Reading Company Passenger Trains-1960s to 1980s
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.พ. 2018
- This presentation features a Reading Company Passenger Trains slideshow and includes electric multiple unit cars (EMUs), Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs), and Locomotive Hauled trains.
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Wow great memories here! My father worked for both reading and Conrail from 47'-82' out of the race street tower location as a signal maintainer. Said he always wondered how many miles in total he walked over 35 years. We lived in hatboro and the trains ran just behind the house I wonder how much is even left from the old reading terminal out about the 4 miles a day he worked not to mention all of the overtime railroad calls he took on.
Hi David, Thanks for watching and for sharing your personal memories. Google Maps shows much of the old Reading viaduct still standing but overgrown with trees. The freight branch that headed west is now an elevated park. Cheers, tassiebaz.😁
It makes me sad to lose landmarks, companies, buildings and businesses that have been around for 50-100 years...no more Reading terminal, Strawbridges, Wanamaker, Clover, Sears, Kmart, Willow Grove amusement park and others.
Some people call it progress. I like to think of it as the good old days. Cherish what we have today, it might be gone tomorrow, then all we have are pictures and memories. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
Same here. Watching this I felt very nostalgic. A bit sad.
Rode these trains many times from Willow Grove to the Reading Terminal and North Philadelphia Station to visit Connie Mack Stadium. Great memories. Thank you.
Hi Shawna, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😃
Really nice pictures you have there. I grew up close to the Gwynedd Valley and Penllyn stations way back when and seeing the dark green and Blueliner MU's was an everyday thing. My dad would sometimes take me to his work in Philly and I can still hear the electric motors grinding and the smell that went with it, as the train would start moving out of a station. Between Jenkintown and Wayne Junction we seemed to so fast that it was almost scary to a little kid. My dad's work was at what used to be called North Penn Junction so I could watch the PRR trains fly by.
Years later I took untold trips into Philly for my own work but the GE Silverliner's were doing the work by then and they seemed to go a lot slower. I now live by the former Lurgan branch and still love hearing those whistles at night.
Hi Thomas, Thanks for watching, for your kind words, and for sharing your memories. I used the West Trenton line for a while and they had an express from Reading Terminal to Bethayres using the older equipment. This was a real experience in sights, sounds, and smells. I also rode the conventional trains and then the RDCs up to north Jersey, and they would really roll along. It was really the good old days. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I grew up in the Cheltenham Twp area north of Philly and this brought back a lot of fond memories, thanks
Hi Jay Bee, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Regards, tassiebaz.
I grew up at Lawndale staion on Fox Chase line. Great pictures
Hi William, Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. All the best for 2023. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I also grew up in Lawndale, when I was very young my grandmother would take me back to Lawndale station to watch the trains go by if I was lucky I would get a wave from the engineer, that was back in the mid-70s started my love of train that continues to this day 55 years later. My family eye doctor was in Center City course we took the Fox Chase line to get there I would remind my parents every summer about going to the eye doctor. Train shed is what I remember most, so sad that it's gone but also thankful for the pictures that bring back the memories!
That's a great collection of photos! I used to see the RDCs at the Belle Mead train station when I was a kid. Reading & Northern has a lot of coaches that were former EMUs, I believe the Bethlehem Steel ones, but I don't know what their original numbers were. They've taken all of the electrical equipment out of them, but they're still cool to ride in.
Hi Jamie, Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm glad you liked the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. I know that Reading & Northern has three former Reading Company RDCs.
I used to ride the Reading (Crusader and Wall Street) from Jersey City, then Newark to Philadelphia through Belle Mead. Always enjoyed what seemed to be the back way to get there. Much calmer than the PRR main line, although only twice a day. I rode the locomotive hauled trains and the RDCs. Great memories. Cheers, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebaz you're welcome! That's awesome that you got to ride the Reading back in the day. My dad used to take my sister and I to the Belle Mead train station after work almost every night to see the RDCs come in. I always thought that the riders had been out all day having a grand adventure, lol, but they were probably just relieved to be home from work. It's such a joy seeing Reading Company's 9166 still in service with Reading & Northern, and I got my first ride in it last July. From what I understand Reading converted that one to a refreshment car specifically for the Crusader/Wall Street route.
