The Reading & Northern Railroad is set to begin another busy season of all-day passenger excursions from its Reading Outer Station, located at 3501 Pottsville Pike, Reading, PA19605.
While rail excursions will operate to Jim Thorpe, there will also be alternative excursions to Pottsville. Pottsville trains will operate on April 29, June 17, July 29, August 19, and September 16. Tickets are now available, priced at $39.00 round trip, and depart Reading Outer Station at 10:00am. These trips are a great alternative to Jim Thorpe, as Pottsville boasts numerous unique attractions and restaurants of its own. Passengers have five hours – a longer layover than that of Jim Thorpe – to explore and enjoy the town before reboarding the train for the return trip.
Our ever-popular Reading to Jim Thorpe excursions will resume on Saturday, May 6, 2023, and continue every Saturday and Sunday (plus holidays) through September 30. These trips, as always, depart Reading Outer Station ($39.00 round trip) at 9:00am and make station stops in Port Clinton ($39.00 round trip) and Tamaqua ($24.00 round trip). Tickets to ride from any of these stations are on sale now. This year, passengers will have more time in Jim Thorpe – over four and a half hours – to dine and shop in the historic downtown. As usual, our rail diesel cars (RDCs) will be utilized on this route. During the winter, a great deal of work was performed on the RDCs to ensure that they are ready for the ambitious schedule ahead. Major off-season work included motors being replaced, and one RDC received a new transmission.
Finally, 2023 Iron Horse Rambles tickets will go on sale May 1st at 9:00am. The Rambles are pulled by the pride of our fleet, 4-8-4 T-1 steam locomotive #2102. Seating options range from Standard Coach all the way up to our Lounge Observation Car. Prices range from $99.00 to $210.00 per ticket depending on the accommodation chosen.
These special excursions recall the days of the steam-powered trips of the same name that were operated by the Reading Company in the late 1950s into the early 1960s. The 2023 season marks the second straight year of The Rambles on Reading & Northern and the return of #2102 to service after more than three decades of inactivity. These are scheduled to operate from Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe on July 1, August 13, and September 2. Tickets will sell quickly for the much-anticipated Iron Horse Ramble excursions as they sold out extremely fast in our 2022 season.
-via Press Release