When “Precision Scheduled Railroading” is discussed among railroaders, particularly Class-1 executives, it is usually about running two- and three-mile-long trains to cut crews, to save money; seldom to improve customer service or grow the business. When was the last time you saw a new rail siding being installed at one of the hundreds of new warehouses springing up throughout the Northeast?
There is one shining exception to this sad state of affairs in the U.S. rail industry, and that is found on Pennsylvania regional Reading & Northern, in both its freight and passenger operations.
This month we’ll look at how “Precision Scheduled Railroading” enables the “Rush Hour Dance” as the railroad expedites four separate passenger trains arriving and departing the tourist destination of Jim Thorpe during the busy Fall season from early October through early November.
ABOVE: T-1 2102 pulls north to cross the new Lehigh River Bridge to wye the empty train for the return to Reading. The train backed west from Jim Thorpe on the track at left. It will clear RIVER at the north end of the bridge, then reverse into Jim Thorpe via the former CNJ bridge, October 5, 2024. —Tom Nemeth
Photos on these pages depict some of the activity involved as passenger trains arrive from Reading, Pottsville and Pittston between 11:00 a.m. and noon, and depart between 3:30 and 4:20 p.m., all while R&N’s Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway operates sold-out 12-car hourly departures to the Lehigh Gorge from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.
Add to this activity the need to turn the inbound consists from Reading and Pittston during passengers’ four-hour layover in Jim Thorpe, with the Reading consist often exceeding 16 cars. The action at the Lehigh River wye, a mile out of town, is facilitated by expert dispatching, CTC and signalled, powered control points.
ABOVE: After turning the Reading passenger consist, the Pittston consist is also turned on the wye. On diesel days it also backs north over the CNJ bridge and pulls west over the new bridge, as seen Sunday, October 6, 2024. —Tom Nemeth
The intense arrival and departure activity at Jim Thorpe, similar to that found at commuter rail terminals across the country, was facilitated through the reconstruction of trackage in Jim Thorpe, including a three-track layup yard and reconfiguration of approach tracks to the former CNJ passenger station downtown, including a new pocket track and platform for the RDCs and installation of a diamond to provide routing to either station track.
The same can be said for Reading & Northern’s freight side of the business, with its two star performers, Reading-Pittston NRFF and Hazleton-Reading WHFF. These “Fast Freights” operate on passenger-train-like schedules. Local jobs also operate on set schedules to provide reliable customer deliveries. And yes, Reading & Northern does construct sidings into new distribution warehouses, notably in West Hazleton, Ransom Township and Old Forge, with more to come…
