Was looking for some insight as to the trackage history of reading yard north to tuckerton rd. The bridge over rt 61 is 4 tracks on the RBMN I would presume this was built this way by the Reading. It narrows to 2 tracks to cross the river to the north over the viaduct and also narrows to 2 tracks from bellevue ave to where it intersects the blandon low grade.

I guess my question is before the low grade was built was the line to tuckerton 4 tracks directly into reading yard? It doesn't look like the car bridge over the trackage at 61 and Bellevue was ever wide enough to pass 4 tracks was it filled later?

I do not know, but here are results after checking some USGS maps. The USGS 1956 map for Temple shows two tracks going under Bellevue Avenue. This, of course, must be taken with a grain of salt because the USGS maps do not always show all tracks in a given location. USGS maps will sometimes note the number of tracks without drawing them, buthe 1956 Temple quadrangle makes no mention of the number of tracks at that location. There is similarly no mention of track number on the adjacent spot on the 1956 Reading quadrangle. It was a busy spot, because Belt Line Junction is nearby and so is the Pennsylvania RR Schuylkill line.

According to the 1954 ETT, from Pike to Tuckerton (Yard Limit) was 3 main tracks. 4th was probably a runner. In the 70's, it was 2-Man Tracks and storage for shop cars.

The two abandoned rail bridges behind the 61 diner are former pennsy schukill line? Was the line abandoned before the low grade was built behind the quarry?

You mentioned the fourth was a runner from pike is that pike street in the middle of the Reading yard? Does that mean it was a yard bypass track? It seems like the line from vf at west Reading to the top of reading yard was a bypass track is that what it was?

Also what's ETT mean?

USGS maps (and Google Earth images) show 3 ex-Reading lines and 1 ex-PRR line along highway 61 (Pottsville Pike) between Bellevue Avenue and Tuckerton Road north of Reading. The Reading Main Line (now RBMN) diverges first to the northwest to stay on the west bank of the Schuylkill just below Bellevue Avenue. The Schuylkill & Lehigh line went along the quarry and continued north and the Low Grade was built on the same alignment but diverged east just after crossing Tuckerton Road. The PRR line approached the Reading line from the west, ran parallel to it to just north of 222 and continued to curve to the northwest towards Leesport. Portions of the PRR line and S&L still appear on Google Earth images, so part of the PRR line may be abandoned, but not all of it.

Maps dating from 1956 show the PRR line still in existence while also showing the Low Grade. Others will have to give details when the PRR line was abandoned.

The "runner" would have been like a siding, or switching lead. ETT is Employee Time Table. The PRR line wasn't abandoned 'til after 1976.