Pennsylvania

Trains in the Reading Pennsylvania Area

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• published: 10 Jul 2012
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Reading, Pennsylvania contains a unique network of track and junctions, creating a melting pot for shortlines and Norfolk Southern action from the New York City, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg regions. While there are many well-known railfanning hot spots in the Reading Area, this video tries to take you to the lesser seen locations, giving you a variety of trains on each unique "line" in the Reading area, including the "High Line" "Belt Line" "Turkey Path" and the converging Reading and Harrisburg Lines. You will also witness a variety of trains, including Reading and Northern, Canadian Pacific haulage rights, and foreign power. The opening shot is a 507 empty coal train starting up through Leisey, on March 18, 2011. I had to dig into the archives for this shot, since this was the last time I shot a train there. Downtown Reading can be seen in the background, as well as a loaded stone train that was tied down without a crew. Unfortunately, when I shot this video, the view finder on the camera had died, but I'll say it turned out fine being shot blind. Power for the train was NS 9556, NS 8418, and NS 8951. 8418 was one of few C40-8W's in Conrail Quality livery at the time, and was ultimately the last C40-8W to survive in blue. After the train passes, the conductor calls the signal for Wyomissing Jct. which is where the train connects back on to the two-track Harrisburg Line west to Harrisburg. Leisey is the interlocking east of the wye, which is the Belt Line portion of the Harrisburg Line that runs around the city. On March 12, 2012, H33 heads west on the High Line after just leaving Reading Yard, on its way to perform switching duties further west on the Harrisburg Line, with NS 3421 and NS 3048 in push-pull mode. The bridge crosses the Schuylkill River, and also the east leg of the wye for the Belt Line, and Leisey, which is just behind where 507 was filmed. The brick structure to the left was the Lebanon Valley Junction Tower, which was operated by Reading and into the Conrail days until 1987. Information about this tower can be found here: http://www.readingrr.com/lines/tower/VC.htm H33 then passes the 60 signals, behind the VF Outlets, and under the N Park Road Bridge and slows to a halt for a brief pause for traffic at Wyomissing Jct. March 13, 2012: 19G pulls through the east end of Belt Interlocking before diverging onto the Pottsville Branch behind the camera, which will take the train into Reading Yard, where work will be done before continuing west on the Harrisburg Line, and ultimately the Pittsburgh Line to Conway, PA. NS 2710 and 8389 lead the train, towing MBTA 1118, which is headed for the Juniata shops in Altoona. The track in the foreground is Reading and Northern's connection to NS at Belt. On June 20, 2012, a 921 empty stone train with a pair of NS SD40-2's 3340 and 3374 is returning "orange blossom" MW hoppers to Dyers quarry, which is just west of Birdsboro along the Turkey Path. 921 split onto the Turkey Path at Cumru, crossed over the Schuylkill River, and crosses PA-724 behind the camera. Later around noon, a rarely seen Reading and Northern ballast train powered by SD38 2000 heads toward Temple, PA after entering NS at Belt, where they load these cars just north of the station, along what was the PRR Schuylkill Branch. The train enters the track at the hand-throw switch at Laurel Jct, just east of West Laurel interlocking. On June 27, 2012, a loaded CP 614 (NS 64Z) crude oil train is near it's destination of Westville, NJ, after originating in the Bakkan region of North Dakota. The train is heading east on the Harrisburg Line around MP 54, after passing Titus, with two AC4400CW's for power, a leased CEFX 1030, and CP 8568. About 90 minutes later, 39G heads through the same location in wonderful light, with NS 9372, NS 2580, and NS 9354. That same evening, 64D, another loaded crude oil train from ND, originating on BNSF, also heads toward the refinery Westville, NJ, with NS 7706, NS 9236, and NS 2505, passing over the Belt Line High Bridge, which still contains a Reading Lines insignia. On July 2, 2012, a 12-hour late 212 roars east up the grade at Laurel interlocking with a trio of elephant-style Union Pacific power, UP 5471, UP 7371 and UP 4636. The track closest to the camera is the Evansville IT. Later, 33A squeels around the sharp curve at Dunkle with roaring dynamics as it heads down the hill of the connecting track just east of Wyomissing Jct., through the signals at Tulp, where the train will cross the Tulpehocken Creek on its way to the Reading Line. The train has a variety of yard Allentown engines in tow behind NS 9846 and NS 2541: NS 5665, NS 3038, NS 5637, NS 3360, and NS 5226. After 33A clears, 261 roadrailer heads west with NS 9492 and NS 7549, but for whatever reason, is only light power. This allowed me to be creative and shoot the train at a different angle, which shows downtown Reading in the background, as well as the bridge across Wyomissing Blvd.