R&N Receives 1st Frac Sand Unit Train

Pennsylvania regional railroad Reading & Northern said this week it took delivery of its first unit train of frac sand.

The train has handed off to R&N by Norfolk Southern on May 15 at R&N’s North Reading Yard.

R&N moved the train to a storage facility in Pittston, Pennsylvania.

The railroad last year created a transloading terminal in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, that will handle Marcellus and non-Marcellus transloading business.

Frac sand is expected to be the dominant commodity handled at the Tunkhannock terminal.

R&N 2102 Pulls Coal Hoppers

Reading & Northern 4-8-4 No. 2102 pulled a load of 50 coal hoppers on Tuesday in an all-day 126-mile test run.

The former Reading T-1 class locomotive has been undergoing test runs this month following a six-year, $1.7 million rebuilding.

It will begin revenue excursion service on May 28 and pull trips through the fall over the system of the Pennsylvania-based regional R&N.

A report posted on the website of Trains magazine indicated that the 2102 at times had to deal with slippery rails and made several short service stops throughout its journey to tend to and inspect various components of the locomotive.

R&N 2102 to Make Test Run Today

Reading & Northern plans to make another test run today of its 4-8-4 No. 2102.

The Pennsylvania-based regional carrier said the test trip is expected to leave North Reading at 9 a.m. en route to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

The railroad recently finished a $1.7 million overhaul of the locomotive that took six years to complete. It has been undergoing test runs since April 6.

The 2102 is a T-1 locomotive built in 1945 by the Reading Company. It is slated to pull its first public excursion on May 28.

R&N Acquires Industrial Complex

Pennsylvania regional railroad Reading & Northern said this week it has acquired an industrial complex located in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania.

The complex includes nine buildings situated on 10 acres of land.

It is currently being used by KME Fire Appartus to build fire trucks. That company is winding down that business.

In a news release, R&N said the complex is located on a 19.5-mile rail line that it purchased last year from Carbon County and plans to upgrade to 40-mph operation.

R&N indicated it plans to use the facility to expand its equipment maintenance and repair facilities and to provide storage space.

R&I Says 2102 Ready to Ramble

Reading & Northern said its 4-8-4 No. 2102 passed all of its test runs and is ready to enter excursion service in late May.

The former Reading Company T-1 steamer made three days of test trips in early April.

Those followed a $2.4 million five-year project to rebuild the locomotive. It had been out of service since October 1991.

The first of R&N’s Iron Horse Rambles will run on May 28 from Outer Station in Reading, Pennsylvania, on a round trip to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

R&N 2102 Completes 3 Test Runs

Reading & Northern 4-8-4 No. 2102 spent three days on the mainline last week getting in shape for a season of public excursions.

Railfan & Railroad magazine said some final details need to be completed before the locomotive is ready to pull passengers. This includes such things as applying lettering to the tender and cab, and adding striping.

The T-1 class locomotive may also pull a few freight trains before it debuts in excursion service on May 28.

During last week’s test runs, the 2102 ventured a little further each day away from its shop in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania.

R&N didn’t provide a schedule for the test runs but did post a notice on its website the night before each run that it would occur.

The first test run had the 2102 pulling a flatcar loaded with rail and switch parts, another car and a former Reading caboose.

The Friday test run was a caboose hop to the former Reading station in Tamaqua. At Haucks, the 2102 headed on former Central of New Jersey rails for a water stop at Nesquehoning and eventually Jim Thorpe.

To read more about the test runs visit https://railfan.com/reading-northern-2102-returns-to-the-main-line/

R&N 2102 Makes First Test Run

Reading & Northern conducted its first test run of 4-8-4 No. 2102 on Wednesday and plans to make additional test runs today and Friday.

The 2102 shoved a short train for 16 miles from Port Clinton to North Reading.

R&N owner Andrew M. Muller Jr. was in the cab as the former Reading Company T-1 steamer prepared to take the mainline for the first time in 31 years.

Muller had earlier in the week pulled the throttle as the 2102 moved on its own for the first time since going into storage in 1991.

He had purchased the locomotive in 1986 and it pulled excursion trains through 1991.

The 2102 will pull a series of public excursions in Pennsylvania this year with the first of those set for May 28 between Reading and Jim Thorpe.

2102 Test Runs to be Done Today

The first test will be made today by former Reading Company 4-8-4 No. 2102.

The locomotive, now owned by the Reading & Northern, recently was fired up as it neared completion of a $2.4 million restoration. R&N said there would be no schedule for the test runs.

The T-1 type locomotive last ran in the early 1990s before being placed in storage in 1991.

Restoration work began in 2016. R&N also owns a 4-6-2, No. 425.

Public excursions behind the 2102 will begin on May 28 and continue through early September.

Tickets range from $99 to $299 per person and can be purchased by phone at 610-562-2102 or at www.rbmnrr-passenger.com

R&N Sets Iron Horse Rambles Schedule

The Reading & Northern has finalized its 2022 Iron Horse Rambles excursion schedule featuring restored T-1 4-8-4 No. 2102.

The former Reading Company steamer was overhauled in a $2.4 million project for the Pennsylvania-based regional railroad.

It will pull excursions between Reading and Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, on May 28, July 2, Aug. 13 and Sept. 3.

The May 28 trip is already sold out. Tickets in five classes of seating are still available for the other excursions.

Fare are not based on the age of the passenger and include standard coach for $99, crown class coach for $110, Pullman car private rooms for $299 per room for up to two people, first class dome car seating for $199, first class lounge car for $199, and first class lounge observation car for $210.

R&N owner Andy Muller, Jr. purchased the 2102 in 1986 and operated it in excursion service until it was put into storage in 1991.

The 2102 is one of four surviving T-1 steam locomotives and at one time pulled trips in Northeast Ohio.

Iron Horse Rambles tickets can be purchased at  www.rbmnrr-passenger.com, or by phone at 610-562-2102.

Steam Sunday: Welcome Back Reading 2102

The last time former Reading Company 4-8-4 No. 2102 operated was in fall 1991. I’ve ridden behind the 2102 three times.

I rode an excursion on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie out of Pittsburgh in 1976; a trip on the former Erie (then operated by Conrail) from Kent to Greenville, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 1977; and on May 22, 1977, from Pittsburgh to Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The latter excursion was a doubleheader with former Grand Trunk Western 2-8-2 No. 4070, which is best known for its many years of operation on the Cuyahoga Valley Line, now the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Nine of the photos above were made during a chase from Temple, located north of Reading, Pennsylvania, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on May 21, 1988.

Another image was made at South Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, on a Reading to Tamaqua trip on October 13, 1991.

Tickets for the T-1’s return to Reading Rambles will be available this week. My goal for 2022 is to be onboard one of those excursions.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas