24-08-17 PHOTOS: Fire Up Pittston

With the reactivation of Reading T-1 class 4-8-4 steam locomotive #2102, the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern has been on a tear finding new places and ways to run main line steam excursions. In 2024, the RBMN used its August slot to take fans from its new "Regional Transportation Center" in Nesquehoning, PA to the Scranton-adjacent town of Pittston, PA in conjunction with its annual Tomato Festival. Seeing as how I had been looking to ride an excursion up the Lehigh Gorge to the Wyoming Valley, I booked tickets with a friend and set out from the Baltimore area at 5am for the RBMN's 9am departure. If you are interested in the video content, you can catch it here and if you want to browse the full set of photos you can find that here ( mirror ).

When industry consolidation closed the Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. factory in Nesquehoning, PA, the Reading and Northern seized the opportunity to purchase its sizable manufacturing campus for conversion into an omnibus rail operations base with shoppe facilities and administrative offices. A side effect of this purchase was a new location to stage rail excursions that was both closer to Scranton and wouldn't interfere with the popular Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railroad, which was already parking limited in the busy tourist town of Mauch Chunk.

To this end, RBMN owner Andy Muller built and christened the Nesquehoning Regional Transportation Center on the property with the official ribbon cutting taking place before the day's Iron Horse Ramble.

Also on hand for the event was the RBMN's black bear mascot and Andy's personal M5 light tank.

While I had ridden on this part of the RBMN Main Line as part of the 2102+425 ramble in 2022, I turned onto new route milage at JIM THORPE JCT, crossing the Lehigh River on the state funded bridge that finally connected the two halves of the RBMN Main Line between Reading and Pittston. Except for a few small gaps, this Main Line is equipped with CTC signaling and interlockings.

Although the day was overcast, the former Lehigh Valley Railroad path through the Gorge offered ample photo opportunities.

One legacy issue with the line is the near complete lack of signaled passing sidings in the 60 odd miles between Tamaqua and Mountain top. This makes trains having to pull into hand operated sidings and spur tracks the only way to achieve a meet. Here #2102 meets RBMN GP38-2 #2023 and the southbound Pittston to Mauch Chunk tourist train at the TANNERY siding.

#2102 crossing back to the west side of the Lehigh River at White Haven.

With 16+ cars and a steep grade to the Pocono summit at Mountain Top, the 5000hp T-1 class consumed a lot of water and has to stop to top up at the old CNJ yard at Mountain Top, which also hosts the RBMN Penobscott Station.

The yard is home to RBMN's locomotive deadline with freight units like SD50's #5033 and #5022, but also a pair of former SRNJ F3's cab units that used to work the Salem Branch before being stored at Windows Jct for over a decade.

Since Andy Muller isn't made of brake shoes, a pair of "Fast Freight" painted SD50's (#5019 and #5018) are attached to the head end at Mountain Top so that the consist can enjoy the benefits of dynamic braking into the Wyoming Valley.

At Pittston the Ramble train was greeted by loads of railfans as well as local buses drafted into transporting the passengers to the town's Tomatoe Festival during the four hour layover. Even in his 70's, Andy Muller is a consummate businessman and we suspected that he had worked out some deal with the town to bring an extra 1500 or so odd captive tourists to their local event.

The festival was conceived in the 80's as a way to revive the local scene after the collapse of Anthracite coal mining. In addition to the typical carnival fare, the local "Old Forge" pizza style was also on offer.

The Pittston station, which sees regularly scheduled Lehigh Gorge tourist trains to Mauch Chunk, had also been styled as the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Regional Transportation Centre.

When we got back to the station #2102 was getting serviced, including an ash pan dump.

Pittston has been the base of RBMN's Scranton area operations for decades with the passenger service being the relative newcomer. GP30 rebuild #2533 and caboose #92817 were on hand for local operations.

Speaking of local operations, there was no way that Andy was going to let a steam passenger Ramble get in the way of normal freight operations. As a result GP30 rebuild #2534 and SD50M #5049 were out getting a single lumber car out for delivery.

#2102 returned from servicing triggering a pair of vintage grade crossing wigways. These electro-mechanical warning lights were once common, but have become pretty much extinct on the North American rail network in recent years.




#2102 proceeded out to Pittston yard to couple up to the Ramble consist before heading forward to platform the train.

Heading back up the grade, we eventually passed the returning Mauch Chunk weekend excursion train with GP38-2 #2015, waiting at CP--SOLOMONS GAP.

Passing Crestwood Road at Milepost 153 one can get a good feeling for the traveling circus of railfans that always accompany these mainline steam excursions.

Passing the intermediate White Haven station. The Poconos have lodging and attractions over a wide area so Andy Muller has added intermediate stops to attract ridership.

The Interstate 80 Lehigh River Bridge replacement project is under way.

People who pine for the days of steam and coal have probably never ridden a trip like this and don't realize how dirty coal is as a fuel.

#2102 after a hard day's work at Nesquehoning.

The parking situation still encourages one to hang out for a bit and get some additional photos. I'm not sure what role GP38-2 #2014 was going to play getting the Ramble train back to Port Clinton, but it looked nice sparkling in the twilight.

KME's main assembly building has been converted into a locomotive repair hall with new tracks being cut through the former parking lot.

Since I was continuing on to South Jersey, I wasn't in a position to get my steam excursion buddy home that day. Instead I put him on an NJT Atlantic City Line train at Cherry Hill, where he would connect to Amtrak via 30th St. The ACRL link was powered by GP40PH-2B #4204.

 



Well that's it for my big RBMN Main Line Steam excursion of 2024. Next time I'll be getting my steps in visiting some of the neat railfanning locations in Washington, DC.

24-08-17 VIDEOS: Fire Up Pittston

Looks like its time to fire up Reading and Northern T-1 class 4-8-4 #2102 for another main line steam excursion in the anthracite coal region of eastern Pennsylvania. This year the August offering for the RBMN's Iron Horse Ramble was a round trip from the new Nesquehoning Regional Transportation Centre to the end of their Main Line in Pittston, PA such that the railfans could spend a few hours enjoying Pittston's annual Tomatoe Festival (which started in 1983 when the decline in coal mining required a rebranding). Because I still need some time to finish the photos I'll be starting things off with a video post.

Sitting on the left hand side of the train, which would face the Lehigh River on the outbound trip, I chose to focus on still photos due to the superior scenery and lighting. The exception to the aforementioned scenery was the part of the trip between Glen Okono and CP-M&H JCT, which is located on the east side of the Lehigh River. Also lacking signals to photograph, I turned my digital camera to its video mode.



Once back across to the east side of the Lehigh River I switched over to stills and allowed my travel buddy Ferrocastor to shoot phone video as he saw fit. The grades on this part of the trip had former Reading T-1 #2102 working hard as it used its full 5000hp to elevate the 19 car consist.



After arriving at Pittston and spending the better part of 4 hours eating Old Forge style Pizza and associated carnival food, it was time to return to the Nesquehoning Regional Transportation Centre. There we found #2102 getting some mid-run TLC from the crews including an ash pan wash.



The locomotive then ran lite up the north end of the yard to fetch the 19-car consist for the return trip south. Most of the standard fare coaches were former Reading "Blueliner" electric MU's built in the 1930's. If one wanted to pay more to not hear or feel the main line steam action, one could ride in one of the post-war "lightweight" cars towards the end.



Intending to capture most of the return trip on video I pulled out my trusty old GoPro and got to work. This first part covers the most dramatic part of the trip as T-1 #2102 attacks the stiff grade of the old LVRR Mountain Cutoff between Pittston and Mountain Top, PA. North of CP-LAUREL RUN the former Conrail Lehigh Line switches to the old Central RR of NJ Alignment to its yard at Mountain Top where we pause to take on water.



All topped up with water, #2102 and friends depart Mountain Top under the old CNJ signal bridge and proceed to the community of White Haven, PA where the Lehigh Line shifts back to the former Lehigh Valley RR alignment. Note the square CNJ mileposts.



Back in the scenic Lehigh Gorge I get to face the cliffs and forests due to the RAMB spinning the entire trainset at Pittston. This video covers the former Conrail Lehigh Line from White Haven to CP-M&H JCT.



Crossing the river I get to pair my earlier video with its opposite facing towards the Lehigh River and the parallel CNJ bike trail located between the river and the LVRR. The video finishes up with our train taking the sweeping curve of the brand new bridge to connect the northern and southern ends of the Reading and Northern Main Line.



From this point on I already had video coverage of #2102 hauling a similar Ramble back in 2022 so I shut down the studio to enjoy the final few miles into the Nesquehoning RTC. Tune in next week for the equally exciting and informative still photos from this trip.

24-08-10 PHOTOS: Columbia Ave

When Amtrak re-signaled the Connecting Railway between ZOO and NORTH PHILADELPHIA interlockings around 2005, the short block distances resulted in a split signal arrangement with brand new 4-track gantries erected at Columbia Ave (eastbound) and Susquehanna Ave (westbound). The Milepost 86.8 signal bridge at Columbia Ave in particular was less than a half mile away from MANTUA interlocking's westbound signal bridge creating a high quality viewing location from the Oxford Ave road bridge that sat between the two signal locations. It was this area that I set out to explore ( mirror ) in August of 2024.

First one has to get to Philly, which in this case involved catching an Amtrak Regional at BWI and then the SEPTA connection to suburban. Locomotives encountered include MARC SC44 #87, the class leading Acela trainset with power car #2000, Amtrak ACS-86 #634 and SEPTA Silverliner IV #435.

The Connecting Railway portion of the NEC hosts the standard list of Amtrak trains plus SEPTA R7 Trenton and R8 Chestnut Hill West service, NJT Atlantic City Line trains and Conrail freight trains to Frankford Jct and Pavonia Yard. Here an eastbound SEPTA R7 with Silverliner V equipment rolls by taking the Clear signal indication on track #1.

This was followed by northbound Regional with Veterans ACS-86 #642
and a northbound Silver Meteor Train 98 with ACS-86 #628.





Track #1 is also used for the Atlantic City trains like this southbound example with Comet V cab car #6019 and GP40PH-2B #4204.

A southbound Acela showed up with power cars #2024 and #2021.

As freight traffic on the NEC's center tracks was replaced by high speed passenger trains in the 1970's, Amtrak had to essentially undo many of the PRR era infrastructure optimizations that separated freight and passenger traffic. One of these was at ZOO interlocking where the center tracks would lead to the freight only High Line forcing high speed passenger trains on track #3 to make a 30mph diverging movement to track #4. Amtrak remedied this situation by re-aligning the track to make track #3 take a straight route towards 30th St station and the "local" track #4 the diverging route. This sort of realignment is known as a "poor man's high speed turnout".

The Acela action resulted in this southbound Amtrak Regional with ACS-86 #640 to run on track #4.

Up next was on track #3 was ACS-86 #611 at the head of another long southbound Regional.

This was followed by a northbound Acela with power cars #2019 and #2012.

As the Acela rolled past a CSX transfer run between Pavonia and South Philly showed up with ES44AH #728, ES44AH #957 and SD40-2 #8881.

Amtrak tends to run SEPTA R8 Hill West trains out on track #2 to reduce the number of route conflicts. Here SEPTA Silverliners IV #313 and #12 take the Approach Slow indication for the slow speed diverging route onto the Chestnut Hill West Line at LEHIGH interlocking.

The SEPTA R8 move forced an eastbound Keystone with ACS-86 #632 over to track #1 while the CSX manifest freight waited for a signal at CP-PARK.

I waited around a bit, but the CSX transfer run was stuck fast and I ended up needing to wrap things up.

I did have a friend with me on this trip and they were able to get video of most of the train movements which I have compiled into a short montage.



Heading home to New Jersey my eastbound PATCO train made an unscheduled employee stop at the yet-to-be-opened Franklin Square station.



I'll close things out with this cool reflection of 1 Liberty Place across from the old PRR Suburban Station building.

Make sure you tune in next week as we fire up Reading #2102 for a round trip ramble to the Pittston Tomatoe Festival.