WestReadingBranch _21
Image information
Looking northeast from the intersection of Front and Court Streets. The West Reading Branch curves off to the right, through the cut between Schindlebeck's Coal Yard and Stichter Hardware (at extreme right), to continue up to the connection at 3rd Street. The track running left to right in the foreground is the Court Street Branch, which is actually a spur off of the Reading's
Schuylkill and Lehigh Branch that met the West Reading Branch at this location. The two branches ran parallel to each other in the Reading's early years; but in the post war years as track was rationalized due to the Reading's declining fortunes, they were ulimately merged. An interesting note for Reading-area residents, the street signs in this era are black on a white background; while in the late 1970s to the present they are white on a green background. If you're going to that level of detail on your layout, this is something to be mindful of. This location is a parking garage today, though looking closely you can still see the remnants of the track in the street.
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Downloads
A variety of Reading Company operations related documents, etc. that may be of use in your modeling efforts.
A variety of Reading Company operations paperwork, such as train orders, clearance forms, etc. that will help you operate your Reading layout in a prototypical manner.
Public Timetables, Employe Timetables, and Rulebooks that provide much useful operational information.
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