Reading stuff at Temple and...

I took a ride to Reading saturday morning, in hopes to see a few trains. I ended up sitting at the Blandon Lowgrade at temple. While i was there, i took sometime to get some pics of a few intresting things. I was also very surprised to fing BM&RN temple station up for lease.

Reading Box Car
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2001.jpg

Reading Gon
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2005.jpg

covered hopper
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2006.jpg

Old Turn Table???
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2003.jpg

Track Gauge car
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2008.jpg

These last 2 things are qoustions.
Anyone know what this tender may go too???
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2007.jpg

And what is this, Alco, GE or FM product. I couldn't really tell. There was no real markings on it, it was solid black.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2004.jpg

I was alittle sad to see this on the side of the station. I went here when i was young, and remember the T1 running around here. Anyone want to get a deal on a station!!!.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143 ... in2012.jpg

All of the rail equipment in your photos belongs to the RCT&HS and will eventually be moved to Hamburg for display at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum once more track is built there.

That is indeed a turntable on the flatcar, with two other flat cars as idlers. The turntable was salvaged by RCT&HS from the Reading's Saucon Creek engine terminal. This turntable had originally been at Erie Avenue. It will eventually be installed at the Museum in Hamburg, where a new turntable pit will be built for it.

The gray thing you called a "track gauge car" is actually a battery-powered locomotive mover. It will be used at the Hamburg museum for moving non-powered rail equipment off the turntable and into display stalls in the buildings.

The tender was probably assigned to several different steam locomotives in its lifetime, but one that is known was an 0-8-0 Camelback, Class E-3b #1409 in the 1930s. The tender was originally built in 1901, serial number 7128. It was rebuilt as a water car for the Tamaqua Fire Fighting train in 1943, and numbered #90691 at that time.

Finally the black unit #9905 is a slug, cut down from an F-M Trainmaster, I believe of Virginian RR heritage.

thats what i was looking for!!!
I had a feeling that was a FM trainmaster slug, had that look to it.

Did Reading have any FM trainmasters??

D&H557 wrote:thats what i was looking for!!!
I had a feeling that was a FM trainmaster slug, had that look to it.

Did Reading have any FM trainmasters??

The Reading did indeed have several Trainmasters and used them both in freight and passenger service. They were originally numbered in the 800 and 860 series with the latter having steam generators for passenger service. They were later renumbered into the 200 and 260 series and a couple even made it into the Reading green and yellow paint scheme before the end of their service life. As far as I know, they were all traded in for new equipment (Alco Centuries?) and none were preserved. A photo roster can be found here: http://www.northeast.railfan.net/rdg_rstr.html

BTW, if you're into modeleing, the Atlas HO Trainmasters are excellent recreations, right down to the hood mounted horn.

The Reading had Train Masters (two words),these were locomotives. They also had Trainmasters,(one word) men that checked "how the crews were making out". BTW... RDG Train Master 807 wound up "lost" as it went to(1968)Striegel Equipment in Baltimore and never verified as re-sold (CNJ?)or scrapped. (I have their phone number.) All the other Reading TM's were scrapped at Naporano steel in
NJ. or Lipsett Steel in S.Modena,Pa. The last one ,the badly burnt 804 was cut up in Reading April,1971. The prime mover was removed and sold at that time,to a tug co. or power plant, or back to FM? This info is correct no matter what you may have seen in books ect. We are working on a RDG TM book to be published soon.

Reading Train Master book? Wow! Where did you get your "inside" Reading info?

I followed the last TM's down to Modena,pa. in 1970, took slides. Watched 804 get cut up that day in april 71.I saw the prime mover loaded into a gondola.I talked to employees about 807.Inquired at age 16 about buying 808. I kept notes........of my locomotive shop calls to the bosses. Later I WORKED with old engineers that know Train Master locomotives. How's that?........ Do you have any anyhing to add to our book ? PLEASE, It would be most welcomed!

Other than the engineers, who liked the way they pulled, the rest of the crews HATED them, what with those 5 straight-up steps you had to climb to get up onto the platform and cab, and their "top heaviness" due to the high center of gravity account the opposed piston prime mover, they would rock and roll over ANY little irregularity in the track-- and RDG had a few of those! The SMOKE those things would give off after they were idling a while was something else, too. Man, the EPA would have a fit today!

Thanks for the info. I know the steps were modified/changed on the RDG units,due to complaints. My question would be how was it throwing up the "grip" (bag of rule books,handles,lunch,lamp ect.)before boarding the locomotive.That looks like a 7 ft high walkway. Some of our conrail GE's were a bear to climb,nothing like the TM's look though.