Is there a source for plans for Reading (or P&R) stations for modeling purposes?

My primary interest would be depots along the East Penn line (Topton, Fleetwood, etc.), but those along the Perkiomen Branch would be interesting as well.

Photos are available in the Reading In Color Books, but actual dimensions would be more helpful.

There have been a few station plans that have popped up in books and magazines over the years, however the real answer is no, there is nothing for sale that I am aware of that has any abundance of station plans.

The RCT&HS archives has tons of Reading Company documentation waiting to be researched and catalogued. All it needs is some one with time to do such..... Questions about what can be done along those lines can be answered by contacting Rick Bates. (He makes an appearance on this web site occasionally)

There are additional drawings available through Hagely Museum and the Pennsylvania State Archives. Rick has spent time in both and may be able to give you some advice. He spends a lot of time at the Hamburg facility, although he may soon be moving from the archive room to outdoor restoration operations.

Thanks for the direction, Rob. Contacting Rick Bates sounds like a good first step.

while they have no plans or dimensions, there is the 4 book set of Reading Stations. Soft cover. I seem to remember that one of the 4 books is very hard to find.

WindsorSpring contacted me through the RCT&HS website, but I'll also share our answer here.

Unfortunately, station plans are rather hard to come by. There are a few in public archives, but most, if they exist at all, are in private collections. Most of what exists is for stations built after 1900.

The RCT&HS has very few station plans. These drawings aren't indexed but they are mostly sorted, so if you are interested in a specific station, please ask and we'll look it up to see if we have anything.

The only large collection of RDG station plans in a public archive are at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg Pa. They have a full-time staff to retrieve and make copies for you, for a fee, of course. Here's the link:

www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/...lroad_records/948281

Scroll down to the Reading RR section.

The Hagley Library has a few station plans, and the Athenaeum in Philadelphia also has some RDG structures plans, including for Reading Terminal.

That's about it for what I know about.

-- Rick Bates, RCT&HS Archivist

Over the years Model Railroader has printed a number of Reading station plans. The most recent was Gardners on the Gettysburg Branch in September, 1987. Others include: Graterford on the Perkiomen in September, 1963; Exton on the Chester Valley in October, 1964; a freight station at North Hills on the Bethlehem Br. in January, 1965; Essington on the Chester Br. in May, 1964. They also printed plans for a "standard 3rd class depot" at Cedar Hollow on the Chester Valley (nearly identical to Barto on the Cooebrookdale Br.) in Kalmbach's long out of print "Railroad Station Planbook." Exton shelter was also reprinted in that book.

Although there were no printed plans, Edward Lewis's out of print "Reading's Victorian Stations" has a list of stations by branch, and there are floorplan dimensions given for many of them. These dimensions, in combination with photos, can be helpful in estimating other dimensions and making your own basic construction drawings. PM me if I can offer further assistance.