@@JamieMakin Yeah, I always enjoyed taking the ferry across the Hudson to the CNJ terminal and catching the Reading from there, going down through Bayonne and on that long bridge over Newark Bay. Not as exciting when they moved it to Newark in 1967 but still a pleasure. I think you are right about 9166, as I remember it on the train. I know they had talked about putting back service between West Trenton and Bound Brook, but I don't know if it will ever happen.
I think the trains were run by both Reading and CNJ crews. Cheers, tassiebaz.
Mate, you have some absolutely fantastic video/pics. Thanks so much for sharing your collection.
Hi Mark, Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation. Of course, when I took all those pictures, I never imagined being able to share them in this way, but am happy to be able to do it. Regards, tassiebaz.
I grew up in Fox Chase, so it was great to see the scenes from there, Ryers, and especially up on the line at Newtown. Thanks for posting!
Hi Jack, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation. Regards, tassiebaz.
@tassiebaz Thank you for posting this. It's helping me immensely ,as i am building some HO scale Reading "Blueliners" and am using this as a guide for the details in the builds.
Hi WWIIRebel, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation and it is of some use to you in your project. Regards, tassiebaz.
Another great offering! I guessed they used th CNJ terminal in Jersey City, along with the B&O. Lackawanna was in Hiboken and the Erie was in a seperate terminal also in Jersey City by the Holland Tunnel...
Hi George, You are correct. The Reading used the CNJ terminal until 1967 when the trains were rerouted to Newark via the Aldene Plan (using the LV and the PRR), and the Jersey City terminal was abandoned. The Reading trains ran from Philadelphia to Newark until 1981, and then from West Trenton to Newark for another year before finishing. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I grew up @ 16th & Wyoming which is right around the corner from Wayne junction and its shops as a kid I would run to the corner just to watch as these trains ran towards center city I still remember that distinctive sound they would make when they would start to move
Hi Larry, Thanks for watching and for your comment. You probably also got to hear the route 75 trackless trolleys whiz by and, if you are old enough, the Reading RDCs and diesel-hauled passenger trains heading for Newtown and Jersey City as well. Regards, tassiebaz.
tassiebaz awh man yes you made me smile cause I could lay in my bed and hear the trackless trolley turn that corner and it made a distinct sound as well the am generals made a noise when he or she would turn the corner I’d be like there goes the 75 and I remember seeing the rdc cars I’m 47 years young I enjoy all your videos thanks for sharing these fond memories with me it brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my face because those was truly the good ole days
@@larrymcneil8038Hi Larry, Thanks for your kind words. That's the best thing about making and posting these presentations. It helps me relive the good old days and gives me a chance to share them. Before the Generals, the Brills and Marmons used to roar down 16th Street. Fond memories. Regards, tassiebaz.
Having just peeked at the railroad's sprawling system map, it makes me wonder what'll end up being swapped for the interstates.
I was wondering if there were comprehensive maps of entire roads. It's all SEPTA now...NJT also was many roads combined.
It appears from your photos that the Reading sometimes used the single FP-7's on the Jersey City (later Newark) run. Do you know if they used that push-pull up on the New York Branch? I know they used it occasionally to Bethlehem, and I actually rode it up there once. I also recall when they used the paired FP-7s (both at the front) up the West Trenton Branch to Jersey City. Great days!
Thanks for the new photos on this site.
Hi Jack, Thanks for watching and for your comment. As far as I can remember, they used the FP-7, one on each end, on the run up to Jersey City. I think this was on both the Wall Street and the Crusader. That was until the end of Jersey City service. When they ran into Newark, they used RDCs. The only other place I saw them was on the run to Reading, so you have probably seen more than me. Regards, tassiebaz.
