by Dale W. Woodland/photos by the author except as noted
We conclude our coverage of the former reading company East Penn Branch connecting Reading with Allentown, Pennsylvania. Today’s busy Norfolk Southern Reading Line, it has long been my favorite location for photography. The trackage, constructed by the East Pennsylvania Railroad in 1859, became part of the Philadelphia & Reading in 1865. It became part of Conrail on April 1, 1976. With the breakup of Conrail in 1999, the trackage became part of Norfolk Southern. Today it remains a vital link for NS, funneling traffic from the south and west toward New Jersey.
The line’s rural nature begins to morph into suburban and then urban sprawl and warehouse distribution centers east of Alburtis, but there are still several very nice photo locations which are well illustrated and described in this final installment.
ABOVE: Reading EMD GP30 3603 leads GP35s 3649 and 3644 west crossing PA Route 100 in Macungie on March 14, 1976. Train BH-15, the Star, is returning empties to be refilled with Bituminous coal for Bethlehem Steel. — Dale W. Woodland
My photography of the line began in the early 1970s in time to catch the final years of the Reading Company, which has always been my favorite railroad. I have continued photographing the line through its changes of operators to the present. This month we will trace the eastern portion of the line from Macungie to Allentown. The local roads which follow the Reading Line between Macungie and Allentown have plenty of traffic, so rail photography requires choosing a location and awaiting a train. Chasing is out of the question, with train speeds as high as 50 MPH for general freights and 60 MPH for intermodals.
ABOVE: NS 8114, the Original Norfolk Southern heritage unit, is seen eastbound in this aerial photo of train 28X eastbound at Macungie, February 24, 2024. This view shows the “railfan” station at the crossing of PA Route 100. — Dale W. Woodland
NS has removed the lineside automatic block signals in recent years, although dispatcher-controlled interlocking signals at CP-Alburtis (MP 24) and at CP-BURN (MP 35, Auburn Street in Allentown) can provide notice of an impending movement. Audible dragging equipment/hotbox detectors are located to the west at Topton (readout MP 18.8), and right in Emmaus at MP 29.9. Keep an ear tuned to your scanner or the Scanner Radio app on your phone to be ready for the action.
Train traffic (and sunlight) favors eastbounds during the early morning to mid-morning hours, with sunlight and traffic favoring westbounds from mid-morning onward. There can be the traditional mid-day lull nearing the end of First Trick (11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.).
On weekdays, Catasauqua & Fogelsville Branch (C&F) local H11 out of Allentown runs around its train on the siding at Alburtis and then diverges north from the Reading Line onto the C&F Branch at CP-Alburtis. Local H90 operates from Chapman Yard on the C&F Branch itself.
ABOVE: NS 8104, the Lehigh Valley heritage unit, is seen westbound with train 11N in this aerial photo October 24, 2024. Parking at this location is very accessible. The view looking east provides a long straightaway. — Dale W. Woodland
MACUNGIE
West of Macungie there is a broadside view from Scenic View Drive (photos opposite page and top). The Orchard Road grade crossing once there has been closed and removed.
A popular railfan gathering spot and family-friendly location is the ersatz Macungie “station” located at the PA Route 100 grade crossing. The open-air shelter is maintained by the local garden society with an amazing display of flowers during the warmer months. Turn onto Mill Street at the crossing to find plentiful parking and a reasonably good view of east- and westbound trains. A large maple tree on the north side of the tracks provides an explosion of color in the fall.
A local convenience store sits right across PA-100; a Wawa and McDonald’s is a half mile to the north on 100.
Before you leave town, there is a nice broadside view across the lawn at the Macungie Veterans Association on Lehigh Street. From Macungie, head east toward Emmaus on Buckeye Road, passing its namesake Buckeye Tank Farm. The rail line is to the north of the tanks and inaccessible here. Continue to the junction of PA Route 29 at the Trivet diner and turn left to continue into Emmaus. Route 29 is Chestnut Street on the west side of Emmaus.
ABOVE: Reading Alco C424 5204 is the power for the East Penn Local, seen here westbound through Emmaus on March 31, 1975. At this time there were still several rail-served customers along the line. Note the number of sidings. Reading 5204 has been preserved at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. — Dale W. Woodland
EMMAUS
There are grade crossings at Seventh Street and Sixth Street in Emmaus, but today these have become unremarkable photo locations. The real photo gems are in the vicinity of the South Fourth Street overpass in town.
The first photo option is westbound trains passing under the South Fourth Street overpass (photo below); best light for this is in the afternoon. The tracks are oriented southwest-to-northeast here, and during the longer days of the year, there are also photo angles from the foot of Railroad Street (visible above the Conrail unit in the photo at right).
There is also a view of eastbounds from up on the overpass itself (center photo, below right). Don’t overlook the opportunity to photograph the art deco Emmaus Theater, which still screens first- and second-run movies. It is an old-fashioned downtown movie house with no parking adjacent; moviegoers walk to the venue.
Golden Street, a narrow lane right next to the Emmaus Theater, leads downhill parallel to the Reading Line tracks, offering a variety of elevated vantage points (photos bottom right and on the following page). You can hear train horns sounding for the East Harrison Street and Klines Lane grade crossings to the east which provides advance notice of an approaching westbound.
ABOVE: NS 1065, the Savannah & Atlanta heritage unit, rounds the curve approaching Klines Lane in Emmaus leading an intermodal train east on May 25, 2018. Klines Lane is another location that offers convenient parking and the potential to photograph trains in both directions during the morning hours. — Dale W. Woodland
Emmaus offers a few sandwich shops and cafes a short walk north on Fourth Street to Chestnut Street (PA 29).
Along the entire segment of the Reading Line between Macungie and Allentown, Emmaus offers some of the greatest number of quality photo angles throughout the day.
But we’re not done with Emmaus yet. There’s still the Klines Lane and East Harrison Street crossing areas to be explored… Klines Lane offers good morning views of trains sweeping around the broad curve in both directions. It is one of the few locations on the Reading Line where a morning westbound can be photographed from the park with front lighting due to the tracks oriented north-south here. The East Penn Railroad runaround track is located along the south edge of the waterworks park.
Moving east, East Harrison Street also offers well-lit, open views of westbound trains during the morning hours. The East Penn Railroad connection to the Reading Line is located east of the grade crossing. The ESPN operates the northern portion of the former Reading Railroad Perkiomen Branch as far south as East Greenville…
