22-08-13 VIDEOS: Fire Up 2102 With 425

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.

22-08-13 PHOTOS: Fire Up 2102 With 425

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.

RBMN SW1500 #1548 hanging out at Mach Chunk.

22-03-17 PHOTOS: TexRail

For all of its car culture and highway building sprees, the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has some pretty comprehensive rail transit. Not only does Dallas have the fairly expansive DART light rail system and a pair of streetcar routes, but there is also a traditional commuter line to Fort Worth and two DMU based rail lines that connect Denton to Dallas and Fort Worth to Grapevine/DFW Airport. The latter, known as TexRail, opened in 2019 and in the spring of 2022 I was given an opportunity to ride it. Other topics covered in this photo set ( mirror ) include some general DART and Dallas Union Station stuff as well as TRE and the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center.

Arriving in from Love Field via a DART Orange Line train on LRV #163 seen here at the St. Paul St station. The city was much emptier than pre-COVID and like many other cities transit ridership had collapsed.

The next morning I headed to Union Station to catch the TRE commuter line to Fort Worth. F59PH #121 was hanging out with a typically short TRE consist.

I went to go get some breakfast a diner across the street and when I returned #121 had been replaced by #124 and an eastbound Union Pacific freight was passing through through with ES44AC #5515 leading and AC4400 #6457 behind.

Even in the spring of 2022, in Texas, COVID safety theatre was still a thing with a chain keeping people away from the cab car cab and thus preventing any photos being taken out the front or back.

While passing through Mockingbird yard my TRE train encountered a Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad RP20BD genset.

Although the terminal for TRE and TexRail is at the more downtown Texas and Pacitic Station, I got off at the newer intermodal transportation center as there was simply more there to see and do. TexRail makes use of eight Stadler DMU trainsets with 4 coach sections and one central power unit. Although FRA "complaint", and thus able to run on the same tracks as TRE, TexRail trainsets make use of semi-high platforms and require a separate berthing area as can be seen with #108 here.

21-09-11 PHOTOS: Ayer

During the Fall 2021 New England Trip I scheduled a day of general sightseeing and railfan activity, starting off at the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, NH, then dropping by the Conway Scenic in North Conway, NH, before finally getting some photos of endangered signaling at Ayer and Lowell, MA on the former Guilford Rail System Freight Main Line. The weather that day was indicative of why New England is such a popular fall travel destination with cool temperatures and outstanding light. The full set of photos from this day can be found here ( mirror ).

The Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad, known as the Hobo Railroad in the tourist trade it runs the typical mix of classic railcars behind a modern diesel backed up by a bunch of more interesting equipment in the yard. Chief amoung these is about half of the New Haven vintage 6-car Roger Williams trainset built by the Budd Company in 1956 using RDC technology. Similar in appearance and performance to New Haven't other post-war lightweight trainset, the Speed Merchant, the concept ultimately proved to be unsuccessful and the trainset was split up with the cars used in normal RDC services into the 70's and 80's. The Hobo Railroad owns the two cab cars and one intermediate car.

Hobo also hosts the more traditional NH RDC, #41.

A pair of ex-Santa Fe Highliners round out the Budd built equipment in storage.

GP9 #1921 is painted in Boston and Maine colors, but was actually a former Great Northern unit, obtained after a stint at the MBTA.

SW1000 #105 was purchased from the New Orleans Public Belt in 2020 and used to replace the former excursion mainstay, Alco S1 #958.

The standard Hobo RR tourist trainset includes an ex-Reading RR RDC in MBTSA paint, but retaining its original number of 9154.

21-03-11 PHOTOS: Tennessee Pass Line

Punching a rail lone through the Rockies is no easy feat. Today the preferred route is going around the mountains via the Union Pacific Main Line over Sherman Hill or the BNSF routes further north or south. If one absolutely has to go through the Rockies, the Moffat Tunnel route exists for trains traveling west of Denver. However the Moffat tunnel was completed in 1927 so what did one do before that? Well the original route through the Rockies was via the Arkansas River valley and the Tennessee pass. I have previously covered both the Moffat Tunnel and the Tennessee Pass in a previous post, but today I will take a closer look at the Tennessee Pass line on its eastern approach to the summit and what it's been up to since Union Pacific suspended service in 1997. Also included are photos off the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad yard in Alamosa, CO before its collection of passenger were auctioned off in bankruptcy in 2021. The full set of photos can be located here ( mirror ).

