FastCounter by bCentral
On October 3rd 1999 the Reading and Northern railroad
ran another one of their great fantrips through the Lehigh gorge and to
Pittston. This trip offered more great photos and a trip down the branch
that the Reading and Northern uses to interchange with the Delaware and
Lackawanna.
The first stop for the train after leaving Jim Thorpe
The train then reversed passed the signals and had to be talked onto
was CP M&H jct. U23B 2392 is idling away as the passengers
R & N iron. The track to the left is owned by NS and is their Hazelton
from the train unload. The locomotive looks great in the early sunlight.
branch.
The train is now and Reading and Northern rails
The next stop for the train was at the Rockport tunnel. The tunnel is so
and also the ex Lehigh Valley. The 2392 is posing on
named because of the rocks that it was blasted out of. The 2392 is a
the bridge across the lehigh river with the lehigh gorge
U23B built by GE for the L & N in 1973, it also worked for CSX and
in the background.
the Seaboard.
The excursion train then made a run at the hill out of the gorge
The 3600 is seen sitting at the entrance to Pittston yard after arriving
from
and made a stop at Penobscot. Penobscot was the site of a major
south. The switchers are sw1500's that are used for jobs in the yard and
CNJ yard where cuts of hopper cars were assembled after being hauled
up
for working local industrial parks.
the Ashley planes. The 3600 is performing a runby at Penobscot.
Following the excursion up the mountains was R & N train LEPI.
After a brief stop at Pittston for photos the train when down the branch
The train originated in Lehighton and will terminate here at Pittston.
that is used for interchange. Here is the R & N 3600 idling at a photo
stop.
The power is yet more of the R & N's fleet of U23B's. The 2397
was
The locomotive was built in 1972 for the Erie Lackawanna, notice the extra
built in 1977 for Conrail.
large fuel tank that enabled the locomotives to run the length of the system
without refueling.
The 3600 is stopped for more photos on the line.
While the 3600 to perform a runby southbound PILE makes a run at the hill.
The 3600 is rated at 3600 HP and the R & N bought it
The train has the 3601 in the lead with 3 more U23b's trailing, the 3601
was
from Conrail in 1998.
also purchased from Conrail in 1998.
The 3600 is performing another runby soon after
The train has arrived back at Pittston yard and the engines are being switched
the PILE has passed, the train had all of its cars filled
around. The 2392 has been mated with the 3600 meaning that it will be a
fast
with passengers.
trip up the mountain. The box under the engineers window is from Conrail
and
is for cab signals.