Microsoft founder Bill Gates has amassed a sizeable ownership stake in Canadian National Railway Co. At Mount Carbon, it connected with the earlier Mount Carbon Railroad, continuing through Pottsville to several mines, and would eventually be extended to Williamsport.[6][7][when?] Like most railroads, the Reading had contracts with the U.S. Post Office to haul and sort mail en route. [2] The original P&R mainline extended south from the mining town of Pottsville to Reading and then onward to Philadelphia, following the gently graded banks of the Schuylkill River for nearly all of the 93-mile (150-km) journey. [15] Also in 1893, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad built its most famous structure, Reading Terminal in Philadelphia. 425 and ex-Reading Company T-1 4-8-4 No. Streaming On Demand: https://vimeo.com/pletsexpress/vod_pagesBlu-ray or DVD: https://www.pletsexpress.com/fnimall/Plets/%20126RBMN1/vid_trains.phtmlThe Readi. The BM&R took on this challenge, and expanded the company, changing the name to Reading Blue Mountain and Northern. [3] The railroad also entered into a partnership with the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society, which leased track space in Leesport and in return leased two diesel locomotives and assorted passenger cars for use on the line. About Iowa Northern Iowa Northern Railway Company, was formed in 1984 on a section of the old Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company. On July 7, 1877, the final spike was driven and the 54.67 miles (87.98km) line was opened in time for summer tourism season. At that time, he offered $1.3 million for both the rail line and the former Packerton Yards property. From the turn of the 20th century to the outbreak of World War I, the Reading was among the most modern and efficient railroads. McLeod went about trying to control neighboring railroads in 1891. The railroad also had an extensive commuter operation centered around Philadelphia, the hub of which was Reading Terminal. Andy Muller, owner of Reading and Northern, offered to purchase the line, which he currently manages for the county, in 2016. Careers Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad [12] The Reading dubbed the line, along with some connecting track, its Philadelphia and Chester Branch;[13] southbound trains reached it via the Junction Railroad, jointly controlled by PW&B, Reading, and PRR, and continued on to the connecting Chester and Delaware River Railroad. "We are investing in our future and the future of the communities we serve," Reading & Northern founder and owner. "We are delighted that Jim has chosen to return to Reading & Northern," President Wayne Michel said. The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad, commonly shortened to the Reading & Northern, is a Class II Regional Railroad based out of Port Clinton, PA. Andy Muller, owner of Reading and Northern, offered to purchase the line, which he currently manages for the county, in 2016. The railroad started life in 1983 after Conrail began the abandonment process of about 13 miles of Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad trackage from Hamburg, PA to Temple, PA. Joe Biden received a briefing on Friday on the multi-agency response to the derailment in Ohio of a freight train carrying toxic chemicals, as his . The partnership between the RBMN and Reading Company Technical and Historical Society had more or less ended by this point, but the group still leased track space in Leesport until 2008 when they moved to the Hamburg yard and opened the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum.[4]. $39.99. Dentons > Los Angeles, United States > Firm Profile. Energy-dense coal known as anthracite had been replacing increasingly scarce wood as fuel in businesses and homes since the 1810s, and P&R-delivered coal was one of the first alternatives to the near-monopoly held by Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company since the 1820s. Mary Weston, left, and her son Guy Weston visit a historic Timbuctoo graveyard in Westampton Township, Burlington County, in early February. Zurn said an agreement that runs through 2038 between the commission, railroad and county gives C&S; the power to name a tour operator. The percentage increased to 80% in late-January 2023, effectively taking control of it. Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Co - Bloomberg.com Even though moving and mining of coal was its primary business, the P&R eventually became more diversified through the development of many on-line industries, averaging almost five industries per mile of main line at one point, and the expanding role of the Reading as a bridge route. [8], In 2017, the railroad completed its connections to the Hazleton Shaft and Hazleton Hiller Drying Plant. Purchased a building in Ransom, PA to operate an owned warehouse marketed for the distribution of forest products and wood pulp in particular. [5] The regular excursion consists of a 16-mile (26km), 70-minute round-trip out of Jim Thorpe, following the Lehigh River to Lehigh Gorge State Park. History Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Top Railroad Stocks | The Motley Fool Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC is the parent company of the BNSF Railway (formerly the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway). In August of 1996, RBMN acquired a portion of Conrails Lehigh Division. C&S Railroad is now overseen by Muller. 