Reading Viaduct in Phili, PA

[carajul]

It was a sunday over thanksgiving holiday weekend and no one was around. I was doing a walking tour of the Reading Terminal area and decided to follow the row. I found the RDG viaduct that once went into the station. Swinging off to the east was also another viaduct that carried the "city branch" (abandoned 1992). Was able to walk thru a fence and up to the viaduct. They are making a dog park out of the entire viaduct. RDG signals still in place protecting grass and weeds. Ties everywhere. Also all around the streets there are man holes that say "Reading Company" and fences were the same as the ones around Pottsville. The RDG must have been a huge player at one time. Some of the signals still had lenses in them. ALso a large power house of sorts was there. I don't think the viaduct to the city branch was every used that much, but a lone signal with an "A" on it was still there. I've been told that SEPTA owns the viaduct but is too broke to demolish it, so it was just left to rot.

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[Ken W2KB]

Interesting photos of the remnants. I wonder if the street manhole covers were produced by a Reading Iron Company which had a large cast iron foundry, and are municipal covers with the name Reading Company from the foundry, rather than the railroad?

[olneytrains]

There is a plan to develop the entire viaduct area like the High Line in New York with walking trail and restaurants. Presently there is a small section off of Broad St under construction. I also read the western section that was underground out to the tunnel near 26th and Pennsylvania Ave will be part of this revitalization. This branch provided newsprint boxcars to the Inquirer bldg when it was located on Broad St. Hopefully all of these plans are realized in my lifetime. Ed

[glennk419]

The original Reading substation at 11th and Noble Streets remained online for 20+ years after Reading terminal and the viaduct were abandoned. The catenary up to the tunnel portal remained energized and served the Reading trunk north of the phase break at Girard Avenue. Every once in a while, we would hear of a copper thief being electrocuted because they figured the wires were dead. A new sub has been built around 9th and Fairmount with the old sub now returning to nature and more vandalism.

[carajul]

The track removal from the viaduct must have occurred recently in preparation for the elevated park project, because Bing Maps still shows the tracks in place. Now if you go on the viaduct the rail is all gone and there is a huge pile of ties where the highway overpass used to be.