Randy and I arose at the Days Inn and after a continental breakfast, checked out and stopped at Walmart so I could pick up something before driving into Scranton. We went by the Radisson where I would be staying before we made our way over to the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad shops for pictures of their motive power.
Views around the shops.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-11 324, ex. Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern 324, exx. Minnesota Central 1100, exxx. Mississippi Central 1100, exxxx. California Western 63, exxxxx. Southern Pacific 2935, nee Southern Pacific 5870 built by America Locomotive Company in 1959.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS11 1805, ex. Winchester and Western 3611, exx. Trans-Matrix Incorporated 3611, exxx. Central of Vermont 3611, exxxxx. Quaboag Transfer 3611, nee Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific 3611 built by American Locomotive Company in 1956.
Delaware-Lackawanna C425 2457, ex. Wabash and Ohio 325, exx. Maumee and Western Railroad 325, exxx. Indiana Hi-Rail 4252, exxxx. Burlington Northern 4252, nee Spokane, Portland and Seattle 312 built American Locomotive Company in 1965.
Delaware-Lackawanna C420 41, ex. Vintage Locomotive Works 41, exx. Delaware and Hudson 211, nee Long Island 211 built by American Locomotive Company in 1964.
Delaware-Lackawanna FPA4 6763, ex. Northern Central Railway 6763, exx. Vintage Locomotive Works 6763, exxx. VIA 6763, nee Canadian National 6763 built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1954.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-3 204, ex. IRECO Incorporated 204, exx. St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County Railroad 204, nee Lehigh and Hudson River 4 built by American Locomotive Company in 1950.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-11 351, ex. Winchester and Western 351, nee Norfolk and Western 351 built by American Locomotive Company in 1957.
Delaware-Lackawanna transfer caboose C-703, nee Pennsylvania Railroad 18578 built by the railroad in 1969.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-3 134, ex. Octoraro Railroad 134, exx. Amtrak 134, nee New York Central 8280 built by American Locomotive Company in 1951.
Delaware-Lackawanna C425 327, ex Burlington Northern 4265, nee Spokane, Portland and Seattle 327 built by American Locomotive Company in 1966.
Delaware-Lackawanna M630 3000, ex. British Columbia Railway 706, nee Pacific Great Eastern 706 built by American Locomotive Company in 1970.
Delaware-Lackawanna C424 2409, ex. Vintage Locomotive Works 425, exx. Norfolk and Western 905, nee Wabash B905, part of a cancelled order built by American Locomotive Company in 1964 for the National Railways of Mexico. Wabash purchased the units soon before the road was leased by Norfolk & Western.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-3 4118, ex. American Refrigerator Transit, exx. Octoraro Railroad, nee Delaware and Hudson 4118 built by American Locomotive Company in 1952.
Delaware-Lackawanna C425 2423, ex. Delaware-Lackawanna 6101, exx. Port Colborne Harbor 6101, exxx. Morrison-Knudsen 6101, exxxx. New York and Lake Erie 6101, exxxxxx. Conrail 5062, exxxxxx. Penn Central 2423, nee Pennsylvania Railroad 2423 built by American Locomotive Company in 1965.
Delaware-Lackawanna C636 3642, ex. Delaware-Lackawanna 6793, exx. Delta Bulk Terminal 1001, exxx. Conrail 6792, nee Penn Central 6342 built by American Locomotive Company in 1968.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-3 4103, ex. American Refrigerator Transit, exx. Octoraro Railroad, nee Delaware and Hudson 4103 built by American Locomotive Company in 1952.
Delaware-Lackawanna RS-3 4068, ex. Lamoille Valley 7801, nee Delaware and Hudson 4068 built by American Locomotive Company in 1952.
From here we drove back through downtown Scranton and took US Highway 11 north to Nicholson, where we found the object of our search.
The Tunkhannock Viaduct sign.
Tunkhannock Viaduct, a concrete deck arch bridge on the Nicholson Cutoff rail segment of the Norfolk Southern Railway Sunbury Line that spans Tunkhannock Creek in Nicholson. Measuring 2,375 feet long and towering 240 feet when measured from the creek bed (300 feet from bedrock), it was the largest concrete structure in the world when completed in 1915 and still merited "the title of largest concrete bridge in America". Built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, the bridge is owned today by Norfolk Southern Railway and is used daily for regular through freight service.
