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The Interchange: The Reading Modeler Forum
Taking a Ride on the REAL Reading
how was the reading organized?
What's the difference between a GP40-2 and GP39-2? What year did the Reading dieselize? How many tracks were in Rutherford Yard? This board focuses on a discussion of questions or issues concerning the "prototype" Reading Company and its predecessors. While the aim of this board is to serve as a resource for prototype information for modeling purposes, general discussion and sharing of knowledge is also encouraged.
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TOPIC: how was the reading organized?

how was the reading organized? 11 years 1 month ago #479

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didn't the reading share a terminal in Bethlehem. Which division was it part of?
greg
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how was the reading organized? 11 years 1 month ago #482

  • Rob
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Bethlehem "Union" Station was shared by the Reading and the Lehigh Valley Railroads. I believe Bethlehem, at end of the Bethlehem Branch (I believe the branch was also chartered as the North Pennsylvania Ralroad) was part of the Philadelphia Division. If memory serves me correct this "branch" was still technically actually under "lease" to the Reading up to the end as the lease was for 999 years. Some company letterhead that I saw in the archives still had the North Penn listed.
Engine terminals or major yards really don't tell the divisional story as Rutherford and Reading Yards were in the Reading Division but neither one was at a division point, nor was St. Clair or Shamokin.
I believe at one time there were 5 divisions. 1. Philadelphia, which ended somewhere around Perkiomen Jct (I think) 2. Reading, 3. Shamokin, 4. Catawissa and 5. I cannot think of the name, possibly the Wilmington and Columbia Division which consisted of the Wilmington & Northern Branch and the Reading & Columbia Branch. (even though they weren't connected except in theory at the Outer Station)Most of the "branches" were really railroads that the Reading gobbled up and quite a few remained "leased" under those 999 year deals. When it was done, there were just two divisions left, Philly and everwhere else, all rolled up and better known as the Reading Division.
This is all of the top of my head so don't be quoting it as gospel, but methinks it might be pretty close.
Last Edit: 11 years 1 month ago by Rob. Reason: miss typed Pennsylvania (duh)
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how was the reading organized? 11 years 1 month ago #489

  • JoannaBill
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I think Rob hit the nail on the head. Details of the various branches, railroads, etc. are spelled out in Holton's two volume book "Reading - the history of a coal age empire."
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how was the reading organized? 11 years 1 month ago #490

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I think there are really two issues here: How was the Reading legally organized and how was is operationally organized?

With respect to legal organization, various "branches" were held as separate railroad companies, were leased, or were part of the Reading Co. (or another holding co.) or one of its subsidiaries, e.g., the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, with no independent legal existence.

With respect to operational organization, I can't comment.
Last Edit: 11 years 1 month ago by Riggelweg.
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how was the reading organized? 11 years 1 month ago #500

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JoannaBill wrote:
I think Rob hit the nail on the head. Details of the various branches, railroads, etc. are spelled out in Holton's two volume book "Reading - the history of a coal age empire."

here's the list from Holton vol. 1
there are 57 but 10 may have been part of others in the list.

but are all of these branches of the Reading?

Allentown Railroad Company
Allentown Terminal Railroad Company
Atlantic City Railroad Company
Berks & Chester Railroad Company (Wilmington & Reading)
Berks County Railroad (Schuylkill & Lehigh)
Bloomsburg & Sullivan Railroad Company
Camden County Railroad Company (Atlantic City Railroad)
Cap May, Delaware Bay and Sewells Point Railroad Company
Catasaqua & Fogelsville Railroad Company
Catawissa Railroad
Central Nwe England & Western Railroad Company
Central Railroad of New Jersey
Chester & Delaware RIver Railroad Company
Chester Valley Railroad Company
The Chestnut Hill Railroad Company
Colebrookdale Railroad
Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad Company
East Mahanoy Railroad Company
East Pennsylvania Railroad Company
Enterprise Railroad Company
THe Gettysburg and Harrisburg RW
Good Spring Railroad Company (Pine Grove and Tremont Railroad)
Harrisburg & Potomac Railroad Company
Harrisburg and Shippensburg Railroad Company (Philadelphia, Harrisburg & Pittsburg Railroad Company)
Hunter's Run & Slate Belt Railroad Company
Ironton Railroad Company
Lebanon & Tremont Railroad Company (Pine Grove & Tremont Railroad)
Lebanon Valley Railroad Company
Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad & Coal Co.
Mahanoy & Broad Mountain Railroad Company
Mahanoy & Shamokin Railroad Company (Mahanoy & Broad Mountain Railroad Company)
Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad Company
Mill Creek & Mine Hill Navigation & RW Co.
Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad Company
Mount Cardon & Port Carbon Railroad Company
Mount Carbon Railroad Co.
The National Railway Co.
The New York Short Line Railroad Company
Norristown & Allentown Railroad Company (Perkiomen Railroad)
North East Pennsylvania Railroad Company (North Pennsylvania Railroad)
North Pennsylvania Railroad Company
Northern Liberties & Penn Township Railroad Company
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
People's Railway Co.
Perkiomen Railroad Company
Philadelphia & Reading Terminal Railroad Company
Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad Company
Philadelphia, Harrisburg & Pittsburg Railroad Company
Philadelphia, Newtown & New York Railroad Company
Philadelphia, Reading & New England Railroad Company
Philadelphia, Belt Line Railroad Company
Pickering Valley Railroad Company
Pine Grove & Labanon Railroad Company
Port Reading Railroad Company
Reading & Columbia Railroad Company
Reading & Lehigh Railroad Company (Shulykill & Lehigh Railroad Company)
Reading Belt Railroad Company
Schuylkill & Lehigh Railroad Company
Schuylkill & Susquehanna Railroad Company
Schuylkill Valley Navigation & Railroad Company
Shamokin, Sunbury & Lewisburg Railroad Company
Stony Creek Railroad Company
Tamaqua, Hazleton & Northern Railroad Company
West Reading Railroad Company
Willians Valley Railroad Company
Wilmington & Northern Railroad Company
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how was the reading organized? 11 years 1 month ago #502

  • Riggelweg
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phillyreading wrote:
I don't know all about the mergers and mainlines verses branch lines. However the name Reading Company refers to the passenger division of the Reading Railroad and Reading Lines is the freight division of Reading Railroad, this happened sometime in the early 1900's. Passenger engines would mainly have the word Reading on the side and freight engines would have Reading Lines.

The Philadelphia & Reading Railways & Mining Company was busted up by a robber baron sometime between 1890 and 1920, I think that it was J.D. Rockafeller. That was when everything went to different names and companies.

Lee Fritz

As Bill notes, it was the U.S. government, specifically the U.S. Supreme Court, that busted up the Reading Company in 1920, severing the railroad from the mining company.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/253/26
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The Interchange: The Reading Modeler Forum
Taking a Ride on the REAL Reading
how was the reading organized?
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Lebanon Valley Branch_1

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June 20-23, 1972
The Reading is devastated by Hurricane Agnes; washouts and damage across the system require significant effort to repair, and also hasten the abandonment of marginal branches.

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