25, running from Kaighn's Point in Camden, New Jersey to Atlantic City with Philadelphia and Reading Railway class P-4c 4-4-2 (Atlantic class cab over boiler) locomotive No.334 and 5 passenger cars, set a speed record. As of 1999, most former Reading lines are now part of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), as a result of the Conrail split between NS and CSX Transportation. [5] In December 2016, the RBMN announced that it spent $2 million to build a train station at Pennsylvania Route 61 and Bellevue Avenue in Muhlenberg Township outside Reading, called Reading Outer Station, with plans to operate passenger excursions from there to Jim Thorpe. After a fierce fight over the future of Conrail, CSX ultimately agreed to split Conrail with its main rival, Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). A 3-foot-6-inch narrow gauge was selected because it would lower track laying and operating costs. The Reading further expanded its coal empire by reaching New York City by gaining control of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad in 1879, and building the Port Reading Branch in 1892 with a line from Port Reading Junction to Port Reading on the Arthur Kill. ATLAS HO 20005857, 50' SD POSTWAR BOX CAR, READING [XMZ . 11.7K members Join group About Discussion More About Discussion About this group A group dedicate to sharing their photos of the Reading and Northern Railroad in Pennsylvania If I approved your membership, But i want to te See more Private [5], The Reading invested in the construction of new cut-offs, bypasses, and connections, much like the Pennsylvania Railroad's low-grade lines and the Lackawanna Cut-off. The Reading also relinquished control of the Central New England Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad. Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad by Kevin Burkholder HISTORY The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad, with corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania is a privately held railroad company serving nine counties in Eastern Pennsylvania. An extension northwest from Reading to Mount Carbon, also on the Schuylkill River, opened on January 13, 1842, allowing the railroad to compete with the Schuylkill Canal. Commonly called the Reading Railroad, and logotyped as Reading Lines, the Reading Company was a railroad holding company for the majority of its existence and was a single railroad during its later years. Introducing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Regional Railroad Station Reading Full year 2022 represented the most successful year in RBMNs history as we smashed all traffic and excursion ridership records. Port Richmond later became a very large coal terminal. 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. At that time, Carbon County became the first county in Pennsylvania to own a railroad. [clarification needed] In 1890, Reading president Archibald A. McLeod saw that more riches could be earned by expanding its rail network and becoming a trunk railroad. During a special meeting of the commission, which took place directly before the commissioners meeting, the board, in a unanimous vote, approved recommending the sale of the approximately 19.5-mile Panther Valley rail line to the board of commissioners. These popular excursions became legendary and became a fondly remembered part of Reading's history. Raffa began his career in 1989 as a trackman with RBMN predecessor Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad. Duke Energy installs, operates, owns and maintains the system, while customers receive kilowatt-hour and solar renewable energy credit output, up to an initial limit of 1 megawatt. 4442 Parker Dr #223, Williams, AZ 86046 | MLS# 6525729 | Redfin [2], The Ninth Street Branchthe main thoroughfare into Reading Terminalwas also improved. [2] The Reading participated in the joint operation of The Interstate Express with the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, with service between Philadelphia and Syracuse, New York. Having worked to ensure a steady stream of customer business along our Lehigh Division, we turned our attention to reaching agreements for the use of the line as a key transportation corridor. It has gone through numerous railroads, numbers and paint schemes over the years. Reading & Northern looking at passenger excursions from W-B to Jim [18] Excursions run on weekends, holidays, and some weekdays between May and December. But prices will likely remain elevated compared to historical levels. The BM&R also began operating three more state-owned lines, including the Allentown branch and Colebrookdale branch. We all have a soft spot for George, Zurn said. The P&R was constructed initially to haul anthracite coal from mines in northeastern Pennsylvania's Coal Region to Philadelphia. Muller now is co-owner of. On May 29 the Reading leased the Central Railroad of New Jersey. There trains connected with the Western Maryland Railroad to continue westward. As of 2023, four examples have survived, and the 2102 is in active tourist service with the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad. The event began in 1959 when the railroad kept four of its powerful 4-8-4's (#2100, #2101, #2102, and #2124) to host excursions. With a solid freight business in hand and a growing passenger operation underway, Andy Muller decided to begin the renovation of his steam engines. The commissioners also approved the motion unanimously. The Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad was founded in 1983 to provide freight service on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Schuylkill Division between Hamburg and