RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.
Todd's Railfan Guide to
READING PA
In General
Getting Here
Map
Sights
Pictures
Signals
Fire & Police
Floobydust
USGS Maps
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Location / Name:
Reading PA, Berks county
What's Here:
the Norfolk Southern's hub of the Reading and Harrisburg Lines
Reading & Northern RR southern terminus
NS Reading Yard
Data:
GPS Coordinates: 40.335324, -75.927901 (downtown)
Phone A/C: 610
ZIP: 19600
Access by train/transit:
None
The Scoop:
The
Acknowledgements:
Denver Todd
Websites and other additional information sources of interest for the area:
http://www.railfanreading.com/RailfanReading.htm hasn't been updated since 2005 or so.....
From the east or west, use the Turnpike, I-76, and then use I-176 north into Reading, using US 422 to get close to where you are going.
From the NE, such as Allentown or NJ, use US 222.
From the north such as Scranton or Bingo, use I-81, and get off at exit 124, Frackville, and ride in via PA 61. It's not as direct, or as fast as using the interstate or a big US highway like 222 or 422, but it cuts off 60-70 miles.
From south, such as DC and Baltimore, use I-83 to York, then US 30 east till you hit US 222 at Lancaster. Head NE on 222 till you get to Reading.
NS's Reading YardInaccessible for the most part, so the key word here is: don't trespass. NS cops are some of the nastiest out there, and they can arrest you!
the Reading & Northern RRhttp://www.rbmnrr.com/
http://www.rbmnrr.com/history/
The Reading and Northern RR comes into Reading from the north, and it's empire extends up to Taylor Yard in southern Scranton PA. In addition to its freight service, it has a fairly extensive railfan/passenger business going, with steam, diesel, and Budd RDC cars. They have a new passenger depot, and the new Reading Outer Station is located at 3501 Pottsville Pike at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Route 61, Muhlenberg Township, just north of Reading PA. Besides Reading Outer Station, trains destined for Jim Thorpe also board at the Reading and Northern Station in Port Clinton, PA, 1 Railroad Boulevard just off Broad Street and Route 61. The train will stop for a few minutes and board more passengers, and then it will depart and continue on to Jim Thorpe, PA.
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Station 13
The1903 Firehouse
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Courtesy of the University of Texas Library, click here for their index page.
Disclaimers:
I love trains, and I love signals. I am not an expert. My webpages reflect what I find on the topic of the page. This is something I have fun with while trying to help others.
Please Note: Since the main focus of my two websites is railroad signals, the railfan guides are oriented towards the signal fan being able to locate them. For those of you into the modeling aspect of our hobby, myindexa page has a list of almost everything railroad oriented I can think of to provide you with at least a few pictures to help you detail your pike.
If this is a railfan page, every effort has been made to make sure that the information contained on this map and in this railfan guide is correct. Once in a while, an error may creep in :-)
My philosophy: Pictures and maps are worth a thousand words, especially for railfanning. Text descriptions only get you so far, especially if you get lost or disoriented. Take along good maps.... a GPS is OK to get somewhere, but maps are still better if you get lost! I belong to AAA, which allows you to get local maps for free when you visit the local branches. ADC puts out a nice series of county maps for the Washington DC area, but their state maps do not have the railroads on them. If you can find em, I like the National Geographic map book of the U.S..... good, clear, and concise graphics, and they do a really good job of showing you where tourist type attractions are, although they too lack the railroads. Other notes about specific areas will show up on that page if known.
Aerial shots were taken from either Google Maps or www.bing.com/maps as noted. Screen captures are made with Snagit, a Techsmith product... a great tool if you have never used it!
By the way, floobydust is a term I picked up 30-40 years ago from a National Semiconductor data book, and means miscellaneous and/or other stuff.
Pictures and additional information is always needed if anyone feels inclined to take 'em, send 'em, and share 'em, or if you have something to add or correct.... credit is always given! Please be NICE!!! Contact info is here
Beware: If used as a source, ANYTHING from Wikipedia must be treated as being possibly being inaccurate, wrong, or not true.
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NEW 08/10/2017
Last Modified
10-Aug-2017