The DL&W built the viaduct as part of its 39.6-mile Nicholson Cutoff, which replaced a winding and hilly section of the route between Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Binghamton, New York, saving 3.6 miles, 21 minutes of passenger train time and one hour of freight train time. The bridge was designed by the DL&W's Abraham Burton Cohen. In 1975, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the bridge as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. ASCE noted that at the time of its construction from 1912 to 1915, it was the largest reinforced concrete railroad bridge ever built. The bridge was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1977. In 1990, the National Railway Historical Society placed a historical plaque on the structure noting its size as the world's largest concrete bridge, completing the Summit cut-off project for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
We drove to the east side for this picture then took Pennsylvania Highway 92 to US Highway 6 into Tunkhannock, parking in the high school parking lot and riding the school bus down to where the train was loading.
Reading Blue Mountain & Northern 425 Trip 5/15/2010
After the bus dropped me off, I walked down to take a few pictures while Randy saved us seats on the train.
Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Brief History
The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad, with corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, is a privately-held railroad company serving eight counties in Eastern Pennsylvania. They began serving customers in 1983 as the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad on the company's original thirteen-mile shortline connecting Temple to Hamburg, Pennsylvania that Conrail had abandoned and, as a result, the line came under the control of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1990, opportunity knocked and the railroad purchased one hundred thirty miles of railroad from Conrail, known as the "Reading Cluster." The trackage was comprised of former Reading Company track to the heart of the anthracite coalfields in Schuylkill County. As Conrail continued their program of spinning off rail lines that did not fit into its core network, the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern expanded again. In August of 1996, RBMN acquired a portion of Conrail's Lehigh Division. Comprised of over one hundred miles of former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage, the rail line stretches from the southern foot of the Pocono Mountains at Lehighton through Wilkes-Barre and Scranton and onward to Wyoming County.
RBMN negotiated overhead trackage rights over the Carbon-County owned 18-mile railroad that runs between Hometown and Jim Thorpe in order to connect its two divisions. In August of 2001, we completed negotiations with Norfolk Southern and Procter & Gamble that resulted in our taking over exclusive service to P&G's largest manufacturing facility at Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. Working with Norfolk Southwen, we were able to provide P&G with an excellent service and rate package that ensured the inbound raw material continued to move by rail. As a result, RBMN has enjoyed over four thousand carloads of P&G business each year since signing the agreements. The two Divisions were now connected and the Lehigh Line had a solid business base from both on-line customers and overhead trackage rights revenues. Moreover, the Lehigh Division was a smooth operation as a result of an agreement made in May of 2003 to have Norfolk Southern deliver inbound interchange cars to RBMN at Penobscot.
By the time RBMN celebrated its twentieth anniversary in the fall of 2003, it was a very successful shortline. We had taken our Lehigh Division and connected it with the Reading Division, we had built solid traffic bases on both sides of our system, and we had put in place an excellent operation with upgraded locomotives and freight cars. We were gaining a reputation for customer service and attention to detail. Also in 2005, RBMN took a big step forward to expand its passenger excursion business. RBMN had always had a passenger program. But with the acquisition of the Lehigh Line and the new connections between Jim Thorpe and the Lehigh River Gorge, RBMN was now positioned to offer the region a quality tourist attraction. In May of 2005, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway was born. Every weekend and holiday from May to Christmas, hundreds of visitors to Jim Thorpe board our passenger coaches for a ride into the Lehigh Gorge. With a solid freight business in hand and a growing passenger operation underway, Andy Muller decided to begin the renovation of his steam engine, Number 425. At the end of 2007, 425 was back in service. In 2008, it will take thousands of guests on steam excursion trips throughout our operating territory.
Reading Blue Mountain & Northern 4-6-2 425 Brief History
Steam engine 425 was originally built in January 1928 as the Gulf, Mobile & Northern 425. She later worked for the Gulf Mobile & Ohio 580 before moving to Louisiana as their 2 and later 4. It later became Valley Forge Scenic 425, and finally Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad 425, and she is now currently restored as Reading Blue Mountain 425.
