Elizabeth and I arrive at the Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern Railway, parked the car and walked over to the displays.
A Brief HistoryThe Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern is a privately owned heritage railroad company in Kempton, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1963 and operates over an isolated remnant of a former Reading Company line. Its nickname is the Hawk Mountain Line due to its proximity to the Hawk Mountain range.
The WK&S operates tourist trains on about three miles of track between Kempton and Wanamaker regularly on weekends between May and November as well as on special occasions using either diesel or steam engines. Its Kempton station is not the original one, but consists of buildings from the Reading Company that were brought to their current location. The company owns a shop building and an additional 1.5 miles of track south of Kempton.
The origins of the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern date back to 1870 with the charter of a new railroad, the Berks County Railroad. In a very short time, the new line was bankrupt. It went to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad as the renamed the Schuylkill and Lehigh line, a small branch line from Reading to Slatedale where the Reading connected with the Lehigh Valley Railroad. With the decline of railroads, the Reading Company filed abandonment of the Schuylkill and Lehigh line.
In 1963 a group of volunteers founded the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad with its main purpose to preserve railroad history. The original plan for the line was to operate 11.5 miles of track from Kempton to Germansville. However this did not happen because an uncooperative land owner forced the new railroad to stop where the owner's land started, which is why the railroad stops just a north of Wanamaker along Route 143. The new railroad purchased three miles of track for $65,000. After the rest of the line was abandoned, the tracks south of Kempton were next on the list to be scrapped, but the WK&S had no money to purchase the line. However, the scrapper donated 1.2 miles of track south of Kempton. The end of the line to the south became North Albany.
Our TripsWe started to explore this railroad.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 75 ton switcher 602, ex. Lehigh and New England 602, exx. Gulf Oil Company 70 ton switcher 7, nee United States Army 6467, built by Whitcomb in 1944.
Chesapeake and Ohio refrigerator car 5504, built by the railroad in 1960.
Reading caboose 92830, built by the railroad in 1936. The trucks have Central of New Jersey markings because they were built from a combination of new and used parts, some of which came from the CNJ. It was retired around 1969 and Reading conductor Forrest Trittenbach, who worked the Perkiomen Branch, arranged for it to be donated for display at a park in Emmaus. Unfortunately the caboose became a hangout for delinquents and proved to be a liability. The caboose was next acquired by Railways to Yesterday, but there was no room for it at Orbisonia. So it was moved and stored by McHugh Brothers Heavy Hauling of Penndel, Pennsylvania. Railways to Yesterday never utilized the caboose and in April 1986, it was again moved from Penndel to Kempton.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 45 ton switcher 7258, nee United States Army 7258, built by General Electric in 1942. It was acquired from Birdsboro Steel in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania in 1997.
Reading caboose 92830, builder unknown but constructed in 1936.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern open air car 10381, nee Lehigh & New England 50 ton composite gondola 10381, built by American Car & Foundry in 1934. Once a general purpose freight car, the WK&S converted it to an open-air observation car. A bench seat runs down the middle of the car and an opening was cut in one end so passengers may pass to and from an adjoining coach.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 78 seat coach 582, nee Delaware, Lackawanna and Western 582, built by Pullman in 1915. It was purchased in 1963 for $1,000 and was one of the railway's earliest acquisitions.
Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad operates out of Atlantic City Railroad wooden coach 72, built by Jackson and Sharp in 1889. In 1910, it became Ironton Railroad tool car 1. The Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern acquired the car from the Ironton Railroad in 1963.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 0-4-0ST 2, nee Colorado Fuel and Iron Company 2 (Birdsboro, Pennsylvania) built by H.K. Porter in 1920. This was the first operational locomotive when the new WK&S railroad opened for business in 1963. During the early years of operation, it faced north then around 1967, the locomotive was turned and now faces south. On two occasions number 2 was the railroad's primary locomotive; once in 1963 and again in 1970-72. But mostly, 2 served as backup to 250 and then to 65.
When 2 arrived by truck at the WK&S back in the early 1963, it had no tender. Water is carried in the saddle tank above the boiler and the coal was simply carried on the floor of the cab. Obviously the locomotive's range was quite limited. In 1970 WK&S crews fabricated a coal tender starting with the four-wheel rolling chassis from a tiny Plymouth diesel-mechanical locomotive 146. The little switch engine was razed from the frame up and a tender body was fabricated in its place. With its homemade coal tender, 2 could carry enough coal for the entire weekend. But by 2002, the tender would have required new side sheets so it was simply removed. In addition to replenishing the water supply, engine crews were once again faced with having to through a few wheelbarrows of coal in the cab after each trip to Wanamaker.
Following the 2002 season, 2 was replaced by engine 65. In 2005, the tender went to a railroad equipment collector in Geigertown, Pennsylvania and was traded for a small crane that now resides between the two tracks in the shop building. There are no plans to return this steam engine to service.
The tender wore three different paint schemes. Beginning in 1970 the tender was lettered "WK&S" with a thin stripe around the top and bottom of the body. In 1981 the Locomotive was done up to look like LNE 201. The tender was painted black with an LNE bullseye logo. Sometime thereafter the tender was painted with a WK&S Hawk Mountain Line logo which was how it remained when the tender left in 2005.
