Nostalgia & History > Reading FP7's Bethlehem Branch

Telford, Sellersville and Lansdale in the 1970's

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Was there a locomotive on both ends? No turning facilities?

Ed Burns

Nice set...

JG

#2 is a classic view!

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

RDG630 - Your pictures are both fascinating and intriguing!
Was this a special excursion?  By the 1970's, The Reading(SEPTA)
used RDC's on the Bethlehem branch. The "push-pull" set pictured
here operated as a weekday only Reading-Philadelphia round-trip.
Also, at Lansdale(3rd photo), why is the train on the Doylestown branch
instead of the Bethlehem mainline to the left of the photo? Interesting!
Thank You.
 

The push pull substitution happened on trains 312/313 on a turn to Bethlehem during their layover time in Philadelphia once and a while. The photo with them on the Doylestown Branch was a SEPTA transit strike special in 1971.

Posted from iPhone

RDG630 - Good. Thanks for the information. Those infamous SEPTA Strikes 
in the 70's resulted in creative and interesting equipment assignments.
Ah, yes, forgot about the mid-day Bethlehem turn (312/313). Thanks.

Neat, I never saw the FP7s anywhere other than the Reading Main. I did however catch a special demo/test train with an Amtrak AEM-7 pulling an assortment of Septa passenger cars.
Not to hijack the post but I'm posting the terrible scans from the color prints which were on that textured paper Kodak offered to make up for the Insta"tragic" camera images. If I had the negatives I'd reprint them on smooth paper but alas they left the building when I divorced the first wife. 
Go

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