Reading & Northern #425: Appalachian Steam

Thank you for the wonderful video.  I can't wait to get my model of the 425 by MTH along with the passenger cars.

I was in Port Clinton on Sunday and had no clue this was happening.  Maybe next time.  Nice video and pictures!

Great to see the #425 in action without a diesel assist. Nice video thanks for posting!

Mike, thanks for posting your fine vid/pics! If you were there Monday, did you see the BUDD RDCs?

I hope to be there Labor Day weekend.

I assume you used a bike to access some of these shots?
Your post did help me get over missing the 611 and Roanoke this weekend.

Great shots! 

I was there Monday, too. There weren't too many people chasing in the gorge. 

Paul Moore posted:

I was in Port Clinton on Sunday and had no clue this was happening.  Maybe next time.  Nice video and pictures!

Next time scheduled at Jim Thorpe is Labor Day weekend. Engine is deadheaded over from Port Clinton.
Look for an announcement about 1 week before on Lehigh Gorges web site: lgsry.com

Many thanks for the video.  425 has been my favorite steam loco ever since I saw it at Steamtown's grand opening.

Borden Tunnel posted:

Mike, thanks for posting your fine vid/pics! If you were there Monday, did you see the BUDD RDCs?

I hope to be there Labor Day weekend.

I assume you used a bike to access some of these shots?
Your post did help me get over missing the 611 and Roanoke this weekend.

Thanks! Yes, I did see the RDCs running from the Outer Station that day. In fact, while in my cab ride on #425, we passed them at Nesquehoning Jct waiting to enter Jim Thorpe. 

If you go Labor Day weekend, you'll love it. I highly recommend spending at least 2 days watching her that way you can get different angles and shots. 

I did not use a bike for these shots. Glen Onoko has car access and I literally drove into the park, parked my car, and walked to these various locations. All of the locations in my pictures and video are easily accessible by foot. If you want to go really deep into the Gorge like at Oxbow Curve you'll definitely need a bike for that (its about 5 or 6 miles in I believe). 

I'm glad my post helped you get over the 611 blues. Personally, I'd rather see this thing run any day compared to the "J" but that's just me. I now await the hate mail from the purists. 

CarGuyZM10 posted:

Great shots! 

I was there Monday, too. There weren't too many people chasing in the gorge. 

Yeah there weren't too many at all, probably because of the poor weather all Memorial Day. 

It was raining all morning with one strike of lightning and then about 30 minutes before the 11 am trip it stopped completely and misted for the rest of the day on and off. 

I can't complain though less railfan traffic means more opportunity to get the angles I want. 

Great weather Sunday. Shot a few Pics.

Great pictures. However,  the conductor riding on the front steps holding on with his hands behind his back is aching for a breaking. Very dangerous. This not the intended purpose for those steps and is not a secure riding position. There are no proper hand holds.  This is no different than riding on the end of a car. 

A week doesn't go by that I don't fail to see a photo or a video that displays an unsafe practice on shortlines, major railroads or tourist lines. 

Lets keep it safe out there everyone.  

Earl, his hand behind his back is holding on to the side of the ladder he is leaning back against. He eventually is holding both ladder sides completing his 3 points of contact. I must say though, I much rather fall off the back of a train then the front.

I understand the three points of contact, but it does not apply to hands behind your back. And these steps are not designed for riding. They face forward. And they are not hand holds, they are steps for servicing the engine. If the engine suddenly stops, I guarantee that the conductor is going to take a header (especially with his feet just behind the cut lever).  Its just plain physics. Its the same thing as riding the end of a car which is prohibited.  It is just plain dangerous.  If I got caught doing this I would have been sent home for 30 days or worse.     

Conductor Earl posted:

I understand the three points of contact, but it does not apply to hands behind your back. And these steps are not designed for riding. They face forward. And they are not hand holds, they are steps for servicing the engine. If the engine suddenly stops, I guarantee that the conductor is going to take a header (especially with his feet just behind the cut lever).  Its just plain physics. Its the same thing as riding the end of a car which is prohibited.  It is just plain dangerous.  If I got caught doing this I would have been sent home for 30 days or worse.     

Since you seem so safety-conscious, why not call, write, e-mail, or telegraph the Reading & Northern/Lehigh Gorge Scenic and tell them about your concerns, instead of pontificating about it on a forum meant for enthusiasts?
If you look at every video or image for safety violations, perhaps you would be happier working for OSHA or the FRA?

When is the next time 425 runs? September? Last year they had a summer run from Penobscot to Jim Thorpe, not this year? Can't wait for 2102. Is it not running until next year or later? Where else can you ride steam this summer in eastern PA besides Strasburg? All the other tourist lines like WK&S, Kutztown, Boyertown, Steamtown, and New Hope are diesel right now. Black River in NJ is running 60 though, and 142 is running in Phillipsburg. Wilmington and Western is just running a blue diesel switcher though with 58 and 98 both out of service for repairs. 98 was supposed to power the Fireworks Express. WMSR 1309, is that not running until September now?

Robert K - I believe the next time 425 is supposed to run is Labor Day in the gorge, then there is the Mountaintop-Jim Thorpe trip a week or two later. 

Also, just as an fyi, the Allentown and Auburn in Kutztown is planning on having a steam visitor the first two weekends in October, though I'm not revealing which engine (yet). 

425 running out of Jim Thorpe, July 1-4, if anyone is interested.
www.lgsry.com

Remember the area well when my son and I rode behind 765 when she visited the area.  Great country, and thanks for posting.

Great video and pictures. I think the colors look great with the overcast. I think our family now has plans for labor day...

RBMN now has a railfan special with 425 advertised on their site. It is October 14 and goes from Reading to Jim Thorpe, you must board at Reading, there is no stop at Port Clinton apparently. No diesel either, and the gondola will be behind 425. I wonder when the 2102 will be ready, not this year apparently. Coach is $99 and gon $125. If they wanted to do something slightly different, they could have run to the wye in Hazelton instead of Jim Thorpe, one of the past 425 specials went to Mahanoy City instead of JT.

Re-incarnation or history just repeating itself ?

This year all the fall runs to Jim Thorpe start at Reading Outer Station. So you get the extra mileage south of Port Clinton. You still have the option of boarding at Port Clinton.