I know that they used the twin units up front as late as the spring of 1966. Ironically, when they electrified Fox Chase in September of that year, a lot of changes occurred on the Reading.
With the exception of the push pull, all
of the locomotive-hauled coach trains sadly disappeared, and that brought the RDC’s full-time on Bethlehem, Reading, Jersey City and Newtown.
The Aldine Plan occurred the next year, re-routing the trains through Newark, where passengers could then take
the tubes to Manhattan. The electrification to Fox Chase frees up all the RDC’s for use on the other diesel lines. Then, with the addition of the push-pull, brakemen (Trainmen) were no longer needed or wanted.
They were great days.
I am not sure how old you are, but when we moved to Fox Chase in 1957, the B&O was still running passenger trains to New York (Jersey City). It ran the route of the Crusader and Wall Street until reaching Neshaminy Falls, then went over the New York Short Line and then connected to the Newtown Branch at Cheltenham to Wayne Junction, where it stopped. Then it proceeded down the B&O’s own track to 34th St station and then down into Delaware County where the New York Short Line still runs.
Hi Jack, I remember the Fox Chase electrification and the many changes that came with it, but I don't have a clear recollection of the twin units. I probably wasn't paying enough attention at the time or am having a senior moment now. Anyway, it's all good memories now. Regards, tassiebaz.
Wish the trains in the US will come back to The Dimond Pantagraph Era
Hi The Golden Knight, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. It would be nice, another reminder of the good old days. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.😀
What is the gizmo on top of the headlight on the Reading EMU's?
Saw the reply after I posted this. Sorry
Hi Cats01, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Your question again aroused my curiosity. I knew what it was called and what it did, but wanted to know more . Internet research found the following: It was called a pantograph bus connector located on the roof of the multiple unit coach at each end. This allowed a train to operate with only one pantograph up to reduce wear on both the wire and the pantograph shoes. Roof bus connectors had been previously used in Europe, but the Reading became the first electric railroad in the United States to use this type of apparatus on MU passenger equipment.
On longer trains two pantographs would be used. The power bus connectors on the roof of the cars were air activated, so as the train line air hoses were connected and cut in, the contact shoes would be extended to make a connection with adjoining cars. Regards, tassiebaz.
I rode all of these trains for about 4 years (1968-1972) on the West Trenton line and Fox Chase Newtown line. One thing I never understood, and it is seen in virtually every picture here, is the absolute filth on the cars! Reading spend zero dollars on cleaning crews.
Hi Wayne, I hope your rides provide fond memories, even if the lack of cleanliness detracts from your experiences. Thanks for watching. Cheers, tassiebaz.
Great Pictures! What kind of camera was used? Kodachrome film? 😎
Hi Scott, Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm glad you liked the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. I used a Nikon SLR camera with mostly Kodachrome film. Cheers tassiebaz. 😄
@@tassiebaz Nikon's... I use a D5100 for astrophotography. I had a Mamiya Sekor my dad bought me in Japan. Learned photography with those old SLR's. They took the greatest film pics... Ever!
Yes that was fun watching your video. And pulling the numbers off the engines. Googling them and seeing where they are today. 👍
@@yasnac7576 Hi, Yes, photography was certainly more of an art form back in the good old days of film. And there was always the anticipation and wait time between taking the pictures and sending them away for processing. Easier today but not as challenging. Cheers, tassiebaz. 👌
What was the thing over the headlights on the old EMU's?
Hi Cats01, Thanks for the comment. From what I read, the Reading shops converted 27 loco-hauled passenger cars to electric trailer coaches to supplement their fleet of 100+ MU power cars. Control cabs were added at one end of the car and because they lacked pantographs, rooftop bus connectors were added to supply power for heating and lighting. Regards, tassiebaz.
Thanks for the information.
