Railroad Forums 

  • Wanamaker Kempton & Southern Steam Railroad Opens

  • Discussion Related to the Reading Company 1833-1976 and it's predecessors Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.
Discussion Related to the Reading Company 1833-1976 and it's predecessors Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.

Moderator: Franklin Gowen

 #53134  by Stevescan
 
We normally go up every Christmas and take the trip!! Beautifull line, Do the tracks South of the station continue threw to Kutztown still? If so why don't they use that line anymore?

Thanks,
Steve

Do they use the Spirit radios at all when the line is active?

 #53424  by 56-57
 
The S&L never went to Kutztown, they ran from Reading to Slatington.

 #53428  by metman499
 
In any case the WK&S is now captive. Every roster addition/subtraction is via lowboy truck.
 #1248564  by philipmartin
 
We bought a house in that area in 1955, and moved there from New York City a few years later. I am close enough to see a bit of railroad from my house. At that time there was a drill that came up from Reading a few times a week. Before that, some of my neighbors had used the passenger trains to get to school in Slatington. In my area it parallels the Blue Mountain, the Appalachian Range, about a mile away. PA dutch country. When I heard an old guy with a strong dutch accent a few years ago, it sounded good to me; reminded me of the way things were when we first moved there.
When I worked the Reading extra operator/ traveling representative board for a few months in 1982, all that was left of the line was a few miles that ran from Reading to a mill (cement mill, maybe) that gave us cars. Of course the WK&S three miles is still going.
I think the S&L branch was planned to be part of the line from Boston to Washington, bypassing New York.
The scenery is beautiful, which is why we moved there. The rolling stock will disappoint most rail fans. The one road engine, a nice little steam engine, was sold off years ago. It is mostly home made, gasoline power these days.