The Reading & Northern Railroad Passenger Department celebrated a momentous milestone on Sunday, July 13, 2025, its 40th anniversary. Four decades have passed since the inaugural passenger train operated over the original 13-mile Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad from Temple to Hamburg, PA. Today, the Passenger Department is busy as ever, overseeing multiple trains every week for most of the year.

The LGSR was a success right from the start. With it firmly in place as a true tourist attraction on the Reading & Northern Railroad, the revival of passenger service began. Excursions to the town became
more frequent, operating mostly from Port Clinton but also from northern locations such as Duryea and Mountain Top. As the passenger business continued its exponential growth, it quickly became
clear that the administration was outgrowing its humble corner of railroad headquarters in Port Clinton. In 2015, Reading & Northern purchased the historic former Reading Company passenger
station in Schuylkill Haven, PA, and moved its passenger operations in, where it resides to this day. New passenger stations have been established at North Reading (Outer Station) and Pittston (Wilkes
Barre/Scranton Regional Railroad Station) and are huge draws for their respective areas. Passenger trains now operate round trip every weekend, ten months of the year, from these stations to Jim
Thorpe. Upgrades have been made to Tamaqua Station; and with the acquisition of the former KME/REV Group property in Nesquehoning, a new station has been established on its grounds.
Perhaps most astonishing about this is the fact that tickets for Reading & Northern’s all-day excursions have remained at the same price point for much of the last forty years.

The remarkable success of the passenger department since 2005 led to the restoration of steam locomotive #425 in 2007. It made several appearances on the LGSR and Reading & Northern main
line excursions through 2022. #425 is currently undergoing its 15-year rebuilding and its return is eagerly anticipated by steam fans and employees alike. In 2016, Mr. Muller proceeded with the
restoration of steam locomotive #2102. After 31 years of inactivity, #2102 returned to the rails of the Reading & Northern in May 2022 with the rebirth of the Iron Horse Rambles from Reading Outer
Station to Jim Thorpe. In August 2022, a memorable double-header excursion with #425 was operated over the same route.

Steam-powered trains remain the greatest attraction on the Reading & Northern Railroad; yet the entire spectrum of passenger excursion offerings draw visitors from anywhere imaginable. As one
curious car host recently discovered, the LGSR hosted guests from as far away as Ecuador, The Philippines, and Uzbekistan. In forty years, Reading & Northern passenger trains have gone from the
local spotlight to the worldwide stage. The hard work by its dedicated employees, under the leadership of Mr. Muller and family, has ensured that the passenger department will continue to be a
worldwide phenomenon for the next forty years and beyond.

-via Press Release