Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad is a shortline railroad
operating in eastern Pennsylvania
. It is also known as the Reading and Northern.
It operates on 300 miles (483 km) of track with two routes. The Reading Division
from Reading to Packerton
and the Lehigh Division
from Packerton to Mehoopany.
RBMN interchanges with the following railroads:
RBMN also operates a tourist railroad, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (LGSR), based in Jim Thorpe, PA.
. The railroad also purchased two new locomotives, 101 rail cars and 6 miles (9.7 km) of short-line track between Monroeton, PA and Towanda, PA, where much of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale economic activity is focused.
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
operating in eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It is also known as the Reading and Northern.
It operates on 300 miles (483 km) of track with two routes. The Reading Division
Reading Division
The Reading Division is a rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Reading north and east to Packerton along former Reading Company and Central Railroad of New Jersey lines...
from Reading to Packerton
Mahoning Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Mahoning Township is a township in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,978 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.7 square miles , of which, 23.6 square miles of it is land and...
and the Lehigh Division
Lehigh Division
The Lehigh Division is a rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.The line runs from Packerton north to Mehoopany along former Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey lines...
from Packerton to Mehoopany.
RBMN interchanges with the following railroads:
- Norfolk Southern RailwayNorfolk Southern RailwayThe Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
– Reading, North Reading, Temple, Lehighton, and Penobscot - Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
– Taylor, PA - Delaware-Lackawanna RailroadDelaware-Lackawanna RailroadThe Delaware–Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Pennsylvania.The DL began service in August 1993 and is the designated operator for 85 miles of trackage in Lackawanna and Monroe Counties. It is a subsidiary of holding company Genesee Valley Transportation Company, Inc...
– Pittston, PA - Lehigh Railway – Mehoopany, and Towanda, PA
- Luzerne & Susquehanna Railroad – Pittston, PA
- Shamokin Valley RailroadShamokin Valley RailroadThe Shamokin Valley Railroad is a short line railroad that operates 27 miles of track in southern Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System....
– Locust Summit, PA
RBMN also operates a tourist railroad, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (LGSR), based in Jim Thorpe, PA.
Marcellus Shale Impact On Operations
In late 2009 and early 2010, The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad expanded operations due to the emergence of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Reading & Northern Railroad Co. spent $100,000 to transform an outdated and barely used terminal near Wilkes-Barre, PA called the Pittston YardPittston Yard
Pittston Yard, formerly Coxton Yard, was built in 1870 by the Lehigh Valley Railroad as a hub to move coal from the Pennsylvania coal mines to Eastern markets. The railyard is located in the Borough of Duryea, PA, which in the greater Pittston, PA area...
. The railroad also purchased two new locomotives, 101 rail cars and 6 miles (9.7 km) of short-line track between Monroeton, PA and Towanda, PA, where much of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale economic activity is focused.
External links
- Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad - Official Company Website
- Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Operates on Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad track out of Jim Thorpe, PA
- Reading & Northern Passenger Excursion Photos