First Reading & Northern Trip of 2025 - The Good Springer and RDCs

Описание: After the long, cold and injury prone hell that was Winter 2024-2025, its finally Spring and with a beautiful day forecasted for Sunday March 23rd, it was time to hit the road. Sheldon ‪@sheldonnicholasphotog‬ and I would head west to the Reading and Northern for our first trip out here this year, meeting up with our friend Joe along the way as well. Starting this outing off, we'd give a quick chase to the day's Budd RDC excursion from Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe, PA, catching them splitting the Milepost 73 signals and again in South Tamaqua as they round the sharp curve from Zehners before we'd branch off and head back towards Port Clinton.

The main target of the day would be one of my favorite trains to catch on the R&N, if not my favorite. The Good Springer, now operating out of Port Clinton as PNGS, would be using a very fresh pair of former Conrail EMDs that were purchased from Norfolk Southern several years ago, RBMN SD40-2 3068 and GP38-2 2017, along with a few good guys in the cab as well. Not long after going on duty and putting their train together, the PNGS would be on their way with a spacer car, a covered hopper for the Yuengling Brewery and a few cars for Koppy's Propane, the Good Springer's main customer. After catching them passing under the former PRR Schuylkill Branch in Auburn, they'd make a quick stop in West Cressona Yard to set out their car for Yuengling and pick up another car for Koppy's. Soon, PNGS would exit the West Cressona yard limits at Becks before swinging onto the Tremont Branch at Westwood Junction with their spacer car and six loads. From there, we'd chase them up the Tremont Running Track through the towns of Tremont, Donaldson and Good Spring before the train's arrival at Koppy's Propane at the end of the line.

After working Koppy's, the crew would change ends from RBMN 3068 to RBMN GP38-2 2017 with two outbounds to bring back to Port Clinton with them, we'd grab them at a few spots on the way back south before heading to dinner and calling it a day. Enjoy the video!

R&N OSJT
RBMN RDC-3 9166
RBMN RDC-1 9168

R&N PNGS/GSPN
RBMN SD40-2 3068
RBMN GP38-2 2017

00:00 - Intro
00:10 - R&N OSJT Berne, PA
01:35 - R&N OSJT South Tamaqua, PA
02:20 - R&N PNGS Auburn, PA
03:00 - R&N PNGS Becks
04:45 - R&N PNGS Tremont, PA
06:51 - R&N PNGS Donaldson, PA
08:50 - R&N PNGS Good Spring, PA
10:27 - R&N PNGS works Koppy's Propane
20:22 - R&N GSPN Donaldson, PA
22:12 - R&N GSPN Tremont, PA
24:18 - R&N GSPN Becks

Thanks for watching!