Steam Saturday: Reading 2102 in Reading

Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern T-1 No. 2102 pulls a Philadelphia & Reading Railroad 150th anniversary trip in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1988.

Photograph by Paul Woodring

Dates Set for R&N Iron Horse Rambles

Dates for the Iron Horse Rambles of the Reading & Northern featuring 4-8-4 No. 2102 have been set.

The former Reading Lines steam  locomotive will pull trips from Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, on July 1, Aug. 13, and Sept. 2.

Tickets for the excursions will go on sale at 9 a.m. on May 1. They range in price from $99 to $210 depending on the seating class selected.

It will be the second year of the Rambles, which is a revival of a series of steam excursions once hosted by the original Reading.

The 2102 will be in its second season of operation following its restoration to operating condition after being idle for more than 30 years.

R&N said this year it also plans to offer excursions from Outer Station to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on April 29, June 17, July 29, Aug. 16 and Sept. 16. The Pottsville trains will operate with diesel motive power.

Regular excursions between Reading and Jim Thorpe will begin May 6 and operate every Saturday and Sunday, including holidays, using Rail Diesel Cars.

R&N 2102 Repaired in Time for Next Excursion

A mechanical issue with Reading & Northern Railroad Class 4-8-4 No. 2102 has been repaired in time to pull an excursion on Oct. 29.

Trains magazine reported on its website that a malfunctioning component inside the Class T-1 locomotive’s firebox caused it to be removed from service during an Oct. 8 excursion.

Up until now the 2102 had been performing without any issues since returning to revenue service in late May after completion of a six-year, $2.4 million restoration.

The mechanical problem that knocked the 2102 out of service last weekend during a fall-foliage excursion in Northeastern Pennsylvania was reported to be clogged ports in the firing table in the firebox.

After putting the steam locomotive in a siding, a pair of SD50 diesels completed the excursion. The malfunction occurred about 17 miles into the excursion.

The R&N said passengers who had paid premium fares to ride behind steam would receive compensation although it was not immediately clear what that would be.

The story can be read at https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/reading-northern-4-8-4-repaired-set-for-next-excursion/

R&N 2102 to Haul Freight on Friday

The Reading & Northern plans to have 4-8-4 No. 2102 pull a freight train on Friday (Aug. 19).

The announcement was made on the carrier’s social media sites although details were sparse.

 “Take off this Friday and chase 2102 in revenue freight service,” the announcement said. The announcement also said 2102 was expected to depart from Port Clinton around mid-morning.

Earlier this year the 2102 operated in freight service with empty and loaded coal train as it prepared for its first revenue service passenger trip in late May.

R&N Runs Steam Doubleheader

In part to celebrate the 75^th birthday of its owner Andy Muller, Jr., the Reading & Northern operated a steam doubleheader on Saturday featuring 4-8-4 No. 2102 and 4-6-2 No. 425.

The doubleheader was part of a scheduled Iron Horse Rambles excursion that already had been sold out.

Trains magazine reported that it was the first R&N steam doubleheader since 1988. The magazine said in a report on its website that Muller received applause from passengers as he walked through the train.

The 19-car excursion ran for 67 miles from the Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

The train returned to Reading behind two SD50 locomotives that were adorned in a special livery to promote the railroad’s North Reading Fast Freight service.

At Nesquehoning Junction in Jim Thorpe, the steam locomotives were removed from the train and passengers were invited to visit their cabs.

R&N Planning Steam Double Header Aug. 13

Pennsylvania regional railroad Reading & Northern plans to run a steam locomotive double header on Aug. 13.

The Iron Horse Rambles train will feature 4-8-4 No. 2102 and 4-6-2 No. 425 and is already sold out.

R&N said it will be its first steam doubleheader since 1988 and the third of four scheduled steam excursions between Reading and Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, this year.

All three of the remaining trips are sold out. Some fall foliage excursions are expected to operate with steam power.

Steam Saturday: Doubleheading on Conrail’s Pittsburgh Line Near Horseshoe Curve

An unidentified photographer made this image of a steam doubleheader featuring former Reading 4-8-4 No. 2102 and former Grand Trunk Western 2-8-2 No. 4070 pulling a train near Horseshoe Curve in May 1977. To be specific, the location is Milepost 328.5 on Conrail’s Pittsburgh Line. The 2102 is running in Pennsylvania again this summer on the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern. Restoration of the 4070 to operating condition continues to face a long, hard slog.

Collection of Robert Farkas

Hundreds Welcomed Return of R&N 2102

A sold-out train and hundreds of trackside photographers greeted the return of Reading & Northern’s T-1 No. 2102 last weekend.

Railfan and Railroad reported on its website that photographers stood several deep at such popular spots as West Leesport, New Ringgold and Tamaqua in eastern Pennsylvania.

The 4-8-4 pulled the 19-car train without diesel assistance. The 2102 was making its first tourist train outing since the completion of a six-year restoration project.

The R&R report said the T-1 slipped several times at East Mahony on wet rails and steep grades on a cloudy and rainy day but quickly regained its footing.

Billed as a return of the fabled Iron Horse Rambles, excursions pulled by the 2102 also are planned for July 2, Aug. 13, Sept. 3, and Oct. 1, 8 and 29.

The Iron Horse Rambles moniker is a nod to a series of steam excursions of the 1960s hosted by the former Reading Lines. Those trips last ran in 1964.

The article with photographs can be viewed at https://railfan.com/reading-2102-makes-debut-on-sold-out-iron-horse-ramble/

Return of the Reading Rambles

 My goal this past weekend was to introduce my former brother-in-law (but still good friend) Karl West, his son (my nephew) Owen, and Jeff Troutman to an old friend of mine from way back

Reading  4-8-4 No. 2102 on May 28 made its first passenger excursion since October 1991.

To sum it up, everybody loved it. It ran, sounded and looked spectacular.

The departure from Reading Outer Station was right on time at 9 a.m. A quick passenger stop was made at Port Clinton,

We started with cloudy conditions and we ran in some rain en route. The T-1 was unaffected and from what I could see performed flawlessly. The stack talk was loud and constant. We arrived at Jim Thorpe at 11:45 a.m. 

We had plenty of time for lunch in town. Afterwards we returned to the station to see the return of the 1 p.m. Lehigh Gorge Scenic Train.

After the 3 p.m. Lehigh Gorge train departed, the 2102 performed a solo photo runby. Once complete it backed to pick up the train for our 3:45 p.m. departure.

The sun broke through on the return trip.  We arrived back in Reading on time, just before 7 p.m.

The last time I rode behind 2102 was May 22, 1977. That was its doubleheader with former Grand Trunk Western 2-8-2 No. 4070 on a trip from Pittsburgh to Altoona and return featuring Horseshoe Curve. It was a 45-year wait for me to ride behind the 2102 again. It was worth it.

Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

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.