Reading Company
Encyclopedia
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and neighboring states. Until the decline in anthracite loadings in the Coal Region
Coal Region
The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, and the extreme northeast corner of Dauphin counties....
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was one of the most prosperous corporations in the United States. Reduced coal traffic coupled with highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
competition and short hauls forced it into bankruptcy in the 1970s. The railroad was merged into Conrail in 1976, but the corporation lasted into 2000, disposing of real estate holdings.
Since the railroad served Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
(via subsidiary The Atlantic City Railroad
Atlantic City Railroad
The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933.- History :...
), the Reading Railroad is a property in the American version of the board game Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
.
Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road: 1833–1896
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Along with the Little Schuylkill, a horse-drawn railroad in the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
Valley, it formed the earliest components of what became the Reading Company. Primarily, the P&R was constructed to haul anthracite coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from the mines in northeastern Pennsylvania's Coal Region
Coal Region
The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, and the extreme northeast corner of Dauphin counties....
to Philadelphia.
The original P&R mainline extended south from the mining town of Pottsville to Reading and then onward to Philadelphia, following the gently graded banks of the Schuylkill River for nearly all of the 93-mile journey. The P&R mainline had the distinction of being, upon its 1843 completion, the first double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
main line
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Almost immediately, the P&R became a very profitable business as coal replaced wood as fuel in businesses and homes. Soon the P&R bought or leased many of the railroads in the Schuylkill River Valley and Pennsylvania Coal Region
Coal Region
The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, and the extreme northeast corner of Dauphin counties....
. The Reading also constructed Port Richmond
Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Port Richmond, also referred to as simply Richmond, is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as...
in Philadelphia to load coal into ships and barges for export. This increased the potential market for anthracite and was key to the P&R's success. Port Richmond was the self-proclaimed "Largest privately owned railroad tidewater terminal in the world." In 1871, the Reading established a subsidiary called the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company
Reading Anthracite Company
Reading Anthracite Company is a coal mining company based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in the United States. It mainly mines anthracite coal in the Coal Region of eastern Pennsylvania....
, which set about buying anthracite coal mines in the Coal Region
Coal Region
The Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, and the extreme northeast corner of Dauphin counties....
. This vertical expansion
Vertical integration
In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service, and the products combine to...
gave the P&R almost full control of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from mining through to market.
The heavy investment in coal paid off quickly. By 1871, the Reading was the largest company in the world, with $170,000,000 in gross value, and may have been the first conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
in the world. In 1879, the Reading gained control of the North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company formed in 1855, and served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County, Pennsylvania.-History:...
and gained access to the burgeoning steel industry in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
.
The Reading further expanded its coal empire by reaching New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
through control of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad in 1879, and the construction of the Port Reading Railroad
Port Reading Railroad
The Port Reading Railroad was a railroad chartered in 1890 and opened in 1892 by the Reading Railroad.-Origins:The Port Reading Railroad started at a junction in Bound Brook, New Jersey with the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey and headed eastward across northern Middlesex...
in 1892. This allowed for the direct delivery of coal to New York City by rail and barge instead of the longer trip by ships from Port Richmond
Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Port Richmond, also referred to as simply Richmond, is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as...
, around Cape May to New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
.
The reliance of the Reading on anthracite eventually ruined the company in the 1870s. Instead of broadening its rail network, the Reading invested its vast wealth in anthracite and its transport in the mid-19th century. In 1890, the Reading under the leadership of Archibald A. McLeod, finally saw that more riches could be earned by expanding its rail network and becoming a trunk railroad. McLeod went about trying to control neighboring railroads in 1891. He was able to gain control of the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
, Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
, and the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Reading almost achieved its goal of becoming a Trunk Road, but the deal failed due to the efforts of people like J.P.Morgan, who did not want more competition in the northeastern
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
railroad business. The Reading was relegated to a regional railroad for the rest of its history.
1833-1893 Expansion History
The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road was chartered April 4, 1833 to build a line between Philadelphia and ReadingReading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
along the Schuylkill River. The portion from Reading to Norristown
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
opened July 16, 1838, the full line December 9, 1839. Its Philadelphia terminus was at the state-owned Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (P&C) on the west side of the Schuylkill River, from which it ran east on the P&C over the Columbia Bridge
Columbia Railroad Bridge
Columbia Railroad Bridge is a 1920 concrete arch bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that carries CSX Trenton Subdivision rail lines over the Schuylkill River. It is located in Fairmount Park, upstream from the Pennsylvania Railroad Connecting Bridge. It is also known as Columbia Bridge.-First...
and onto the city-owned City Railroad to a depot at the southeast corner of Broad
Broad Street (Philadelphia)
Broad Street is a major arterial street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is nearly 13 miles long.It is Pennsylvania Route 611 along its entire length with the exception of its northernmost part between Old York Road and Pennsylvania Route 309 and the southernmost part south of Interstate 95...
and Cherry Streets.
Mount Carbon, Pennsylvania
Mount Carbon is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, two miles south of Pottsville. It was formed from North Manheim Township in 1864. The population was 87 at the 2000 census. The borough is the smallest municipality in Schuylkill County. South Centre Street, Main Street, Sherwood...
