Reading & Northern - West Cressona, Schuylkill Haven, and Port Clinton, PA 07-11-2017
1. Former Reading depot and Conrail yard office at West Cressona PA. R&N evidently uses it for MofW or signals.
2. Putting property to work, Reading & Northern has built a trans-load facility at West Cressona. Those RBMN hoppers are evidently stored. 07-11-2017.
3. R&N Cressona transload. View 2.
4. The Schuylkill Haven depot is now the headquarters of Reading & Northern / Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern’s passenger operations. The nearest track has been removed from Reading and Conrail days. Schuylkill Haven Heritage Trail.
5. Schuylkill Haven Reading depot informational plaque. Click here for a larger image.
6. Looking west toward West Cressona and Pottsville. R&N depot. Schuylkill Haven PA.
7. RBMN acquired these two F7As from the Southern Railroad of New Jersey. RBMN 251 in this New York, Ontario & Western scheme is ex-Bessemer & Lake Erie 728. Schuylkill Haven PA.
8. Former Southern Railroad of New Jersey 250 is ex-B&LE 727. Hopefully we will see these vintage F-units on the R&N in the future. RBMN F7a 250. Schuylkill Haven PA.
9. Schuylkill Haven crossing tower informational plaque. Click here for a larger image.
10. A model of C&O H-8 1625 in Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern’s ticket office!!!
11. R&N depot. Schuylkill Haven PA.
12. R&N depot. View 2. Schuylkill Haven PA.
13. We went on down the river to Reading & Northern’s headquarters at Port Clinton. R&N appreciates the coal companies that load anthracite coal on their system. R&N coal co signs.
14. RBMN SD50 5033, lettered for the Lehigh Gorge run, switches Port Clinton yard.
15. Reading had a tower here that controlled the junction of the Pottsville “main line” and the line to Tamaqua and eventually Williamsport (Newbury Jct.). It was quite a plant in its day. The signal bridge is a holdover. RBMN 5033. View 2. Port Clinton PA.
16. Most of the yard is around the curve to the east toward Reading. Looks like a SD50, SW1500 or MP15 and a GP39RN (GP30) at the shop. RBMN 5033 3057 2531. Port Clinton PA.
17. SD50 (ex-UP) drags out another cut of cars. RBMN 5033. View 3. Port Clinton PA.
18. I visited Reading Anthracite’s office in Pottsville. More on that later. RBMN 5033. View 4. Port Clinton PA.
19. RBMN SD50s 5017-5014 arrive with an eastbound freight from the Tamaqua-Jim Thorpe side with 11 cars. The engineer on 5033 had advised me that this train was coming and that Molino would be a good shot. It is, but my foolin’ around finding a place to park caused us to miss it. Port Clinton PA.
20. RBMN 5014-5017 set off their cars which will presumably be taken to Norfolk Southern in Reading later. View 2. Port Clinton PA.
21. RBMN Budd RDC-1 9168 is ex-SEPTA, exx-Penn Central, nee-New York Central. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail crosses here, and we saw numerous hikers come out of the woods and cross the railroad here. R&N terminal. Port Clinton PA.
22. R&N restored or replica of a famous Reading Co. “banjo” block signal. Port Clinton PA.
All for now.
Train images used by permission of Everett N Young