Temple. Nothstein said, Its been a long time coming.. RBMN again was recognized by Railway Age as Regional Railroad of the Year for the development of port operations for the export of anthracite coal. Andy Muller , Andy Muller , owner of Reading and Northern, offered to purchase the line, which he currently manages for the county, in 2016. The Lehigh Valley Railroad was leased on December 1, 1891, under the presidency of Archibald A. McLeod, but that lease was canceled on August 8, 1893, when the Reading went into receivership, an event associated with the Panic of 1893. By 1871, the Reading was the largest company in the world, with $170,000,000 in market capitalization (equal to $3,845,305,556 today),[4] and may have been the first conglomerate in the world. The Project Gutenberg eBook of Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular [23], After the first World War, and the return of the Reading from government control, the Reading decided to streamline its corporate structure. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MTH 30-1602-1 Railking Imperial Union Pacific FEF Northern 4-8-4 #837 w/PS3 at the best online prices at eBay! [5], In 1900, the Reading Shops began construction along the Reading yards and North 6th Street, facilitating the maintenance and construction of a greater locomotive and rolling stock fleet. Soon the P&R bought or leased many of the railroads in the Schuylkill River Valley and extended westward and north along the Susquehanna into the southern end of what became known as the Coal Region. This facility was set up and running in record time to meet our customer's stringent requirements. When RBMN was formed in 1990, he transitioned to Coal Traffic Manager and Real Estate Manager. 425 was back in service, pulling passenger trains and occasionally the company Office Car Specials, to take thousands of guests on steam excursion trips throughout our operating territory. Commission Chairman William OGurek questioned who has the power to hire tour operators. Northern Railroad Jobs, Employment | Indeed.com In the 1920s, the Reading operated a dense network of commuter lines branching off of the Ninth Street Branch mostly powered by small 4-4-0s, 4-4-2s and 4-6-0 camelbacks. On a $14 million bridge built by Reading & Northern, Train NRFF (North Reading Fast Freight) crosses the Lehigh River and former Lehigh Valley main line before merging onto the former Central of New Jersey on May 15. Its main freight cargo is anthracite coal.[2]. Combined, these two carriers use the Lehigh Line to move over eighty thousand carloads a year. In order to have better control over the supply of empty hopper-cars for coal shipments, in 1995 RBMN began to purchase a fleet of cars, starting with 265 cars dedicated to Quebec Iron & Titanium Service. Price. Among the cars bought at auction are several notables, including the former Southern Railway steam program open-air coach Lookout Mountain and the former Illinois Central A.C.Muller Enterprises The return trip leaves Jim Thorpe in the late afternoon and returns to Port Clinton and Reading in the evening. Both Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific were interested in using the Lehigh Line as a north-south corridor for goods moving from the Northeast and Canada to the New York City market via Allentown, as well as points south and east of Reading. At least 36 killed in Greece train collision. Employees of the Reading and Northern Railroad work in a family oriented team environment. The county then hired a surveying company to survey portions of the railroad. At least 57 people were killed and . They still stand today in non-RR use.[2]. Under his leadership, the Reading Company was formed and the P&R was absorbed into it on November 30. Reading & Northern Railroad, headquarted in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 70 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Wyoming). It operated service as Reading Railway System and was a successor to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, founded in 1833. On May 17, 1842, a freight branch from West Falls to Port Richmond on the Delaware River north of downtown Philadelphia opened. This allowed direct delivery of coal to industries in the Port of New York and New Jersey in northeastern New Jersey and New York City by rail and barge instead of the longer trip by ships from Port Richmond around Cape May. The company also owned 38.6% of Pilot Corp. The Reading leased it in 1870. Nati Harnik / AP. On April 1, 1889, the Philadelphia and Reading Railway consolidated the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway, Williamstown & Delaware River Railroad, Glassboro Railroad, Camden, Gloucester and Mt. Former Commissioner William OGurek was not in favor of a sale, while Commissioner Wayne Nothstein had previously said he was in favor of selling it. The following suburban lines were electrified during the onset of the Great Depression: The notable exception was the Fox Chase/Newtown branch. THE MISSISSIPPI SCHEME. The rail line already serves Air Products and Chemicals and TransWestern Polymers in Hometown, along with Ametek Westchester Plastics in Nesquehoning. They were so popular they kept running through the 1964 season. A new Philadelphia terminal opened on December 24, 1859, at Broad and Callowhill Streets, north of the old one at Cherry Street. It had sold 350 of the real estate tracts by the time it left bankruptcy in 1980. Listing provided courtesy of Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (ARMLS) Now is your chance to own