Like I said in the intro, the Tennessee Pass like has been out of service since 1997 after Union Pacific saw no need for a second route between Denver and Salt Lake City. Previously the line had belonged to the Denver Rio Grande and Western, a corporate entity that also owned Southern Pacific. Union Pacific had envied a takeover of SP due to SPs ownership of the Oakland Container terminal and had gone as far to use some underhanded tactics to block the ATSF merger of the 1980s TLDR, the Rio Grand route across Colorado was an afterthought for UP and the Tennessee Pass line was removed from service, but not abandoned because it could serve as an emergency backup in case the Moffat Tunnel suffered a catastrophic failure.

Today the Tennessee Pass line is a railroad preserved in amber. Not only is it protected against re-signaling protects or PTC, but the arid mountain climate literally protects the infrastructure from rot and corrosion. Everything was left in place from the rails to the signals to the interlocking appliances. Here we see the signals at the west end of the Nathrop siding and an example of why The West is such an amazing place.

The relay hut was unsecured and although scrappers had hit the coils and the wire, the relays themselves were piled, unbroken, in a corner.

The Arkansas River defined the Rio Grand's first assault on the Rockies. The biggest problem is that trains can only access this route from Pueblo, 120 miles south of Denver.

It seems these days I can't do any railfanning without spotting a bald eagle. The bald eagle population has quadrupled since 2009.

Being into infrastructure renders "out of service" meaningless. East end of the Nathrop siding.

Don't let the Vader hoods fool you. These signals are old school GRS Type D's, not Safetran CLS-20s seen here at the east end of the Brown Canyon siding.

In the age before radio readouts, detect detectors had to use wayside indicators like this blue strobe light at the Milepost 2218 intermediate signals,.

The line was also a superb reservoir of General Railway Signal Model 5D point machines. The 5D can be differentiated from the later 5H by the presence of a braking clutch box on the motor.

Salida, Colorado is one of the larger communities on the Tennessee Pass. The town celebrates its heritage with a large white S on an adjacent mountain in addition to a former DRGW caboose. Salida was the base for most of the DRG&W's narrow Gauge operations that served small mining communities throughout the Colorado Rockies.

21-02-20 PHOTOS: East Broad Top Winter Fest

The East Broad Top railroad in Rockhill Furnace, PA is a narrow gauge steam tourist railroad that was preserved in 1956 by the scrap merchant that bought the entire railroad after's its closure. The railroad was then run by the Kovalchick family as a steam tourist operation until 2009 when the family decided that they wanted to focus on other things. At that point there was a real risk that the entire operation would be scrapped for real, but a "Friends Of" group managed to raise the money to purchase the property outright in 2020. In 2021, after a good deal of work to bring the physical plant up to a state of minimum repair, the EBT partly re-opened for its traditional Winter Festival offering rides on its Brill gas-electric motor car. Since I had nothing better to do that weekend I put on my coat and hit the road. The full set of photos can be found here ( mirror ).

The southern end of the EBT bars the name of Orbisonia, PA, despite the fact that it is across the river in Rockhill Furnace. I arrived to find the small inspection car, M-3, in front of the station while the larger gas electric Brill car, M-1, was still out on an excursion run.

The EBT shares some infrastructure with the adjacent Rockhill Trolley Museum, that has been operating since 1960. Although focused on Central PA cities like Johnstown, the trolley museum draws equipment from all over including former Newark City Subway PCC #6.

Rockhill has perhaps the most modern preserved streetcar in the United States with former San Diego Trolley Siemens–Duewag U2 #1019, seen here next to former York streetcar #163. #1019 was traded to the museum for a number of PCCs and PCC parts so that San Diego could run a historic streetcar service on a downtown loop.

Due to the crowds for the EBT event, Rockhill was running multiple cars that day including former Johnstown trolley #355.

EBT motor car M-1 was discharging at the trolley museum after each of its runs. Unlike most other examples of this type, I believe M-1 was still operating its its original gasoline engine, despite its age and risk of fire. The sound, smell and sight of steam from the cooling system were all indications of this.

Shortly thereafter #163 and Johnstown car #311 also came out to join the party.

The EBT was also doing shop tours and narrow gauge GE 44-ton M-7 was idling outside.

EBT M-1 was running with caboose #28 to accommodate as many riders as possible. Due to Covid and the truncated nature of the Brill car runs, I saw no reason to buy a ticket and ride that day as there would be plenty more and better EBT excursions in the future.

The EBT line parallels US 522 to the former PRR interchange in Mount Union, however since 1960 the line has only been operated to the Colagate Grove picnic area and wye about 3.5 miles north of Rockhill. Today the excursions were only going about 1.5 miles to the line's "summit", but there were ample locations along the route for photos. This location was across from the local hotel on Route 522.

A grade crossing over the driveway of the local water treatment plant allows one to avoid parking on the shoulder of US 522.