I have a confession to make, I'm not a steam enthusiast in the way most railfans are steam enthusiasts. For steam people if something goes "chug chug", its an excuse to drive at unsafe speeds and elbow others out of the way to get that perfectly composed photo that looks like everyone else's perfectly composed photo. When I have been in the company of steam excursions it has been to ride the excursion to get both covered in cinders and get an open window view of the line and by extension its pieces of historic infrastructure. However when riding a RBMN #2102 excursion to Pittston in 2024 I was able to make note of the surviving CNJ searchlight signal locations on the former Conrail Lehigh Line. So since I was obviously going to have to come out again to photo these signals, why not do it in conjunction with a #2102 trip and generate some content that everybody can enjoy? So anyway here are photos from my first time being trackside for a man line steam excursion.
Like I said, my primary mission that day was to get photos of former Central RR of NJ searchlight signals between White Haven and Mountain Top. After the CNJ abandoned operations west (north) of Lehighton in the 1960's, the Lehigh Valley RR incorporated this section of the CNJ route due to its superior alignment and industrial connections. The CNJ vintage searchlights were distinctive for having a square "basket" like structure around each maintenance platform. Here we see the Milepost 146 southbound intermediate signal displaying an Approach indication for the holdout signal at CP-WHITE HAVEN. The former CNJ signals are normally dark, but will illuminate when a route has been established by the dispatcher.
At first I was confused why the Reading and Northern was running a southbound train within an hour of the northbound 2102 excursion. It turns out the signal was for the "regularly scheduled" Pittston to Mach Chunk diesel hauled excursion train featuring Reading and Northern 40th anniversary GP38-2 #2023, which I caught at the northbound Milepost 148 signal.
As expected the previously dark northbound signal popped up with a Clear signal indication for #2102. I could hear the engine approaching in the distance when what I will call the "traveling circus" of train chasers began to show up with their tripods. When #2105 did arrive it was applying all 5000 of its horsepower to muscle the 21 cars of the excursion train up the stiff grade. This spectacle was quite a bit more thrilling trackside and made it easy to understand what was motivating the traveling circus to chase these trains again and again.
The R&N's latest innovation in making money is open observation car #22 which offers a premium view to those lucky enough to grab one of the 30 tickets available for each departure. Not going to lie, but #22 is definitely on my radar for a future trip, even if it covers territory I have already traveled.
In recent years I have been using the Thanksgiving travel season to document more of the signaling on the Reading and Northern main line which now runs between Reading and Scranton on former Reading, CNJ and Lehigh Valley trackage. These trips provide me the chance to catch some action on the old PRR Main Line near Harrisburg as well as the RBMN's Scranton to Mach Chunk excursion service in the Poconos. 2024 was no different and I came away with ( mirror ) an informal train chase between CP-ROCKVILLE and CP-CANNON as well as RBMN photos at CP-LAUREL RUN.
My first goal was to catch Amtrak's westbound Pennsylvanian Train 43. Arriving at a highway overpass at the eastern end of CP-ROCKVILLE, I saw NS AC44C6M locomotives #4314 and #4256 moving slowly towards a Restricting signal indication ahead on track #2 of a manifest freight consist. A Clear signal on track #1 was presumably for the Pennsylvanian.
My assessment proved accurate when Train 43 arrived on the scene with P42DC #119 and pulled past the NS freight.
While I knew there was no way I could catch up with the Pennsylvanian, the NS freight was still moving at a crawl so I jumped in my car and hightailed it across the Susquehanna River to CP-BANKS.
Since it was still moving pretty slowly I figured I could get ahead of it again at the old Cove, PA signal location. Sure enough when I got there I saw an approaching headlight, but to my surprise instead of the pair of AC44C6M's and trash cubes, I saw NS SD70ACe #1149 and AC44C6M #4190 ahead of a different manifest freight on track #1. This train was likely running ahead of the one I had previously seen, which explained the Restricting signal indication, and then crossed over to Track #1 at CP-BANKS.
As it slowly moved passed, likely still on signals for Train 43 ahead of it, #4314 and #4256 appeared again, still on track #2 and making up ground on the train in track #1.
The Reading and Northern continues to be the only bright spot when it comes to interesting signaling with its deployment of CTC and use of both searchlights an recovered Reading vintage hardware like bracket masts. Over the last few years I have been making regular incursions into Reading country to document this signaling, but with all of the low hanging fruit now harvested I have been having to travel a bit further onto the former Lehigh Valley portion of their "Main Line" between North Reading and Pittston. In the winter of 2023 I used a trip to see my vintage radio/TV and railfan friend Phil, to access the former Conrail Lehigh Line passing point around Mountain Top, PA with its associated interlockings, block signals and RBMN passenger operations. You can find the full gallery of these photos here ( mirror ).