a parcel of land in beautiful Northern AZ. The railroad was growing in 2001 prompting RBMN to purchase a fleet of high horsepower six-axle locomotives and retired some of the older units that had begun to wear out. This vertical expansion gave the P&R almost full control of anthracite coal from mining through market, allowing it to compete successfully with like-organized competitors such as Lehigh Coal & Navigation and the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company. The cars were built by the former Budd Company of Philadelphia in the 1950's for commuter use by various railroads. $80,000 - $120,000 a year. Gettysburg & Northern Railroad (GET) - Pioneer Lines The Reading and Northern Railroad Company is a progressive regional railroad offering unique career opportunities to career-oriented individuals in the Northeast Region of Pennsylvania. Its not a money-making thing for us, OGurek said, adding that its aim is serving area industries. 1:47. BOB MILLER/TIMES NEWS, A diesel freight train owned by Reading and Northern Railroad passes along the Panther Valley rail line in front of Ametek in Nesquehoning. The grant was used by Carbon County. Starting in 1985, the BM&R began operating passenger excursions over the line using two steam locomotives: ex-Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad 4-6-2 No. Our stations - Network Rail As our operation and business expanded, the need to upgrade facilities grew as well. This required all railroads to disinvest themselves of all mining properties and operations, and so the Reading Company was forced to sell the P&R Coal and Iron Company.[2]. Greek train tragedy sheds light on chronic state failures The train tragedy that unfolded in Greece this week, claiming dozens of lives in the country's worst rail disaster, has exposed chronic failures by successive administrations, insiders say.This was a crash that was waiting to happen, they argue.A passenger train with over 350 people on board ran for several kilometres on the same track as an incoming freight train, reportedly after the station . The railroad commission consists of the board of commissioners, as well as Rick Forgay II of Lansford, the son of railroad commission charter member Richard E. Forgay. . Reading Northern Railroad PD is a Fully Sworn Police Agency operating out of 9 Counties in NEPA. This is the third time we have won this prestigious award and we are the only railroad ever to have achieved this recognition three times. The evolution of the Reading & Northern has been a wonderful ride. The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road was chartered April 4, 1833, to build a line between Philadelphia and Reading, along the Schuylkill River. After World War II, the Reading looked at dropping the mail and in 1961 notified the governmentothat it intended to stop mail service on its passenger trains. A Sick America Can't Compete With China - Bloomberg Reading & Northern- TS12 - JointedRail.com Reading & Northern- TS12 Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 6 customer ratings ( 6 customer reviews) Log in to Download $ 0.00 JointedRail content is currently supported ONLY in Trainz Railroad Simulator 2019 117009 to current TRS22 and plus versions. In June of 2002, we entered into a trackage rights agreement with NS, and in August 2002 we renewed a prior agreement with CP. In Philadelphia, the Reading also built Port Richmond, the self-proclaimed "Largest privately owned railroad tidewater terminal in the world",[3] which burnished the P&R's bottom lines by allowing anthracite coal to be loaded onto ships and barges for export. In 1990, the Blue Mountain and Reading took ownership of 150 miles of track located in the Coal Region north of Reading. Find out what works well at Reading and Northern Railroad from the people who know best. Dentons Offices Trump supporters who drove Hummer with guns and ammo to Philadelphia vote-counting site spared more jail time, Paul Muschick: Would money motivate Pennsylvania businesses to move to a four-day work week? Shortly thereafter, the company renamed itself the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad and moved its headquarters from Hamburg to Port Clinton. It is a Spanish multinational clothing company that is . NS #1067, an EMD SD70ACe locomotive, was painted into the Bee Line Service paint scheme of the Reading. Reading & Northern A.C.Muller Enterprises A.C.Muller Enterprises Visit: Reading & Northern Railroad.com The Reading and Northern Railroad, with corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, is a privately held railroad company servicing customers in eight counties in Eastern Pennsylvania. In December, 1990 Andy's railroad career really took off when he purchased Conrail's Reading Cluster. The presidents of the Reading Company were: Rail lines of the Reading Railroad, including the, Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road: 18331893, Philadelphia and Reading Railway: 18961923. These classes were an important break of tradition of the Reading's motive power fleet. [18], The RBMN also operates passenger excursions out of the Reading Outer Station located outside of Reading in Muhlenberg Township, with Rail Diesel Car trains running from Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe with an intermediate stop in Port Clinton. Reading & Northern got its start as the Blue Mountain & Reading in 1983 with a 13-mile former Pennsylvania Railroad branch between Temple and Hamburg. Reading & Northern reports banner year - Times News Online In keeping with the standards