That Norristown scene at 8:51 where is that exactly? it doesn't look anything like Norristown TC Station area now. Maybe it was reconfigured after 202 was put over it?
Hi Kevin, I believe that was taken from the Reading Norristown Station. The P&W bridge (where the station now is located) over the tracks is in the background. The RDCs are going to Pottstown or Reading. The electrified track to Elm Street is straight ahead. The picture was taken sometime in the early 70s. I'm sure things are very different now. Regards, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebazI just don't understand how it looks like there was four tracks at DeKalb Station. Unless the curve the train makes now was built after everything was reconfigured, because one track goes over the bridge, and the SEPTA track goes around a curve to Main Street, I just understand how it looks like it just went straight with four tracks between the two.
Hi @@kevinhoward9593, I haven't been up there for many years, but when I had a look on google maps, it does look completely different to what I remember. I thing the giveaway is the P&W bridge in the background, which is where the most recent P&W station is now located. That's about all I can figure about it. Regards, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebazWhen they built the Norristown Transportation Center and moved the NSL Station to align with it, I think that drastically messed up the layout. did the trains go around a curve like they do now, or was there a double track curve somewhere?
Hi @@kevinhoward9593, I'm afraid I can't add much more to this. I had another look at Google maps, and it looks like there was a realignment of the tracks. I know the diesel trains branched off to the left and over a non-electrified Schuylkill River bridge. The electric trains went straight towards Main Street and Elm Street and became single track as some point. I don't recall where the curve was. Sorry I can't help more. Regards, tassiebaz.
Thanks
Hi Todd, Thanks for watching and you are quite welcome. Cheers, tassiebaz.
The EMU's look grimy....just how l like them.
Hi Olu, Yeah!! Real authenticity. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.
What's that thing on the roofs just above the headlight? Is that the electrical connection between the cars? Weird.
Hi ChinaAl, Thanks for watching and for your question. What you refer to is the pantograph bus connector on the roof of the multiple unit car at each end. This allowed a train to operate with only one pantograph in contact with the catenary, which reduced wear on both the wire and the pantograph shoes. Roof bus connectors had been previously used in Europe, but the Reading became the first electric railroad in the United States to use this type of apparatus on MU passenger equipment. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebaz Oh WOW! Thanks very much. So I wasn't too far off then. So did they touch or was a cable connected?
@@ChinaAl Hi, They just touched when the cars were coupled together. No cables were necessary.
@@tassiebaz Okay thanks much. thought I saw a cable in one of the photos. Appreciate your help
@@ChinaAl My pleasure.
Back in the very early 70's classes would end early and i would take a midday local back to Norristown . A two car train with the first car for smoking ; but is was so different from the other first generation MU cars in that it had an usually elegant interior with dark blue plush seats and arm rests . To reverse the seats a peddle near the floor would be pushed down and the whole seat would swivel around. I dis not smoke but wanted to experience the uniqueness of the car . Know anything about it ?
Hi John, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Between 1963-1965 the Reading completely rebuilt 38 of their original electric MU cars. These were popularly known as "Blueliners" because of their white-and-blue paint job. The rebuilt cars were renumbered 9101-9138. 10 cars got air conditioning and they all got cloth seats and new ceilings with fluorescent lighting. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebaz This particular car did not receive the blue and white makeover . The interior was the old style and the exterior was the traditional dark drab paint scheme. I never paid attention to numbers back then but I can only suspect that it might have been a one of a kind.
Hi John, I Don't know anything about that car, nor can I seem to find anything about it (a quick search only). Could have been a one off a kind, maybe a prototype for the Blueliners interior. Cheers, tassiebaz.
The car you are describing reminds me of the coaches Reading had on their longer distance trains. I went on a "Farewell To The Reading" trip and the cars were Olive Drab and had had skirts that ran along the bottom of the cars with openings for the trucks. When you walked in the car there were curved, etched glass partitions between the vestibule area from the seats. the before finding a seat. I don't remember the seat colors but they were nicer than the ones in the MU's. Seems odd on a 2 car train but is it possible you were in one of those coaches?
