Description
The Reading Railroad was founded in 1833, the Reading Railroad (Reading Company) was a dominant Pennsylvania-based railroad, primarily transporting anthracite coal from the Coal Region to Philadelphia. Known for its prosperity in the early 20th century, it operated as a major passenger until 1976.
it is still possible to “take a ride on the Reading.” This can be done when playing the board game Monopoly, or (more literally) by boarding a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority commuter train in the Philadelphia area. Today, the Reading (pronounced “Redding”) would be termed a regional carrier, but in the classic era, it had a much larger presence on the railroad scene than its approximately 1,300 route-mile would suggest! You can also take the train to the center of Jim Thorpe’s historic downtown, referred to as the “Switzerland of America.” While in Jim Thorpe, enjoy over three hours to take in the history, culture, food, and charm of the historic downtown. When you pass the site of Outer Station, look for ongoing construction of the water tower, switch tower, and track leading to the highway intersection that will showcase steam locomotive number 225 and other railroad artifacts.