The Trip
The train consisted of Reading Blue Mountain & Northern 4-6-2 425, Lehigh Gorge SD50 426, coaches 303, 309, 306, 304, 302, 305, 308 and 307 with private cars 5 "Schuylkill River" and 1 "Black Diamond". Here is my ticket for the trip today.
We departed Tunkhannock at 9:00 AM sharp bound for Jim Thorpe.
We followed the Susquehanna River east towards Pittston.
A jeep and motorcyclist provided us with some good laughs as they chased our train. We passed the waterfall called Falls which could be seen through the trees.
An interesting barn.
Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern SW1 600, ex. Big Dog Lines, nee Warner Sand and Gravel 15 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1953.
An unidentified switch engine at the Pittston yard.
Crossing the Lackawanna River.
Taking the curve into Duryea.
.
Reading & Blue Mountain locomotives at Duryea.
The engine still on the curve. We passed through Duryea Junction and made a 180 degree turn as we climbed away from the Lackawanna River. The Canadian Pacific Railway main line crossed over ours as we then reached Dupont Junction then we started the climb of Penobscot Mountain on a 1.2 percent grade for the next 16 miles to Solomon's Gap. At Dupont, we operated over a double track mainline to Laurel Run.
The line reverted to single track as it climbed and winded up the grade to the Solomon's Cut.
Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern SW1500 1548, ex. Conrail 9618, nee Reading 2768 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1969, at Penobscot Yard.
Penobscot Tower. We ran again on double track from Solomon's Gap to Cresswood, where our route reverted to single track as we began our descent of the Penobscot Mountains.
Views of our train drifting down the grade.
An old Central of New Jersey milepost marker.
Passing through the White Haven Tunnel built in 1867.
Both ends of the train just before we passed through White Haven.
After White Haven, our train took another curve as we entered the Lehigh State Park.
The first crossing of the Lehigh River. The rafters were out in force today.
The train passed through Tannery.
Rolling down the Lehigh Gorge.
At MP 137, we went through the curved Rockport Tunnel.
The train in the beautiful Lehigh Gorge.
Our second crossing of the Lehigh River.
At Independence, the Norfolk Southern line from Hazleton joined the Lehigh Gorge. The gorge used to have three different railroads running through it, namely Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Reading Railroad.
The old Central Railroad of New Jersey grade is a bicycle and hiking train through the Lehigh Gorge State Park.
The train drifting down the Lehigh Gorge.
The third crossing of the Lehigh River.
Our fourth and final crossing before our train arrived in Jim Thorpe and I detrained.
The Jim Thorpe station built in 1888.
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway SD50 426, ex. Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern 5033, exx. Union Pcific 5033, nee Missouri Pacific 5033 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1984.
I had lunch at Molly Maguires Pub and Steakhouse and enjoyed a 24 ounce steak for lunch. After lunch I took a look around the yard.
Another view of the Jim Thorpe station.
A line of private cabooses of many fallen flag railroads.
Erie caboose C333 built by International Car in 1953 and lettered Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern 92847.
Jersey Central Lines caboose 91507 built by Reading Railroad and Central of New Jersey in 1941.
Erie Lackawanna caboose C-191 built by the railroad in 1945.
Reading caboose 94070 built by International Car in 1958.
Lehigh Valley caboose 95023 built by the railroad in 1944.
Pennsylvania caboose 477854 built by the railroad in 1942.
Three views of Reading and Blue Mountain 425.
Warner 14.
Reading and Blue Mountain 425 reversing towards the town. I walked back and stopped at the gift shop for a T-shirt then went to the Gulf service station for a Coca-Cola before I sat under a tree on a beautiful afternoon. The train arrived at the station at 3:20 and we left Jim Thorpe at 4:00 PM as I relaxed most of the way back to Tunkhannock. About six miles out, we stopped as the handle on the tender had jiggled shut, stopping the water to the engine. A brief stop was made to fix it and during the delay, the crew played trivia over the public address system before we arrived back in Tunkhannock at 7:42 PM. Randy and I took the first shuttle bus back to the car. It had been a wonderful trip behind the Reading and Blue Mountain steam engine today.
We drove US Highway 6 back to Scranton then took Interstate 81 to Interstate 84, which we took all the way to Danbury, Connecticut and checked into the Super 8 Motel for the night.
| RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE |