Until at least 1996 there was either a combination coach-baggage or baggage-RPO that was in use as a tool car by Septa in the coach yard immediately west of the upper level of 30th St. station. At that time it was still painted in the Septa circus scheme. At the time I spoke with the CMO of Septa's railroad division about it, who told me that it was still in service and that they had no immediate plans to dispose of it. Please let me know if you have any current information about it.

Additionally, Septa retains a Blueliner coach which they use in a wire train that operates on the former RDG lines. John Almeida, Oaks_Model_Railroad@RRMAIL.COM recently posted a picture of it to trainorders.com.

rrhistorian@hotmail.com

There Are Many But Here It Goes:
Reading Railroad Active - Locomotive Roster

Road Number Make Model Current Place
2100 BWD T1 Ontario,Canada
2101 BWD T1 Balitimore,MD
2102 BWD T1 Port Clinton,PA
2124 BWD T1 Scranton,PA
2768 EMD SW1500 Port Clinton,PA
2762 EMD SW1500 Port Clinton,PA
467 ALCO RS3 Jim Thorpe,PA
485 ALCO RS3 Leesport,PA
702 BWD DS4-4-1000 Leesport,PA
103 EMD NW2 Leesport,PA
5308 ALCO C630 Leesport,PA
5513 EMD GP30 Leesport,PA
5204 ALCO C424 Leesport,PA
900 EMD FP7A Leesport,PA
3640 EMD GP35 Leesport,PA
6300 GE U30C Leesport,PA
902 EMD FP7A NRHS
903 EMD FP7A NRHS
3401 - 3420 EMD GP39-2's CSX
3671 EMD GP40-2 NS
3674 EMD GP40-2 NS
3675 EMD GP40-2 NS
3672 EMD GP40-2 CSX
3673 EMD GP40-2 CSX
3637 EMD GP35 Metro North
3641 EMD GP35 Metro North
3603 EMD GP30 Eastern Idaho
3607 EMD GP30 Western Maryland Scenic
3617 EMD GP30 Indianna & Northeastern
2715 EMD SW1200 Diesel Supply
2716 EMD SW1200 Effingham
2719 EMD SW1200 Stockton Terminal & Eatern
---- EMD SW1001 Gennsee & Wyoming
---- EMD SW1001 Gennsee & Wyoming
---- EMD SW1001 Gennsee & Wyoming
---- EMD SW1001 Gennsee & Wyoming
---- EMD SW1500 Gennsee & Wyoming
---- EMD SW1500 Gennsee & Wyoming
---- EMD SW1500 Gennsee & Wyoming
* Note * - There Are Also Some Other GP7's, Some SW1500's, Some MP15's, Some SW900's, And Some SW1001's.


The Blue Mountain Lines
norfolk_western_611@hotmail.com

Don't forget the Q&E's ex-CNJ steel combine No. 300, which ended up going to the Kettle Moraine Ry at North Lake, WI.

> Sorry - a reality link, not a computer link.
> BC&G 4 ran first ran excursions on RDG
> in the 1960's; excursion operator bought the
> 1290-series cars (+ BAa Baggage Car 1715-II)
> from RDG at that time. Engine 4 and the
> train migrated South and ended up at NCTM
> which is why NCTM has RDG cars.


http://rrmuseumpa.org

> 1969:

> I have a faded color polaroid of 759 in blue
> "Golden Spike" dress, eastbound
> near Robesonia, which is between Harrisburg
> and Reading. She was under her own power.

> I'm guessing that she was deadheading to
> HICO's Lebanon, NJ HQ, after handing the
> train off to the GG-1, May ____, 1969.

