Help needed with RDG Philly Terminal pictures

[bufetfan]

This may be an odd request, but does anyone know where I can find pictures from the Reading Terminal and Headhouse in Philadelphia. I have searched far and wide on the net and have come up with very few. I am looking for both waiting room/headhouse shots as well as shed pictures. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks much.

[Franklin Gowen]

Unfortunately, many of the folks who have such photos are either unable or unwilling to create a web presence which features them. There are quite a few Reading Company railfan books out there which include at least a couple of the kind of location photos you asked about.

[Urban D Kaye]

You've probably seen these but...

RDG F7 #901 in the train shed (1969)
http://thejoekorner.quuxuum.org/reading/raila7.gif

Blueliner leaving the train shed (1970s)...
http://www.thebluecomet.com/rdgRdgTerm3.jpg

[RDGAndrew]

Here's a link to another one, on the RCT&HS site: http://www.readingrailroad.org/vignette ... vig1o.html. Several books also have nice shots of the interior of the trainshed, including "Reading Terminal and Market" by Jim Holton and Carol Highsmith. That book came out 10 years ago around the time of the Convention Center opening. Also, Jim Holton's "The Reading Railroad: History of a Coal Age Empire, vol. 2 - the 20th Century" has some nice shots from different angles. Those are pictures of the place as I remember it (I was 12 when the last train rolled out) - gritty and beat-up, but unbeatable for "old-school" railroad ambience.

[reading_man]

Boy I remember those days, what fun expierence

[glennk419]

Some photos that I took on the last weekend of Reading Terminal's operations can be found here http://www.janvierpresbyterian.org/ReadingTerm.html courtesy of W.L. Avis aka Steam Man.

ENJOY!!

[RDG 1519]

Some photos that I took on the last weekend of Reading Terminal's operations can be found here http://www.janvierpresbyterian.org/ReadingTerm.html courtesy of W.L. Avis aka Steam Man.

ENJOY!!

What memories these photos bring back from the early seventies for me. Do you happen to know which track for West Trenton Local? Was the sign blue? Was it Track 4?
Thanks, chris

[glennk419]

What memories these photos bring back from the early seventies for me. Do you happen to know which track for West Trenton Local? Was the sign blue? Was it Track 4?
Thanks, chris

To the best of my recollection, most of the operations that weekend were from the higher numbered tracks. Tracks 1 and 2 north of Race Interlocking were out of service as they had already been severed and were in the process of being swung over to the new alignment for the tunnel. As far as the destination signs over the gates, they were all white by that time. The colored signs had been replaced a year or two prior to the terminal closing.

[rrbluesman]

I know I'm searching for something that probably isnt out there, but I am searching for blueprints and technical diagrams of the terminal in order to build a scale model of the building. I haave, of course, found none on the internet, can anyone recommend books or where I might find these diagrams?

[glennk419]

My best recommendation for that would be to contact the RCT&HS http://www.readingrailroad.org/ or the Railroad Museum of PA http://www.steamlocomotive.com/pennsy/rmop/. Chances are that one or both may have what you're looking for or could point you in the right direction.

[RDGTRANSMUSEUM]

Your best bet is to contact ben Bernhart at Outer Station Publications. Rcths has a disclamer right on their website that they cannot help. you can chek it out.

[metman499]

Guys, keep the politics off of the site. All three would be good places to contact. http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/ is the official website for the museum.

[glenonoko]

rrbluesman:

Actually, if you want the "real McCoy", your best bet is to visit the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, as they have supposedly the complete set of ORIGINAL plans for Reading Terminal, occupying 10 file drawers (i.e. hundreds of drawings). Please see this link for more details:


http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pa ... .cfm/19662


Their website lists other collections related to Reading Terminal with additional drawings for the train shed, approach railroad line, and the 1948 renovations, plus some photo links and other published sources:


http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pa ... .cfm/20382


Good luck with your search!

-- Rick Bates
Archivist, RCT&HS
Reading Railroad Heritage Museum

[glennk419]

Wasn't sure where to put this but it certainly falls into the "memories" category, even if not directly related to the railroad

For anyone who regularly rode the train out of Reading Terminal, the Trestle Inn at 11th and Callowhill Sts, located right below the viaduct was a fixture for years. While probably abandoned at this point along with the ROW above it, the building burned today and the tracks can be seen in the picture.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?secti ... le-7485242

I also noticed that the website which previoously held my pictures from Reading Terminal's last weekend has apparently gone down. I will attempt to republish them in the near future.

[glennk419]

As promised:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennk419/ ... 164609541/

Please note that these photos are for your personal use and enjoyment only. Any commercial use requires permission form the photographer (me). Thanks.