A compilation of video and super 8 film from just after the Conrail takeover until the advent of Reading & Northern. The video is from the late Jeff Seidel, while the film is from George Legler, both fans from the Reading, PA area.
Some of that track and greenery reminds me of the Southern Railway transfer track that ran behind my house. It connected with the Seaboard south at Hulsey Yard. When I was a kid, seems like two or three big freights came through there a day, and by the late 70s, three of them a week, rarely less than 100 cars and a Family Lines orange caboose, sometimes. A set of switchers also frequented the industries and bottling plant along the line. It is now part of The Atlanta Beltline - a series of Rail Trails.
Totally Awesome!! Yes the Reading knew what they were doing hen they purchased the EMD MP15,DCs and the SW 1500s! They we're absolutely perfect for branchline coal hauling!! And I believe that the Reading & Northern have a handful as well!
Many scene look like what's operated by the blue mountain, Reading & Northern today. This reminds me a a rather sad time when all the Northeastern roads were merged into Conrail. Nothing was ever the same again.
Great video, just wish there was a list of the locations where it was filmed. The only one I recognize is the one near the beginning of the crossing in Ashland and Port Clinton of what is now the RBMN yard near the end of the video.
I love these old scenes, when conrail took over, because I'm just old enough to remember the change over to conrail. I only wish someone had scenes of the Bethlehem branch down in philly, because I grew up in fernrock and remember the iron ore and coal trains to port Richmond, going as late as 1978. I have a few still pics. Vik 55.
Awesome video! I don’t know if you know this but because you set your content for kids, your new videos won’t have comments on them and subscribers won’t get notifications for them. Since your videos aren’t targeted towards children (or at least it doesn’t appear that way) you should say your content is not made for kids. That way people will see more of your videos and the will be able to give feedback.
Conrail never ran into Frackville. The Frackville grade was washed out by Agnes in 1972 and never put back. The line coming up from Bear Run Jct was removed after that.
fmnut True the Frackville grade was washed out but they continued to service a few customers in Frackville out of St .Nick until 1981. Probably only about once a week.
@@mikemacheese7174 the Ringtown service was subsidized as a Light Density Line since the Catawissa was not in the USRA Final System Plan. The Frackville service must have been in the same category. The Pottsville-Reading passenger service and the L&T to Suedburg also came off in 1981 as the Federal subsidy ran out.
The Reading purchased 10 MP 15's in 1974. They were primarily assigned to the coal region and the Reading areas. They replaced GP 7's in the same services (which had themselves replaced Alco RS-3's only a few years previously). Conrail continued the same assignments for these engines as they were a good fit for the relatively low speeds and shaky mine trackage. They could operate singly or in pairs to cover daytime way freight and switching jobs, then be lashed together in the evening for the heavy night trains to Reading out of St Nicholas and West Cressona. They remained in this area until their leases expired in 1989, when they were replaced with SW1500's and GP10's.