Philadelphia is almost as complex as NYC. Railroads and subway lines all interspersed, following former companies - - - much like NJT.
Hi George, No quite as complex as NYC. Philadelphia had two major railroads, the PRR and the Reading, with 6 distinct EMU commuter lines each (and some diesel extensions on the Reading). The Reading had Reading Terminal downtown and the PRR had Penn Center. The PRR also had 30th Street Station where the intercity trains came into. In 1983, the former Reading and PRR lines merged thanks to a Center City tunnel that linked the two system, and eliminated Reading Terminal in favor of a new underground station (Market East). Trains then ran through without having to terminate in the city. Cheers, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebaz Very informative - Market East is now Jefferson??
Reading Terminal is the world's greatest food court.
Wanamaker's (Macy's) Boasts the world's largest (completely playable) pipe organ.
Cousins in NJ used to hallow the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Line to a place called Wildwood.
Not sure what the AC Line used to be before it was Amtrak (now NJT)?
@@georgemurphy2579 Yes, Market East is now Jefferson (near Jefferson Hospital). Reading Terminal is a great food market as well as a food court. Wanamaker's also has the brass eagle ("iggle" in Philadelphian), and had, until 1995, the Crystal Tea Room on the 9th floor. It was the largest dining room in Philadelphia, and one of the largest in the world at one time. It once could serve 1,400 people. I believe all the lines down to the Jersey Shore from the Philadelphia area were Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines. They had lines to Atlantic City, Ocean City, Wildwood, and Cape May. Cheers, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebaz ... you are so helpful, and these are great presentations!
The big room is now on the mezzanine and is rented out for weddings and banquets. The retail space is only a small percentage of the building. Eagle was recently, professionally cleaned. The organ is in top form and Macy's has been very supportive, so I am told! There are professional offices in the building, currently!
Hi George, I get great satisfaction over being able to share these memories in this manner. For years, my rather large slide collection sat on the shelves. Thanks to technology, I was able to scan them, more easily sort them, and put them together into presentations. Now, with TH-cam, I can offer them for viewing to people with similar interests. The "cherry on top" is receiving comments like yours that express that you have enjoyed watching. Thanks.
Also, thanks for the update on Macy's.
Cheers, tassiebaz.
Some music would've been nice to accompany this video. Maybe like some jazz.
Hi Auricom, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I'd thought about adding some music, and even trialed it on a few private presentations. Some friends I asked to review it were not that keen on the idea, so I didn't include music in any presentations. Sometimes it's difficult trying to accommodate different tastes. Regards, tassiebaz.
Ya like jazz?
The removal of these trains was a big loss to the Philadelphia area. They were longer (75'), faster, more flexible, and an engineman's dream vs the MP54s. The 54s had no deadman; you had to hold the handle off of 12:00 the entire time the motors were cut in. Experienced PRR guys carried wooden wedges to shove into the controller detents allowing you to let go of the handle. All highly illegal, of course. These Reading cars had deadman pedals, Silverliner horns, making them much easier to operate, greatly reducing the incidence of carpal Tunnel among Enginemen.
And these trains would FLY down the mainline.
Hi RedArrow73, Thanks for your comment. I used to ride these down from West Trenton and they really did get rolling. I think they should not been in so much of a hurry about their recent decision to get rid of the Budd and St. Louis cars. Regards, tassiebaz.
Unfortunately it was the FRA forcing SEPTA to get rid of the Silverliners II and III because the FRA thought that stainless steel frameheads weren't crashworthy (the SL-IVs have carbon steel frameheads, which is why they're still around, but the FRA may force SEPTA and NJ Transit to get rid of the SL-IV/Arrow III because the SL-IV/Arrow III are vestibuled MUs).