The Reading & Northern Railroad Passenger Department will operate a special steam excursion to Jim Thorpe from its Penobscot (Mountain Top) station on Saturday, September 13, 2025. The trip will be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Mountain Top. Tickets are priced
at $70.00 each and may be purchased through the club or online at www.RBMNRR-passenger.com. All seats are Standard Coach and all are welcome. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 9:00am.
In past years, Reading & Northern featured 4-6-2 steam locomotive #425 on the trip. For 2025, which the railroad has dubbed “The Year of Steam”, recently restored 4-8-4 T-1 steam locomotive #2102 will be doing the honors. This will also afford steam fans yet another opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of this massive machine thundering through Lehigh Gorge State Park. Lehigh Division Director of Passenger Service Tim Wright says, “We are pleased to offer this trip with an even bigger steam locomotive, for the same reasonable price as it has been before.”
The train will depart Mountain Top at 9:30am sharp and wind its way down the south slope of Penobscot Mountain, through the entire length of Lehigh Gorge State Park, arriving at Jim Thorpe at 11:15am. Passengers will have over four hours to shop, dine, and explore the historic town known as the “Switzerland of America” before reboarding the train for a 4:00pm departure. The train is expected to arrive back at Mountain Top at approximately 5:30pm.
The return trip from Jim Thorpe is the part that steam fans will be waiting for, as #2102 battles an uphill grade all the way back to Mountain Top. Reading & Northern’s steam crew has been known to put on some of its most memorable shows along this route, and the Rotary Club trip will likely be the last appearance of #2102 in Luzerne County for 2025. The railroad has two other excursions with #2102 – referred to as Iron Horse Rambles – scheduled for earlier in summer of 2025. The traditional schedule of
Fall Foliage passenger excursions, some of which are to also feature #2102, will be announced later.
-via Press Release
