Eastern Railroad Discussion > Train Watching Between Hershey and Reading, PA?

I"m taking a travel trailer to Reading, PA. Any good spots between Hershey High Meadow Campground (right next to the tracks) and Reading where I can pull the rig off and train watch and possibly spend the night?

Mancey,
Since your so close, why not come to the Port Road ?
Traffic on the Port Road is mostly at night anyway and there are a number of locations where you can park your rig for the night.

Cabin
Pequea, PA

I spent the night on a very wide area of ballast(possibly a small yard at one time)
just east of Lebanon in a small town called Prescott.
It was on the south side of the tracks andwas accessed by a service road from the east.
Once you get a few hunderd yards up the service road it widens out(mustve been a yard at one time)
perfect for parking your camper.
I parked there for 26 hours and did'nt haveaproblem.

Can't help you with that segment, but there are several decent places within 30 minutes to an hour eastward.

There's a very nice ballfield and parking lot just east of the overpass at Lyons. Nicely lighted for eastbounds in the am.

Another country road just east of Mertz, similar situation. Corn's been hurt with the drought, so it's not too high.

Don't know how the travel trailer would go over at the railfan shed (PA 100 in Alburtis) but that's nice, too.

Canal Park is at the west end of the Allentown Yard, lots of parking, and old canal works to give you some unusual props

There's a Walmart that backs against the track between Palmyra and Lebanon, also a mall on the west side of Lebanon with a rear parking lot next to the tracks. Don't know if the mall will let you park overnight, but I remember hearing that Walmart is usually pretty good about allowing that.

..............or you may get the "Hershey squirts"

That's not a smart idea. You get the wrong train crew that might report Mancey there, and you could put the man in serious trouble with the NS. That is trespassing in it's most blatant form. One reason you didn't get any trouble was because there are hardly any patrols in the area, let alone the 2-3 NS cops that even work in the Terminal area.

If that was you in the past 2 months sitting there, I can tell you were at least reported by a few train crews. I recall the very day seeing a camper parked there, right across from the Ironwood Powerplant - not a very swift idea either!

Railfan shed is in Macungie, not Alburtis on PA 100.

Lyons overpass is also fantastic location to shoot 261 and 15T in the mid-afternoon. Sometimes 45A will also be in the mix as well, and a late running 19G. The latter most unlikely however.

"Mertz"town is a small village just east of Topton, and just west of Alburtis, MP RV 20 on the Reading Line. Just east of here is a killer curve @ Shamrock, which is fantasic for eastbounds until about 11a-12p.

Email me @ TO for further details, too much info to write up here, I have it scaled down in my computer files somewhere.


Lackawanna484 wrote:
> There's a very nice ballfield and parking lot just east of
> the overpass at Lyons. Nicely lighted for eastbounds in the am.
>
> Another country road just east of Mertz, similar situation.
> Corn's been hurt with the drought, so it's not too high.
>
> Don't know how the travel trailer would go over at the
> railfan shed (PA 100 in Alburtis) but that's nice, too.
>
> Canal Park is at the west end of the Allentown Yard, lots of
> parking, and old canal works to give you some unusual props

Thanks for the responses.

vrsfan wrote:

> If that was you in the past 2 months sitting there, I can
> tell you were at least reported by a few train crews. I recall
> the very day seeing a camper parked there, right across from
> the Ironwood Powerplant - not a very swift idea either!

I have to agree strongly with vrs on this one. Considering all of the concrete security barricades the power plant has installed in their own driveway, in response to concerns of possible terroristic actions against power plants, it wouldn't be very wise to try and access the area DE30AC talked about.

Due to the Harrisburg Line's often secluded nature, and the proximity of private property in areas where the RR does cross public roads, the Hershey High Meadow Campground is probably the best choice. If you were fanning in a car, just for a few hours, you'd have lots of other choices. Trying to bring in a travel trailer, and stay overnight, rules nearly all of them out.

Hmmmmm... I do know of an engineer whose front yard adjoins the eastern limits of CP Prescott. Maybe he could make a few bucks on the side offering up limited overnight usage of his property... <g>

Virtually every Wal-Mart, particularly their Supercenters, will allow overnight parking by trailers/motor homes. There are even camping web sites that discuss this. Wal-Mart knows that people who stay in their parking lot are likely to come in and by something. (Those Wal-Mart folks don't miss a trick, do they?)

The only Wal-Marts that don't allow this are almost always prohibited by local ordinance. Others are in higher-crime areas, but most of them have full-time security guards in the parking lot who keep a special eye on RVers.

Other places that also allow campers to "boondock" overnight, though they may not necessarily be near rails: Flying J (particulalry RV friendly, with a frequent feuler club just for them), TA and Petro truck stops, Costco stores, and Cracker Barrel Restaurants. Whichever you choose, make sure you ask permission of management.

A Google search of the keywords "Wal-Mart boondocking" turned up a slew of articles about this. Maybe someone will do a list of places to dry-camp trackside, just as they have with trackside motels.

Haha RUNS - indeed! I worked with JPG the other night on 18G - a quit both ways for us in Hammieland!

He's back on the Pavonia Rockrunner out of Annville last I knew, following that trip as a matter of fact! So ask him if he'd consider the business venture next time you pass him. :)


Runs4TheNS wrote:
> Hmmmmm... I do know of an engineer whose front yard adjoins
> the eastern limits of CP Prescott. Maybe he could make a few
> bucks on the side offering up limited overnight usage of his property...