Here is the train accelerating past the crowd on a runby. The cars
for the train are owned by the Reading and Northern RR as they maintain
a nice excursion fleet and the trip was sponsored by the Jersey Central
Railway Historical Society.
Here is the train seen at the top of the grade at Penobscot PA. The
remnants of the old CNJ yard can still be seen here with the rail on the
left and the former right of way on the right. The Reading and Northern
is currently building a yard here and the site is also used by the R &
N maintenance of way forces.
Here is a closer view of the R & N 3601 and the 3600. Both SD45-2's
were bought by the Erie Lackawanna in 1973 and develop 3600 horsepower.
Their large fuel tanks also saved fuel and allowed non-stop runs from Chicago
to New York.
The train has arrived at the Reading and Northern's main yard and the
SD45's are being split up into push pull so the trip can be more efficient
to Mehoopany. Here is one of the R & N's yard switchers in the from
of the SW1500 1546. The locomotive frequently works the road switching
jobs and is the former EMD demo 112.
Another view of switchers at the Pittston yard office. The office handles
dispatching for the railroad and a place to get out of the weather. The
1202 is an Sw-1200 that was a 1956 EMD graduate, it was originally built
for the New Haven and survived the Penn Central and Conrail.
Here is another new member of the R & N locomotive force idling
away with the 1202 and the 1546. The locomotive is so new to the force
that it hasn't been painted yet, the 2396 was built in 1974 for the Lehigh
Valley as their 501 and is a U23B rated at 2250 Horsepower. Its good to
see old locomotive find their way back onto home rails even for a little
while, well sort of, the switchers and 2396 are on the former EL line that
heads toward Scranton and the 2396 was sold in the first half of 1999 so
it only got a small taste of life back on Lehigh Valley rails.
The locomotives have been split and the train is ready to continue
up the rare mileage to Mehoopany and Vosburg tunnel, the engine is on the
bridge across Lackawanna river, the river had a orange tint to it because
of sulfer being mined in the area.
The train was slated to cover the entire trackage from Jim Thrope to
Mehoopany but it was running late so the train would turn around at Vosburg
tunnel MP 211.3. The 3601 was built as the Erie Lackawanna 3671 and had
the number 6656 when working for Conrail
Here is another view of the 3601 with the tunnel in the background.
Both SD45-2's were stricken from the Conrail roster in the spring of 1998
when they both had engine failures, the Reading and Northern came to the
rescue and saved both by buying them in the summer of 1998. Here both of
them are in the fall of 1998 powering on of the Reading and Northern's
fan trips, certainly a very busy and interesting 6 months for the locomotives.
The train proceeded back to Pittson were the engines were mated again
for the trip home. Here are both of the engines crossing the Lackawanna
river with the train that is about ready to depart. The weather really
to a turn for the worse after the train left and all of the final photo
stops were canceled.