> Chances are, she ran the East Penn from
> Reading, to Allentown-Easton-etc.
Could be,Steve... but if so, the 759 must have deadheaded back to Hagerstown from Baltimore, because she hauled the Golden Spike Centennial Ltd. there over the WM where it was handed off to the blue GG-1.

jjburke0918@aol.com

> I can't recall the date, but on that same
> day Quakertown & Eastern #4 (BC&G
> #4) ran from Paoli to Harrisburg on the PRR
> Main Line. While the train was in the
> Harrisburg station, 759 rolled by on the
> RDG, just a few hundred yards down the
> track. Surprised the heck out of many fans,
> I think.
Think it was in August that Q&E#4 ran to Harrisburg. The steam trip that ran the same day as the GG-1 on the Golden Spike Ltd (Balto. to NY)was the CP1286/CP1238 doubleheader(by then owned by Historic Red Clay Valley)from Baltimore to Harrisburg up over the Port Road and back over the Northern Central. I remember trying to shoot both (with much difficulty) The 1238 dropped her grates that day and wasn't much help on the way back.

jjburke0918@aol.com

TVRM 610 substituted for 1218 northbound between Birmingham and Chattanooga about 2 weeks after she was restored. For most of the trip 610 was used as a whistle for the diesels pulling the train but was allowed work unassisted a few times. I well remember her loud sharp exhaust echoing off the hills around Stevenson AL as the diesels idled and she handled the 22 cars and 2 diesel helpers unassisted. The excursion returned to Birmingham behind diesels. The southbound ferry trip was made with 610 drifting between the diesels and some freight a couple of days before the excursion as I recall.
I think this was the time 1218 slipped a driver tire while crossing Ten Bridge deadheading the passanger train into Chattanooga.
Add 2 more days of steam to this line.

jhbohon@yahoo.com

> Think it was in August that Q&E#4 ran to
> Harrisburg. The steam trip that ran the same
> day as the GG-1 on the Golden Spike Ltd
> (Balto. to NY)was the CP1286/CP1238
> doubleheader(by then owned by Historic Red
> Clay Valley)from Baltimore to Harrisburg up
> over the Port Road and back over the
> Northern Central. I remember trying to shoot
> both (with much difficulty) The 1238 dropped
> her grates that day and wasn't much help on
> the way back.

You are absolutely right. Those steam trips of 30-plus years ago are fading in my memory. I was in town for both trips, and it has all run together in my mind. A sure sign of creeping senility!


K4s1361@hotmail.com

> Thanks Phil.

> I was curious because I'm compiling a list
> of surviving Reading equipment on the
> Reading Company Technical & Historical
> Society's website.

> Any help, from all you RYPNers
> (descriptions, dispositions, photos, etc.)
> would be greatly appreciated.

> Regards,

> Mike Shirk
> RCT&HS webmaster
Between the ex-Reading passenger cars at Jim Thorpe (George Hart's cars), Spencer(ex Q&E),and the five cars in New England(by way of Metro-North) which used to run on Trains 4&7.....it sure would be nice to put together a string of cars to run behind FP-7s #902/903 and not have to worry about Septa RL-1s to power the Bombardier cars. But I suppose the logistics and rebuild expense would be staggering. Well, we can dream.

jjburke0918@aol.com

Also, don't forget the dozen or so ex-RDG coaches at the New Hoope & Ivyland and the ex-RDG commuter cars at Danbury Rwy Museum.

> Between the ex-Reading passenger cars at Jim
> Thorpe (George Hart's cars), Spencer(ex
> Q&E),and the five cars in New England(by
> way of Metro-North) which used to run on
> Trains 4&7.....it sure would be nice to
> put together a string of cars to run behind
> FP-7s #902/903 and not have to worry about
> Septa RL-1s to power the Bombardier cars.
> But I suppose the logistics and rebuild
> expense would be staggering. Well, we can
> dream.


http://rrmuseumpa.org

Actually, John, those trips (Aug. 24-25-26 1990) ran out of Huntsville, not Birmingham. But you're right, that would have traversed Wauhatchie - Chattanooga. I didn't count any of the moves on the Huntsville line in the total.

