rail line from Towanda to Monroeton in Bradford County. The company is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, which is controlled by investor Warren Buffett. Every weekend and holiday from May to Christmas, hundreds of visitors to Jim Thorpe board our passenger coaches for a ride into the Gorge. Port Richmond later became a very large coal terminal. Soon the P&R bought or leased many of the railroads in the Schuylkill River Valley and extended westward and north along the Susquehanna into the southern end of what became known as the Coal Region. By the end of 2013, RBMN has purchased over 1000 freight cars. The project would culminate in the opening of the bridge in November of 2003. SCRANTON An old diesel locomotive nicknamed "Nickel Plate 190," which last rolled on rails in Lackawanna County over four decades ago, will return to Scranton for restoration for potential Duke Energy installs, operates, owns and maintains the system, while customers receive kilowatt-hour and solar renewable energy credit output, up to an initial limit of 1 megawatt. In 2017, the county moved on, getting the rail line, which runs between Packerton Yards and Haucks Junction in Schuylkill County, appraised by Stone Consulting of Warren. The Reading eventually bought a majority of the CNJ's stock in 1901. We own and manage some of Britain's biggest and busiest railway stations. The Reading also relinquished control of the Central New England Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad. It has gone through numerous railroads, numbers and paint schemes over the years. [16] However, in 1906, with the support of the Roosevelt Administration, the Hepburn Act was passed. [9], In 1873, the P&R extended its reach southward by leasing 10.2 miles of track from the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. Whether you love good food, great shopping, hiking or beautiful scenery, we have just the ticket for you when you ride with us! No. This led to financial trouble in the 1870s. The Reading Company was created to serve as a holding company for the Reading's rail and coal subsidiaries: the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, and the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, respectively. The partnership between the RBMN and Reading Company Technical and Historical Society had more or less ended by this point, but the group still leased track space in Leesport until 2008 when they moved to the Hamburg yard and opened the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum.[4]. Atlas Model Railroad 20005861 HO New York Central 50' SD Postwar Box Car #4516 . [2][5] The Reading was relegated to being a regional railroad for the rest of its history. Reading & Northern operates both freight services and . The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad (reporting mark RBMN), sometimes shortened to Reading and Northern Railroad, is a regional railroad in eastern Pennsylvania. The railroad commission consists of the board of commissioners, as well as Rick Forgay II of Lansford, the son of railroad commission charter member Richard E. Forgay. The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad ( reporting mark RBMN ), sometimes shortened to Reading and Northern Railroad, is a regional railroad in eastern Pennsylvania.