Reading & Northern

Описание: For the first time in three years, Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern 4-6-2 Pacific #425 powered the Rotary Club of Mountain Top’s Steam Train Excursion, an all day round-trip from Mountain Top to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and return. Operating over a good portion of the Reading & Northern’s Lehigh Division, the train takes passengers on a thrilling journey through the dense forests of Northeast PA, passing through several small settlements along the way, before navigating through the scenic beauty of the spectacular Lehigh Gorge. The route also features a pair of tunnels and steep grades, giving #425 a chance to put on a dramatic show of sight and sound as she thunders up the mountain on the return trip. We were on hand to cover these excursions in both 2019 and in 2022, and this video combines footage from both years, offering a comprehensive look at this scenic, and seldom traveled route by steam. In addition, we’ll get a brief look at the Reading & Northern’s F9 diesels #270 & #275 as they power the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway’s trips out of Jim Thorpe and show off their streamlined facade. #425 wore two different whistles for both years, sporting a Baltimore & Ohio 3 Chime in 2019, and a Southern Pacific 6 Chime in 2022. As always, she puts on a fantastic show, storming though the mountains of Anthracite Country in her final full year of operation, before her FRA-mandated 1472-day rebuild begins in 2023.

​​#425 was built by Baldwin in 1928 as one of two G-1 class Pacifics built for the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad in Alabama. She later became #580 while in passenger service on the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad and also served as Louisiana Eastern #4 after being sold to owner Paulson Spence in 1950. In 1962, she was acquired by Pennsylvania's Valley Forge Scenic Railway where she regained her original back number back as #425. After spending time in storage at the Wilmington & Western Railroad in Delaware, she was bought by Andy Muller in 1983 and was put back in service hauling tourists on the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad between Hamburg and Temple, PA where it operated alongside Reading T-1 4-8-4 #2102. With the acquisition of nearly 300 miles of track from Conrail, the Blue Mountain & Reading grew into and officially became known as the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad in 1995. #425 operated many fan trips and steam excursions from 1986 until 1996 when a major rebuild was needed. Eleven years later in 2007, #425 returned to steam and remained in the notable blue paint scheme given to her in 1992. In 2015, she was repainted to her current appearance, and the color combined with her gorgeous facade and shattering stack talk makes #425 a favorite among railfans and a must see locomotive for any steam enthusiast.

Enjoy!