Steam & Excursion > Front End Friday: Steam Edition, RDG 2100

In 1964, Reading 2100 powered steam excursions between Washington and Baltimore on the B&O. Here it rests at Camden Station, Baltimore, between runs.

B&O Bill

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Thanks B&O Bill for your color photo from those Reading 2100 days, known then as the B&O "Iron Horse Days" put together by the late William (Bill) Howes, who was the manager of passenger operations for the combined B&O/C&O passenger trains at that time.  These two photos show the 2100 in the station as this train actually operated as a regular B&O Railroad scheduled train, which in essence made this in 1964, the very last regular steam powered passenger train to operate over the B&O from Baltimore down to Washington, D.C.  My photos from that August day in 1964.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

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As a follow up to the B&O Railroad "Iron Horse Days" in 1964, by the following year, the Reading Company had decided not to operate any more of their famous "Iron Horse Rambles" and the last 4 of the Reading R.R. 4-8-4 T-1's were retired with the 2124 going to Steam Town, the 2102 being sold and sent down to Ronceverte, West Virginia, and both the 2100,and the 2101 which never operated during the "Iron Horse Rambles" being sold to the Striegel Supply & Equipment Company located in the Curtis Bay section of Baltimore where the locomotives sat for about 10 years before both were purchased by Ross E. Rowland, Jr. in 1965, with the 2101 being restored at the B&O R.R. Roundhouse located in the Riverside Yard of the B&O to pull the American Freedom Train, then eventually, the Chessie Steam Special.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

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Nice photos. The Striegel T1 shots are great, but only because there is a "gappy ending".   Too bad somebody didn't save those FMs along with the Streigel T1s.  

Ross didn't buy the two T-1s until about 10 years AFTER 1965!

I had inspected the two T-1s at Streigle's in 1972, at the request of 
Bill Benson.  I was caretaker and maintainer of 2102, which was owned by
Benson.  And I provided him with a written evaluation of the 2 loco's condition. 

Both were in excellent shape, with 2101 having had it's last re-build
in Reading shops about 1958, and the loco was never fired-up after
preliminary steam tests, and it was stored, as a pristine 'zero mileage' engine
with renewed flues & tubes , until  sold to the loco dealer in Baltimore.

 Ross and American Freedom Train bought the two T-1 locos from Streigle's.
2101 was thoroughly inspected and approved by the FRA and used to pull
AFT through the smaller clearances in the eastern  states where 4449,
a princess of the West's wide-open spaces and was too large for the tighter
clearances of the Eastern RR's. 2101 is now part of the steam loco collection 
at the B&O Museum, Baltimore, MD.  

2100 is in Cleveland nearing the end of a complete re-conditioning and completed
the requirements of the 1472-day required inspection and recertification of the boiler-shell,
and its approval for boiler operating pressure for 240 psi.

2102 has recently been through the 1472-day boiler recertification process, and thoroughly 
re-conditioned and impproved , and  is now thunderously storming Reading & Northern's rails.
Reading and Northern puts 2102 to work with 20-car trains, pounding over 2102's "home rails",
of the former Reading Company.  Take every chance you get to see 2102 gloriously thundering 
down the Main. 

2124, all roller-bearing axles, is in Scranton, at the steam loco collection of Steamtown.
It would need a complete 1472-day boiler inspection and recertification, as well as the 
other work and  completed inspections, before ever being returned to service. 
With a budget of $19-million dollars a year, they have the best paid janitorial crew,
that recently managed to get it's 0-6-0 through the 1472-day inspection, in under 20 years. 

Thanks.

​W.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/24 13:46 by wcamp1472.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> Ross didn't buy the two T-1s until about 10 years
> AFTER 1965!

> Thanks.
> ​W.

Wes, you are absolutely correct as this was a typing error as I did mean to say 1975, not 1965.  Sorry about this.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

To the Baltimore engines, it seemed to take a long time before Ross came 
to their rescue.  The 10 years for them seemed like an eternity, 
sitting in the yard in Baltimore.... 

When I was first a volunteer rail-fan, picture-taker, I and many others 
did the cleaning and prepping of private excursion trains opersted 
by George Hart.  At that time, circa 1965, his maintenance supervisor 
was retired General Boiler Inspector,  Ben Kantner, of the Reading Company.
Hart ran excursions over the Western Maryland, and the Maryland & Pennsylvania,
M&P was headquartered in York, Pa.

During the Reading Rambles, Hart was a behind-the-scenes excursion 
planner with Reading.  Kantner was in charge of the maintenance and up-keep 
of the Reading T-1 locos.  The locos were maintained and operated out of the
roundhouse and facilities at Reading. Pa.  Hart contracted with Kantner to
select and maintain Hart's small private loco collection.

I was pretty regular volunteering at spending my weekends at Hart's
equipment, in Yorl, Pa.  I was a tool-boy and janitor/ coach-cleaner/ engine wiper.

As tool-boy I got to know steam tools. where they were used, and how to
clean and store them.  Kantner used & paid Reading mechanics, who worked
on the weekends doing steam loco "monthly" & 12-mos ICC  loco. inspections
on Hart's equipment at York.

As, tool-boy, I saved the "paid guys" from time they spent searching Hart's tool-car;
hunting for saved the tools, store and clean time, that otherwise would have cost the
mechanics' time and money.  

During that time, in my life, Kantner mentored me on steam loco upkeep,
procedures and safety.  He was a stern man of few words; but, I was regular,
eager and reliable.  I was very, VERY lucky to have been mentored by Ben.
 Deep inside, he had a heart of gold...

I met Ross, in November of 1966, when he and High Iron Company officers 
came to York to finalize a lease agreement and monetary terms for 
HICO's lease of Hart's engine, CP 1286, 4-6-2 loco for 5 sold-out excursions 
over the CNJ RR for 1967.

​W.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/24 00:05 by wcamp1472.