Reading coach 1474, built by Bethlehem Steel in the 1910's.
Reading coach 1494 built by Bethlehem Steel in the 1910's and combine 408 built by Standard Steel in 1925.
Reading combine 408, built by Standard Steel in 1925.
Railroad crossing sign.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 2 and the Kempton station.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 2 and Atlantic City Railroad wooden coach 72.
The former Wilmington and Northern Railroad station built in 1888 and moved from Joanna in 1963 when the Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern started the tourist line.
The trainorder signal and our train.
Anthracite Cultural Landmark Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern information board.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern Timetable board.
Reading crossing gates. We went inside the station and learnt that our tickets were good all day so made two runs.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 602, as seen from our train. We spent both trips out in the open car.
Rails outside the shop area.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern 0-4-0ST 2, nee Colorado Fuel and Iron Company 2 (Birdsboro, Pennsylvania) built by H.K. Porter in 1920. This was the first operational locomotive when the new WK&S railroad opened for business in 1963. During the early years of operation, it faced north then around 1967, the locomotive was turned and now faces south. On two occasions number 2 was the railroad's primary locomotive; once in 1963 and again in 1970-72. But mostly, 2 served as backup to 250 and then to 65.
When 2 arrived by truck at the WK&S back in the early 1963, it had no tender. Water is carried in the saddle tank above the boiler and the coal was simply carried on the floor of the cab. Obviously the locomotive's range was quite limited. In 1970 WK&S crews fabricated a coal tender starting with the four-wheel rolling chassis from a tiny Plymouth diesel-mechanical locomotive 146. The little switch engine was razed from the frame up and a tender body was fabricated in its place. With its homemade coal tender, 2 could carry enough coal for the entire weekend. But by 2002, the tender would have required new side sheets so it was simply removed. In addition to replenishing the water supply, engine crews were once again faced with having to through a few wheelbarrows of coal in the cab after each trip to Wanamaker.
Following the 2002 season, 2 was replaced by engine 65. In 2005, the tender went to a railroad equipment collector in Geigertown, Pennsylvania and was traded for a small crane that now resides between the two tracks in the shop building. There are no plans to return this steam engine to service.
The tender wore three different paint schemes. Beginning in 1970 the tender was lettered "WK&S" with a thin stripe around the top and bottom of the body. In 1981 the Locomotive was done up to look like LNE #201. The tender was painted black with an LNE bullseye logo. Sometime thereafter the tender was painted with a WK&S Hawk Mountain Line logo which was how it remained when the tender left in 2005.
A working semaphore signal.
Trexler, located less than a mile north of the WK&S Kempton station, is the only town along the WK&S that pre-dates original construction of railroad.
Rounding the first curve on the railroad.
Ontelaunee Creek, also known as Maiden Creek, a branch of the Schuylkill River called by the Lenni Lenape "Ontelaunee" or "little daughter".
Curving through the forest.
A hand car along our route.
Greg and Marty Smith were also on our train.
There were several curves on the route.
Metal Milepost 28.
Ontelaunee Creek.
A look back to where we had been.
The bridge across Ontelaunee Creek.
A snowplough marker.
A dead tree.
Whistle post.
A second snowplough marker.
Metal Milepost 29.
The Wanamaker station.
Whistle post sign for the road.
The end of the track in Wanamaker.
We returned to Wanamaker where the engine would run around the train.
The Wanamaker Reading Railroad station dating from 1879, which is the only WK&S one in its original location.
Our locomotive ran around the train then I and Elizabeth reboarded.
A hand car shed.
Trees on the hill on our way back to Kempton.
Trees and the ridge on the way back.
We recrossed Ontelaunee Creek.
Ontelaunee Creek.
Fuhrmans Grove and picnic table.
Ontelaunee Creek.
We returned to Trexler.
Passing the working semaphore again.
The open car was passed.
Wanamaker, Kempton and Southern coach 1365, nee Reading 1365, built by Bethlehem Steel in 1915 and is part of the original stable of equipment run by the WK&S. When the coach was delivered to the WK&S, it was painted solid olive with Reading Company livery. The car number appeared twice on each side of the coach toward the end of the vestibule door.
We passed the steam engine again and stopped at the Kempton station. Between trains, Elizabeth and I stocked up on their mugs, t-shirts and magnet then reboarded for our second journey of the afternoon.
The meadow right outside of Kempton. We ran along Ontelaunee Creek and just enjoyed the scenery until we approached Wanamaker.
As we neared Wanamaker. We went to the end of track then I was the only passenger who detrained.
Here is the photo runby crossing the road.
The scene before the reverse move.
The reverse move at Wanamaker.
The train crew hooking up to brake line. We then started back to Kempton.
The scene along our route.
Looking through the caboose.
Two views on our way back.
That semaphore signal again, then we returned to the station where Elizabeth and I detrained.
The organization's 1963 to 2023, Our 60th Anniversary, banner.
The locomotive which pulled our train returned to their shop building. We then went inside Atlantic City Railroad wooden coach 72.
In this car is the HO scale diorama of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad.
The watchman's shanty was along the Reading Railroad Catasauqua and Fogelsville branch near Route 100.
The shanty information sign. Elizabeth and I drove to Cracker Barrel in Hamburg for an excellent meal then stayed at the Quality Inn in Midway for the night.
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