On my way up to the East Branch Susquehanna valley I stopped off at CP-ROCKVILLE north of Harrisburg to catch the late running eastbound Amtrak Pennsylvanian Train 42 as it came off the famed Rockville Bridge with P42DC #104 leading.
I stopped off in Sunbury, PA to hike out and photograph the surviving D&H bracket mast on what is now the NS Sunbury Line. Previously serving as the southbound signal for a CTC siding, the old signal was converted into a fixed distant for CP-KASE on the NS Buffalo Line when D&H successor Canadian Pacific downgraded this part of the line to TWC. More recently NS removed the bracket and fixed searchlight from service to be replaced by one of its own standard cabinet masts.
The next morning I drive directly to CP-SOLOMON at Mountain Top, PA where I was greeted by a former New Haven RR cabin car #C566 which had been acquired by a local preservation group and set up to honor the various coal region railroads. Members of the group were on hand to set up an extensive holiday display, which seemed to be the justification for the ample parking facilities.
A Clear signal indication was displaying on the 2E searchlight mast at CP-SOLOMON for the morning run of the Reading Northern's weekend Pittston to Mach Chunk tourist train via the Lehigh Gorge. Historic Mach Chunk has emerged as a significant food and shopping destination as well as a gateway to the Pocono outdoor recreation scene and the RBMN now serves the community with weekend/holiday passenger services from both the north and south. The name CP-SOLOMON is in reference to Solomon's Gap, the geologic feature that both the Lehigh Valley and Central RR of NJ took advantage of to access the Wyoming Valley coal fields and the Scranton metropolitan area.
The three car train of Budd lightweight stock was being easily handled up the stiff grade by R&N GP38-2 #2023. When Conrail came on the scene it used the best parts of the former CNJ and LVRR main lines to create its new Lehigh Line. The alignment changes from CNJ to LVRR just north of the rock cut seen in the photo.
R&N #3023 and the southbound train to Mach Chunk passing through CP-SOLOMON.
As the Reading the Northern continues to expand its use of CTC on former Reading and CNJ territory in the eastern PA anthracite coal region I am provided with the increasingly rare opportunity to get photos of new signals that have been recently installed as opposed to those that are on track for removal. Just before Thanksgiving 2022 I undertook a little road trip to document two of the four searchlight signal locations that were installed around 2018 in addition to an interlocking and controlled point I had spotted from the 2102 fantrip earlier in the year. While out on the road I ran into the usual mix of Reading and Northern motive power. You can find the full set of photos here ( mirror ).
On my way up to the Coal Region I stopped off at CP-CANNON on the former PRR Main Line just in time to catch the westbound Amtrak Pennsylvanian Train 43 with P42DC #125 leading and PRR Office Car #7503 on the rear.
I was able to spend the night with my rail buddy Phil who has a collection of vintage electric locomotive documentation.
The first stop the next morning was the Milepost 712 southbound distant signal for the CTC island on the former D&H Main Line to Sunbury near Nescopeck, PA. NS recently purchased the line and re-signaled both interlockings at either end of the passing siding, but the two automatic distants remain D&H era solid state Unilens searchlights.
Next stop was the Reading and Northern Milepost 108 (from Reading Terminal) traditional searchlight distant to HAUCKS interlocking. Located just about a mile north of the famous Hometown Viaduct, this signal marks the current northern extent of the R&N's CTC project between North Reading and Mach Chunk. The 20 mile gap of non-signaled DCS territory will likely be filled in the coming years as it is increasingly used by the railroad's popular excursion services. The road bridge just north of the signal location is popular with railfans photographing the R&N's steam trains.
The milepost 102 intermediate signals are located a few miles south of MAHANOY JCT interlocking that I was able to document on a previous trip . Here, the southbound searchlight mast is displaying a Clear indication for an approaching local freight.
The local consisted of two engines, SD40-2 #3068 and SD38 #2004, hauling 4 cars back to Tamaqua Yard. Never a popular model, #2004 is one of just a handful of non-dash 2 SD38's still in existence.