JAC

> TVRM 610 substituted for 1218 northbound
> between Birmingham and Chattanooga about 2
> weeks after she was restored. For most of
> the trip 610 was used as a whistle for the
> diesels pulling the train but was allowed
> work unassisted a few times. I well remember
> her loud sharp exhaust echoing off the hills
> around Stevenson AL as the diesels idled and
> she handled the 22 cars and 2 diesel helpers
> unassisted. The excursion returned to
> Birmingham behind diesels. The southbound
> ferry trip was made with 610 drifting
> between the diesels and some freight a
> couple of days before the excursion as I
> recall.
> I think this was the time 1218 slipped a
> driver tire while crossing Ten Bridge
> deadheading the passanger train into
> Chattanooga.
> Add 2 more days of steam to this line.

TVRM: SWP #3, Brimstone Shays #35 & 36, K&T #10 (a.k.a. NO&NE #6910), SR #4501, "Flying Dutchess" #7745, SR #630, SR #722, USA #610.

Chattanooga visitors in addition to all the locos listed by Mr. Craft: "Rosebud" #1, "Best Friend of Charleston".

Yes, Chattanooga was a GREAT place to grow up!

Oh yeah, and don't forget the special events featured in Chattanooga such as TVRM 1984/85 630/722 doubleheaders, 1988 "train swap" between 1218 & 611, 1989 "Bowater Tenessean" to Cleveland w/4501, 1991 SR/NS 25th Anniversary weekend with 4501/611/1218 tripleheader, 1994 "Farewell to the J" meet with 611 & 610 lined up for photographs, and 1996/97/98 doubleheaders on C&C with 610 & 4501. History has been made in Chattanooga....and there's more to come.

John: I think a special SR steam retro section is in order for steamcentral. Please post this in your spare time for the world to enjoy :-)

Tennessee Valley Railroad
sfreer@tvrail.com

"Steam in the Valley....A History of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum 1961-1998" by John William Coniglio. This book covers much of the the Chattanooga rail scene.

Steam In The (Tennessee) Valley
sfreer@tvrail.com

> There is a wooden Reading passenger car at
> the Connecticut Electric Railway Museum at
> Warehouse Point CT. I don't know the car
> number or other data. But the car may be
> available to another home, this museum has
> sent other steam items to other homes in the
> last few years.

> This car is not the same a s the group of
> cars that are in Connecticut by way of the
> CT DOT.

I can now add some additional data to yesterday's post. The number on the car is 940 and it is believed to be built about 1910. And this is not the Boston & Maine car that is also in the same collection.

Ted


ted_miles@nps.gov

> BC&G 4 ran first ran excursions on RDG
> in the 1960's; excursion operator bought the
> 1290-series cars (+ BAa Baggage Car 1715-II)
> from RDG at that time. Engine 4 and the
> train migrated South and ended up at NCTM
> which is why NCTM has RDG cars.

RCT&HS purchased this unusual baggage car from NCTM and flat-car'ed it to Temple, PA in the mid-1990's. It is being restored at Leesport.
What's unusual about this car is that it's a baggage car with vestibules. These cars were originally combines, converted at Reading Shops.

George Hart has two others in his Rail Tours fleet at Jim Thorpe, PA. One is converted to an open-air car, and as such, was in the Chessie Steam Special train-set with 2101. Numbers are 1750-series, don't have exact #s at hand.

> Between the ex-Reading passenger cars at Jim
> Thorpe (George Hart's cars), Spencer(ex
> Q&E),and the five cars in New England(by
> way of Metro-North) which used to run on
> Trains 4&7.....it sure would be nice to
> put together a string of cars to run behind
> FP-7s #902/903 and not have to worry about
> Septa RL-1s to power the Bombardier cars.
> But I suppose the logistics and rebuild
> expense would be staggering. Well, we can
> dream.

That would be awesome ! . . . but mega-bucks.

Maybe a less expensive alternative would be a nice set of Budd-built stainless coaches,maybe a diner or two, fresh from some Amtrak sale ( do they even have any of this stuff anymore ??? ).

It would look like an elongated Crusader, which the 902 & 903 surely locked couplers with on occasion.