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  • Is this the last Reading RR water tank standing?

  • 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

 #1556358  by Hal
 
Image Last Reading RR Tower?
There is drone footage ((thanks to a local zoning dispute about the adjacent quarry) of what would seem to be the last Reading RR steam locomotive water tower still standing; and in mostly continuous use

The Reading crosses from Montgomery County into Bucks at Telford, crosses the East branch of the Perkiomen creek at Sellersville, then just after Perkasie enters a tunnel under Landis-ridge (Perkasie Member of the Lockatong Shale to Geologists.

Importantly, just before crossing the Quakertown-swamp on an embankment, it passes a Belgian-block quarry. It appears that after the Reading RR discontinued steam trains, the water tower was re-purposed by the quarry as a water storage tank to wet down trucks to keep the dust down.
Skip ahead to view from 25 seconds to about 2 minutes.
There is the water tower!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBjzNAN ... e=emb_logo
 #1564127  by FrankAmato
 
@Hal, this would be on the Bethlehem Branch at Rock Hill I believe.

There is a great picture of an ore train passing that water tower in Vol 23 No 1 issue of Flags Diamonds and Statues magazine. The article names the quarry as General Crushed Stone Corp (now closed).

Frank