of much larger railroads, The Reading embarked on many improvement projects which typically were not attempted by smaller railroads. Until the decline in anthracite loadings in the Coal Region after World War II, it was one of the most prosperous corporations in the United States. Includes Blue Mountain & Reading, Lehigh Gorge Scenic RR and Reading & Northern listings, and cars owned by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society that are located on line. A view of the Hometown High Bridge in Schuylkill County, which is owned by Carbon County. The purchase occurred because the line had been in jeopardy since 1976 after Conrail formed from the seven bankrupt railroads; and allowed businesses that utilize the line to remain operational, which is still true today. Berkshire Hathaway already owns about 22% of Burlington Northern,. ARMLS #6525703. Land Rights and Expropriation in Ethiopia - academia.edu Along with regular pay increases and profit-sharing checks, the Company decided to offer its employees the best health care plan in the region, and with no deductibles! Crop prices to drop but remain high | The Western Producer In July of 1992, Conrail sold some additional track near Hazelton, to serve the Jeddo Coal Company. TIMES NEWS FILE PHOTO. Welcome to the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum! Among the improvements were repairs to a trestle that leads from Carbon County to White Haven. About - Iowa Northern Railway - Rail Shipping Services 209 talking about this. You can keep abreast of the latest RBMN developments by coming to this website, and by reading our quarterly newsletter. The Reading and Northern 425 passes along the Panther Valley rail line in the Hauto Valley Estates portion of Nesquehoning during a fall excursion in 2017. In July, we entered into a long-term lease of two abandoned railroad bridges over the Lehigh River from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Uncover why Reading and Northern Railroad is the best company for you. Reading & Northern Railroad, Pennsylvania's largest privately-owned railroad, announced Tuesday that it will begin operating regular weekend passenger excursion train service from Pittston to Jim . The P&R became profitable almost immediately. Morlok, Edward K., University of Pennsylvania (2005). [10] Company officials threatened to leave the borough of Jim Thorpe,[11] and briefly ceased excursion operations in November 2019. Reading and Northern operates both freight services and steam and diesel-powered excursion passenger services, owns almost 1,300 freight cars, and employs nearly 300 dedicated employees. Other trains in the fleet included the Harrisburg Special (between Jersey City and Harrisburg), King Coal (between Philadelphia and Shamokin, Pennsylvania), North Penn (between Philadelphia and Bethlehem), Queen of the Valley (between Jersey City and Harrisburg), Schuylkill (between Philadelphia and Pottsville), and Wall Street (between Philadelphia and Jersey City). Reading & Northern buys two of NS's fab four F units - Trains 425, https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/profiles/regionals/reading-and-northern-profile/, "A Brief History - Reading Railroad Heritage Museum - Reading Company Technical & Historical Society - 500 S 3rd St, Hamburg, PA 19526 - 610-562-5513", "Railroad building train station in Muhlenberg", "Train makes inaugural round trip: Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe", "Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway to close in late November after tax dispute", "Legal argument over taxes threatens to derail popular Carbon County tourist attraction", "Carbon sells railroad to Reading and Northern for $4.7 million | Times News Online", "Railroad buys KME campus | Times News Online", "What's going on here? In November of 2001, RBMN reached an agreement to take over the ownership of the track within the Crestwood Industrial Park. In late 1995 these offices were combined into a new corporate headquarters at Port Clinton. St. Paul & Pacific Railway Company. In October, the LGSR operates abbreviated 45-minute trips that offer views of fall foliage in Lehigh Gorge State Park. Our Trains Reading Blue Mountain & Northern: Passenger The Reading Outer Station is one of three places in the Reading and Blue Mountain Northern train network that provides family-friendly day trips to picturesque Jim Thorpe! The Railway fought the tax bill in court, where the judge sided with the borough; the railway appealed the decision, arguing that the tourist railroad was "not an amusement". But now that he owns a share of the shortline, it guarantees that his cars, which carry commodities including coal, bird feed and plastic, can cross. 2102. [9], In 1873, the P&R extended its reach southward by leasing 10.2 miles of track from the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. [10] The segment included 4.9 miles of double track and 16.7 miles of single track, including sidings and turnouts.[11]. [3] The Reading had taken great strides to wean itself of anthracite dependency but it still relied heavily on coal revenue, and Pennsylvania anthracite production had peaked in 1917 with 99.7 million tons produced.[26]. To simplify corporate structure, the P&R ceased operation in 1924 and the Reading Company took over operating the railroad. SCRANTON An old diesel locomotive nicknamed "Nickel Plate 190," which last rolled on rails in Lackawanna County over four decades ago, will return to Scranton for restoration for potential Reading & Northern Railroad Volume 1 - YouTube