Steam & Excursion > Riding Reading and Northern RDCs - Reading to Jim Thorpe, PA

Three of us rode the R+N RDCs today from the Outer Station in Reading, PA to Jim Thorpe, PA and back. It was a great ride and a bargain at $29 each for a 125 mile round trip.
1. R+N No. 225 on display at Reading Outer Station
2. Our train at Reading, PA
3. The Road of Anthracite



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/17 19:05 by birdman.

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4. Tamaqua, PA
5. High bridge at Hometown, PA
6. Upon arrival at Jim Thorpe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/17 19:04 by birdman.

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7. Power for the Reading and Northern Lehigh Gorge train
8. R+N power at Port Clinton

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Looks like they took the old tower out of the Hamburg Yard and put it up next to the 1098, whoops, I mean 225.

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Very nice birdman. I am going to have to ride those RDC's on my next visit. How do they ride?
John

The RDCs ride very nicely. The fastest stretch seemed to be between Reading and Hamburg. There were some obvious slow orders in effect. Two that I remember in particular were above New Ringold and through the yard at Tamaqua. The only down side were the diesel fumes that sometimes wafted in through the open windows. We sat on the left side of the train as it left Reading. This allowed us to have some nice views of the lakes between Hometown and Nesquehoning. Surprisingly, there were very few railfans on board which allowed me to easily go to the front of the car - not in the cab but to the door behind the cab and take a couple of photos out the front through the windows at Tamaqua and when approaching the trestle near Hometown. Although we did not do so, it would have been possible to ride the twelve o'clock train up into the Lehigh Gorge and we would have been back in time to get the train back to Reading. Instead we walked around Jim Thorpe and visited the beautiful, historic St Mark's Episcopal church to see the magnifficent and priceless Tiffany stained glass windows. At $29 for a 125 mile round trip and a really nice day, it was a bargain. Most of the trips have been sold out so plan ahead. Information is available on the R and N website.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/17 05:33 by birdman.

I'm riding on November 5th and can't wait! I haven't ridden RDC's since shortly after the R&N took over the anthracite trackage from CR in the winter of 1990 or 1991. My dad was a conductor on the BM&R and took me along for an employee special that left Leesport and made it as far as the grade leading up to Locust summit. It was a bitter cold day but man it was a neat ride, albeit slow with many slow orders not allowing anything faster than 15mph from about Port Clinton on.
Dan

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