What is the "Cliff Note" version on the history of the Reader? I know they ran mixed trains for a while in the late 60's. Then they seemed to go all tourist. Was it the same ride? The same people?

I've always been a bit curious...

-Alan Levy

AlanL759@aol.com

I don't know the full history of the place, but can tell you first hand we rode the train in 1963 on the way to Mexico. It started as a tourist train with a coach and a caboose(2-6-2 #11), then
we stopped and did some switching, and brought some tank cars back. Oil business or some liquid!
I was pretty young but my dad got a tiny bit of movies, and I got a couple B&W's from my junker camera. #11 is sitting in Paris, KY as far as I knew. She put on a fine shot on the ex-L&N line there operating as Kentucky Central for about 5 years(1989-93).

Sorry I can't be more help on Reader. I think your assumption is about right, that it went all tourist at the end when the freight business ceased, but not sure.
Greg Scholl

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> I don't know the full history of the place,
> but can tell you first hand we rode the
> train in 1963 on the way to Mexico. It
> started as a tourist train with a coach and
> a caboose(2-6-2 #11), then
> we stopped and did some switching, and
> brought some tank cars back. Oil business or
> some liquid!
> I was pretty young but my dad got a tiny bit
> of movies, and I got a couple B&W's from
> my junker camera. #11 is sitting in Paris,
> KY as far as I knew. She put on a fine shot
> on the ex-L&N line there operating as
> Kentucky Central for about 5 years(1989-93).

> Sorry I can't be more help on Reader. I
> think your assumption is about right, that
> it went all tourist at the end when the
> freight business ceased, but not sure.
> Greg Scholl
Blow the dust off those old copies of L & RP you may have stashed away....They had an excellent article on the history of the Reader in one of their issues.

drotarinoh@webtv.net

The Old Reader used to advertise in the Guide of the '60 and '70 as "The last remaining regularly scheduled mixed train drawn exclusively by steam locomotives". They had three engines: 2-6-2s numbers 11 and 108 and 2-8-0 number 1702.

At the time, all you had to do was ask and sign a waiver to ride in the cab. I had the pleasure of riding on all three.

That Reader closed down, the engines and cars were sold and much of the tracks were taken up after the asphalt refinery at closed down.

A new Reader was formed with new engines (two from the famed Moscow, Camden & San Augustine collection in Camden Texas), and the MC&SA wood combine.

There was some talk a few years ago about moving the collection to Plano, Texas, but I think that is not active now.

http://http://www.doradoodlebug.com/
gbrewer@yahoo.com

As I remember they had literature with the nickname "The Oppossum Trot Route" or something like that. They even had one of those lovely critters on the logo. Lucky they did serve them in the dining car,eh!
Greg Scholl

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sales@gregschollvideo.com

> As I remember they had literature with the
> nickname "The Oppossum Trot Route"
> or something like that. They even had one of
> those lovely critters on the logo. Lucky
> they did serve them in the dining car,eh!
> Greg Scholl

Should be didn't serve them....
I should proof this stuff once in a while!
GS


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sales@gregschollvideo.com

"The Possum Trot Line" is correct. They had no dining car, but did serve limited food in the depot at Waterloo.

On my first trip (Feb. 1964), I was the only passenger and rode in the ex-Milwaukee combine behind No. 11. We stopped for lunch at the little Depot at Waterloo. There was nothing else there except for some outdoor picnic tables and a wye. The fireman challenged me to a game of checkers. After being thoroughly beaten, I learned that he was the county champion.

We waited past our departure time until a little rain shower had subsided and then set off to switch the refinery before heading home to Reader.

On all my trips, I believe, the engineer was a Mr. Adams. He was a real hogger: when not running an engine he ran a hog farm.

I recall once seeing Mr. Long, the owner, helping switch cars.

gbrewer@yahoo.com

> "The Possum Trot Line" is correct.
> They had no dining car, but did serve
> limited food in the depot at Waterloo.

I realize they had no dining car(I was being cute with regard to the Possum entree).
Your description does ring a bell, with the combine and caboose, and the wye and picnic tables and refinery. Ah, the good ole days, eh!
Greg Scholl

Videos
sales@gregschollvideo.com

> I realize they had no dining car(I was being
> cute with regard to the Possum entree).
> Your description does ring a bell, with the
> combine and caboose, and the wye and picnic
> tables and refinery. Ah, the good ole days,
> eh!
> Greg Scholl
As I recall, all operations ceased when they ran afoul of our friends at the FRA, who shut them down for various safety violations. The owner filed suit, I believe, and lost big time.


Kevinmccabe@avenew.com

> As I recall, all operations ceased when they
> ran afoul of our friends at the FRA, who
> shut them down for various safety
> violations. The owner filed suit, I believe,
> and lost big time.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people who know absolutely nothing about Reader Railroad yet seem to be experts at our dealings. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN CITED NOR HAVE WE EVER BEEN FINED FOR ANY SAFETY VIOLATIONS BY ANYONE. The FRA and Reader RR enjoy a good working relationship. As we have always been on our own hook as far as financing is concerned, we have had to take a slow process to get all of our equipment under the new rules. We have, for the past several years been mainly involved in various movie projects using our equipment, the latest being O Brother Where Art Thou? While our other equipment is being brought under the new rules, our #4 is under lease, along with some of our passenger equipment, to the Mt Dora Scenic RR in Florida


lorija799@aol.com

> It never ceases to amaze me how many people
> who know absolutely nothing about Reader
> Railroad yet seem to be experts at our
> dealings. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN CITED NOR HAVE
> WE EVER BEEN FINED FOR ANY SAFETY VIOLATIONS
> BY ANYONE. The FRA and Reader RR enjoy a
> good working relationship. As we have always
> been on our own hook as far as financing is
> concerned, we have had to take a slow
> process to get all of our equipment under
> the new rules. We have, for the past several
> years been mainly involved in various movie
> projects using our equipment, the latest
> being O Brother Where Art Thou? While our
> other equipment is being brought under the
> new rules, our #4 is under lease, along with
> some of our passenger equipment, to the Mt
> Dora Scenic RR in Florida

My apologies if I mischaracterized the case (it has been 9 years or so since I read it originally), but I've now refreshed my memory. In fact, Reader DID bring suit to avoid FRA regulation, and DID lose big time. The suit is particularly significant as it led directly to the current FRA regulation of tourist and museum operations, and was cited in, for example, the adoption of accident reporting rules that are applicable to all of us in the industry. The case was Historic Reader Foundation, Inc., Reader Industries, Inc., and Reader Railroad v. Skinner, U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas, Docket No. 91-1109, decided January 16, 1992. Reader argued that the FRA had no jurisdiction under the Constitution's Commerce Clause to regulate it or cite it for safety violations as it was merely an intrastate tourist railroad with "two steam locomotives [and] three antiquated passenger cars" offering a 3.2 mile excursion, with no connection to the general system and just one road crossing. The court disagreed entirely, and found that Reader affected interstate commerce and was thus within the FRA's regulatory ambit.

So my apologies for any mischaracterization based on my rapidly-aging memory. If you've got a good relationship with the FRA today, fantastic, and more power to you! But obviously, such was not always the case.

Kevinmccabe@avenew.com