In the second part of my 2022 Reading #2102 / RBMN #425 double header Iron Horse Ramble I will be covering my audio/video content from the trip. For those who missed it, Part 1 with the still photos can be found here. This was the 3rd of 4 inaugural #2102 fantrips put on by the Reading and Northern and the only one not associated with a major holiday, instead celebrating RBMN owner Andy Muller's birthday. On the outbound leg of the trip between North Reading and Mach Chunk via Port Clinton and Tamaqua I used my still camera in video mode while on the return I used a fixed lens GoPro. Between the runs I also got a few additional videos of the goings on at Mach Chunk.
I'll kick things off with a "best of" compilation of video taken out of the right hand side window of Lackawanna MU car #308, 4 cars back behind Reading and Northern #2102 and #425. The video clips include:
Departure from North Reading Yard past the NRFF painted SD50 protect engines and railfan viewing platform at Tuckahoe Road.
Arrival at and departure from Port Clinton including both PULPIT and CLINT controlled points.
Passage through New Ringgold, PA.
Passage through South Tamaqua and the south end of the Tamaqua Yard.
Passage through the north end of Tanaqua Yard and downtown Tamaqua, PA.
Passage through East Mahanoy Jct
Passage through Nesquehoning, PA.
Arrival at CNJ Mach Chunk (Jim Thorpe) station.
Climbing out of the Lehigh Valley on the former CNJ Nesquehoning Branch.
As you can see the number of chasers was absolutely insane with all of the associated car pacing and stepladders.
Here we see Reading and Northern T-1 #2102 and Pacific #425 reverse the long August 13th Iron Horse Ramble train after discharging passengers at the Jim Thorpe Station for a 4 hour intermission between the outbound and return legs of the excursion. The 18 car trainset would be turned on the wye formed by the recently constructed bridge over the Lehigh River allowing a direct connection between the former CNJ Nesquehoning Branch and the former Conrail Lehigh Line.
Reading and Northern T-1 #2102 and Pacific #425 move from their cab tour positions just north of the Jim Thorpe station to be recouped to the August 13th Iron Horse Ramble train that had been parked to the south of the station just prior to the photo run-by. The cab tours were part of the activities available during the 4 hour intermission.
Here Reading and Northern T-1 #2102 and Pacific #425 perform the requisite photo run-by at the former CNJ Mach Chunk passenger station at the conclusion of the intermission.
The first GoPro video covers the return portion of the ride between the famous Hometown Viaduct and the Milepost 102 intermediate signal. As with the previous side window videos the camera was held outside of the #308 Lackawanna MU, 4 cars back from the locomotive on the right hand side. This video includes views into the Little Schuylkill River valley some 130 feet below Hometown Viaduct and the interlockings at HAUCKS and EAST MAHANOY JCT. The RBMN signal department made use of period correct searchlight and color light signals on what was the first segment of restored CTC signaling between North Reading and Jim Thorpe Jct.
The second GoPro video covers the action from just before the Tamaqua Tunnel, through downtown Tamaqua and through South Tamaqua Yard to the curve at the coal yard. Note the milepost 99 searchlit intermediate signal as well as TAMAQUA and EQUILATERAL interlockings.
The third GoPro video video captures the route from the photogenic S-curve at Copperhead Chemical in Atlas through the town of New Ringgold to the Milepost 87 intermediate signal. New Ringgold was a popular photo location for train chasers as PA state highway 895 provided a straight shot to catch the train again near Molino.
The final GoPro video begins right before the small town of Drehersville and continued through Molino to the RBMN steam servicing facility at Port Clinton where #2101 and #425 were pulled off to be wyed. Note the monster photo line set up on a small farm road a bit before passing the surviving Reading Railroad passenger shelter at Molino.
Well I hope you enjoyed all of the photos and videos from this trip. Next time I'll be back with coverage of SEPTA's opening day service to the new Wawa, PA station.
I haven't been the biggest steam excursion enthusiast. Although broadly popular within the railfan community for all of the pomp and circumstance associated with steam locomotion, they tend to be limited to tourist/shortlines and their popularity means that any resulting content will be in no way unique and not as good as those with much more expensive camera equipment (or drones). However in 2021 I was given the opportunity to attend a CNJ 113 trip on Reading Blue Mountain and Northern trackage in the former Reading RR coal region and I had a standout experience given RBMN management's pro-railfan attitude even compared to steam tourist operations like Strasburg. When RBMN announced their new series of steam excursions for the 2022 season featuring rebuilt Reading T-1 class 4-8-4 #2102 I purchased a ticket for the August seating. This turned out to be particularly fortunate as RBMN later sweetened the deal by adding 4-6-2 #426 to the consist for a rare steam doubleheader. Anyway here are the photos ( mirror )from the August 2022 RBMN Iron Horse ramble with videos to follow in a later post.
