Steam & Excursion > Reading & Northern 2102 - Hopper Jet to Jim Thorpe

On Tuesday April 26th, Reading & Northern T-1 #2102 made her latest and most exciting test run.  The locomotive pulled a 50 car empty "Hopper Jet" from North Reading to Jim Thorpe as a break-in run for the locomotive under load.  The train was turned and returned to Tamaqua where the hoppers were set-out to be returned for another load of Pennsylvania Anthracite Coal.  The big northern performed flawlessly with the big train, handling both dry and wet rail with ease on the heavy grades north of Tamaqua and at Hometown.  Enjoy!
Full length version of the day's activities on the other video site, search "Belt Line Productions"

Tehachapi-TJ Over & Out



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/22 07:13 by tehachapi-dave.

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Excellent video.  Well done.

Thanks for sharing. Perhaps the run was a good break-in run for the loco, something that Wes recommends for a rebuilt steam loco? The new lettering looks great on the side of the tender!

Victor



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/22 08:13 by wabash2800.

Love to hear one just slugging it out as in that video.

Lovely comeback for a fine loco! BUT: however authentic that pipsqueak peanut whistle is--no. No, no, no. It just don't go with a 4-8-4! Give us a nice, fat, glorious chime whistle, please, and save the hooters for the hogs. Thank you.

PS: How prototypical are the white tires and gold striping?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/22 09:38 by kurtarmbruster.

kurtarmbruster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lovely comeback for a fine loco! BUT: however
> authentic that pipsqueak peanut whistle is--no.
> No, no, no. It just don't go with a 4-8-4! Give us
> a nice, fat, glorious chime whistle, please, and
> save the hooters for the hogs. Thank you.

Nope! I love the ORIGINAL "peanut whistle" on 2102. Besides, they don't call the Reading 2100s "T Hogs" for nothing.

kurtarmbruster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lovely comeback for a fine loco! BUT: however
> authentic that pipsqueak peanut whistle is--no.
> No, no, no. It just don't go with a 4-8-4! Give us
> a nice, fat, glorious chime whistle, please, and
> save the hooters for the hogs. Thank you.
>
> PS: How prototypical are the white tires and gold
> striping?

The white tires and gold striping are 100% Prototypical for the Reading Rambles scheme

Posted from iPhone

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

For those too young to remember, the first Reading Ramble operated in October 1959.

In the second scene everything the Reading shops built into the 2102 is being used. ood video no whistle, crossing bells, or inconsiderate railfans talking. 

boejoe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For those too young to remember, the first Reading
> Ramble operated in October 1959.

Correct. I was just upstairs to look at my photos from that first "Iron Horse Ramble", with #2124 (she did indeed have the white tires), back on Sunday October 25, 1959. Sure was a great excursion, and the Reading allowed anybody and everybody to climb all over everything!

As one time CMO for America's loudest steam locomotive, this warms my heart.   425 is no slouch either.  Doublehead with tonnage would be a heavy metal concert.
Excellent job on the engine boys and an excellent video.

Now is the chance for the crew rebuilding the T-1 #2100 in Cleveland to get it right the second time and have it all black just like the locomotive used to look in freight service.  This yellow and white tires are so overpowering you can not see the engine's machinery's look behind the contrast.  This "Ramble" look is so old I'm fed up seeing it all yellow and white tires.  This was just made up fake by somebody's idea to please the public in 1959 and had nothing to do with the original freight engine style.  All the excursions would have benefited just the same with a black engine.  Lets hope the #2100 crew does not try to follow this worn-out Ramble look.  Well, we got one week of the pure RDG, but now it will never change on #2102.  Some of the video equipment today captures a very high quality sound which is Mesmerizing.  The stack exhust is not blanked out by the adjacent whistle.  

Sorta makes one wonder what the 4014 would do with those 50 hoppers over those grades.

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorta makes one wonder what the 4014 would do with
> those 50 hoppers over those grades.
>
> Out 

Just might run out of steam trying THAT, even though they were empty.

I think that based on what we've seen that would be a safe bet.

Out 

Just had to drop a turd in the punchbowl...

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

I think Plywoody and Californiasteamin ought to get together, they have so much in common.

Victor B.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/22 19:04 by wabash2800.

Great video!

I’m going to go out on a limb here and give my opinion on the whistle as well as the paint currently applied to the Oh-Two.

As for the whistle, it sounds fantastic in person. I have a recording on vinyl from the original Reading Rambles and if I recall the jacket of the record describes the Reading’s freight and passenger whistles. It’s chilling to close your eyes and listen to that record. Hearing the Reading’s freight whistle in person is beyond compare, words really can’t describe the emotions it evokes.

As for the current paint, I like it. I’ve personally seen the Oh-Two under steam in the Reading Rambles dress in the early-80’s, the “We the People” scheme to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Constitution, Reading’s black freight scheme, and of course the Reading and Northern scheme of the late 80’s/early 90’s. They’ve all looked good to me.

Finally, it’s Andy’s Locomotive and he can paint it however he wants. I for one am just overjoyed that he invested the money to bring back the Oh-Two, and I’m pretty sure I would still be overjoyed with seeing it running if it were pink, purple, tie dyed, rainbow, or any other color.

Sorry for the rant all, but I grow tired of folks overlooking an amazing event to criticize and suggest how things should be rather than celebrating a wonderful moment in time.

Dan

Posted from iPhone

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As one time CMO for America's loudest steam
> locomotive, this warms my heart.   425 is no
> slouch either.  Doublehead with tonnage would be
> a heavy metal concert.
> Excellent job on the engine boys and an excellent
> video.

I think the 425 would likely bark over the 2102 still. I've seen videos of the 425 completely muting out the Reading 6-Chime on a few tonnage trips. She is probably one of the few engines out there that'll rival 1522. Man, could you imagine the 1522 and the 425 together?! Absolute thunder.

Dan says it well. Another real life example of the old adage...no good deed goes unpunished.

   Let's celebrate the return to life of a magnificent locomotive on a railroad that has both the track and the ownership to let her showcase her abilities and not get bogged down in silly waste of time drivel about paint schemes and whistles.

   Thanks Andy Muller and team for all you're doing to celebrate the magic of steam.

    Ross Rowland