Upon the advice of Kevin Painter I arrived early enough to get a parking spot and seated myself in former Reading MU car #308, located 4 cars back from the engines, when boarding opened just a few minutes later. As I was unable to secure myself a partner for the trip I could not leave the seat to get initial terminal photos at the North Reading passenger station.
The doubleheader increased the number of trackside photographers and train chasers and made for large crowds at every location with easy vehicle access such as the Main Street grade crossing in Leesport, PA.
For those riding behind, curves near the town of Berne allowed for our first view of the two leading engines.
Making a station stop at Port Clinton to pick up additional passengers.
I was excited about the trip as it would allow photos of some of the RBMN's recent CTC signals like these examples at mileposts 84, 87 and 91.
A double S-Curve near the old Atlas chemical plant was the official location for excursion passengers to get running photos of the engines.
Here we see the duo passing through South Tamaqua Yard.
Although a feature of the regularly scheduled RBMN steam and RDC excursions, I had never been across the Hometown viaduct north of Tamaqua. Built by the CNJ to connect with its corporate parent at Haucks, economic conditions including reductions in anthracite coal use prevented the planned second track from being constructed.
Passing the signal at JIM THORPE JCT, the excursion is approaching its layover/shore activity at the town of Mach Chunk. The RBMN recently completed a new bridge over the Lehigh River that allows through freights to run between Reading and Scranton without a reverse move. It also created a turning wye that can be used by steam locomotives, like 2102, that are too large for the old Mach Chunk turntable. JIM THORPE JCT also marks the northern end of the last gap in CTC coverage on the RBMN's hybrid main line.
In the winter of 2022 I finally made it out to the famous Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson, PA. Although closer in proximity to me than many of the sights in central and western Pennsylvania, Scranton was just not a place I had either the ability or motivation to visit until recently when Subchat buddy Phil N moved into the area. Phil was nice enough to drive me around to both the viaduct and a variety of signal locations over the course of a day, and although I got about 1000 infrastructure photos we scored a goose egg for actual train movements. Fortunately another Subchat buddy, Kevin Painter, was able to bail me out with not only the usual tour of Reading and Northern equipment at North Reading, but also an introduction to the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, PA. You can view the lengthy set of photos here ( mirror )with the non-signal stuff all the way at the bottom.
The Tunkhannock Viaduct, sometimes known as the Nicholson Viaduct or Nicholson Bridge due to the community it spans, is typically viewed as a singular achievement of railroad engineering. In actuality it was just the showpiece of a far larger project initiated by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1915. The Clark's Summit-Hallstead Cutoff (aka the Pennsylvania Cutoff or Nicholson Cutoff) was the second great construction project undertaken by the DL&W shortly before The Great War (the first being the famous Slateford cutoff in New Jersey that proceeded the PA cutoff by a few years) and replaced over 40 miles of the 1850's era alignment with a brand new, high speed and low grade main line. The viaduct, measuring 2,375 feet in length and 240 feet above the ground at its highest point, was necessary to traverse the Tunkhannock Creek at an elevation sufficient to free the railroad from having to follow the path of existing rivers just north of Scranton.
Fueled by the flush profits transporting premium home heating coal at the turn of the century, the DL&W had the financial resources to not only reconstruct its greater Pocono region main lines, but also use the era's high tech wonder material, reinforced concrete. It would be the bridge's 167,000 cubic yards of concrete that would make it such an iconic and imposing presence compared to a similar bridge of steel beams.
The bridge consists of 10 spans, 9 piers and 2 abutments, all made from reinforced concrete. At the time of construction it was the largest concrete structure in the world and is likely still one of the largest concrete bridges in the world.
Although still branded Lackawanna, the DL&W Main Line did not survive the 1960 Erie Lackawanna merger with most traffic transferring to the Erie side. The Conrail merger of 1976 saw the line pass to the Delaware and Hudson, which was able to abandon its own less efficient Scranton-Binghampton route. In the 90's the D&H was sold to Canadian Pacific before ultimately falling under the umbrella of Norfolk Southern in the 2014.
The scope of the cutoff can be seen at other points along the line where local roads have to literally tunnel through the massive embankments.
The DL&W applied its use of reinforced concrete technology to everything, including station buildings and interlocking towers. Here the station in Glenburn, PA has been repurposes as public works offices with EL caboose #C267 on display nearby.
Moving down to North Reading the next morning, Kevin and I encountered the NRFF lashup awaiting its departure with GP38-2 #2014 on the tail end behind the two NRFF painted SD50s.