, also on the Schuylkill River, opened on January 13, 1842, allowing the railroad to compete with the Schuylkill Canal
Schuylkill Canal
Schuylkill Canal is the common, but technically inaccurate, name for the Schuylkill Navigation, a 19th-century commercial waterway in and along the Schuylkill River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The "canal" was actually a system of interconnected man-made canals and slack-water pools in the...
. At Mount Carbon, it connected with the earlier Mount Carbon Railroad, continuing through Pottsville
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
to several mines, and would be extended to Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
. On May 17 of that year, a freight branch from West Falls to Port Richmond on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
north of downtown Philadelphia opened. Port Richmond later became a very large coal terminal.
On January 1, 1851, the Belmont Plane on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, just west of the Reading's connection, was abandoned in favor of a new bypass, and the portion of the line east of it was sold to the Reading, the only company that continued using the old route.
The Lebanon Valley Railroad
Lebanon Valley Railroad
The Lebanon Valley Railroad is a railroad line between Harrisburg and Reading in Pennsylvania, USA. The line opened on 18 January 1858.The road was acquired by the Reading Railroad on 20 March 1858, which put them in direct competition with the Pennsylvania Railroad for the Philadelphia to...
was chartered in 1836 to build from Reading west to Harrisburg. Reading financed the construction of the Rutherford Yard
Rutherford Intermodal Yard
Rutherford Intermodal Yard is a large rail yard located in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, just east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:The yard was formerly operated by the Reading Railroad and later Conrail. Ownership was transferred from Conrail to the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1999...
to compete with the PRR's nearby Enola Yard
Enola Yard
Enola Yard is a large rail yard located in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, along the western shore of the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was the world's largest freight yard through 1956. The yard continues to operate today at lower traffic levels.-History:The yard was...
. The Reading took it over and began construction in 1854, opening the line in 1856. This gave the Reading a route from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, for the first time competing directly with the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, which became its major rival.
In 1859 the Reading leased the Chester Valley Railroad, providing a branch from Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
Bridgeport is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles north of Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. The old-time industries were paper, flour, cotton, and woolen mills, steel works, brickyards, etc. Bridgeport is six miles east of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania...
west to Downingtown
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,891. Downingtown was settled by English and European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings and structures.-History:The town was...
. It had formerly been operated by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad.
A new Philadelphia terminal opened on December 24, 1859 at Broad and Callowhill Streets, north of the old one at Cherry Street. The Reading and Columbia Railroad was chartered in 1857 to build from Reading southwest to Columbia
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
on the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
. It opened in 1864, using the Lebanon Valley Railroad
Lebanon Valley Railroad
The Lebanon Valley Railroad is a railroad line between Harrisburg and Reading in Pennsylvania, USA. The line opened on 18 January 1858.The road was acquired by the Reading Railroad on 20 March 1858, which put them in direct competition with the Pennsylvania Railroad for the Philadelphia to...
from Sinking Spring
Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania
Sinking Spring is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,639 at the 2000 census. Sinking Spring was given its name for a spring located in the center of town, the water in which would sink into the ground from time to time, giving it the illusion of having...
east to Reading. The Reading leased it in 1870.
The early Philadelphia and Reading Railroad named all of their locomotives with names such as Winona or Jefferson, as did most American railroads following in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
precedent, but in December 1871 the P&R replaced all the names with numbers. The Port Kennedy Railroad, a short branch to quarries
Quarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
at Port Kennedy
Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania
Port Kennedy was an industrial village located where U.S. Route 422 now crosses the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States of America...
, was leased in 1870. Also that year, the Reading leased the Pickering Valley Railroad, a branch running west from Phoenixville
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
to Byers, which opened in 1871.
During 1875, four of the Camden and Atlantic Board of Directors left, led by Samual Richards who was an officer of the C&A for 24 years, to build a second railroad from Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
to Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
by way of Clementon
Clementon, New Jersey
Clementon is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,000.Around 1800, Jonathon Haines built a glass factory in what is now present day Clementon, situated on a large hill across the street from the modern day Clementon...
.
Incorporated on March 24, 1876 . A gauge of 3 foot, 6 inches was selected because narrow gauge was successful at the time and lowered operating costs. Work began in April 1877. The track work was completed in a remarkable ninety days. On Saturday, July 7, 1877 the final spike was driven and the 54.67 miles line was opened. On July 12, 1878 the P&AC Railway slipped into bankruptcy. The Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway was acquired by the CNJ
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway for $1,000,000 on September 20, 1883. The name was then modified to Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad effective December 4, 1883. The first major task was to convert all trackage to standard gauge. This was completed on October 5, 1884. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway acquired full control on December 4, 1885.
North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company formed in 1855, and served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County, Pennsylvania.-History:...
on May 14, 1879. This gave it a line from Philadelphia north to Bethlehem
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, and also the valuable Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, the descendant of the National Railway
National Railway
The National Railway or National Air Line Railroad was a planned railroad between New York City and Washington, D.C. in the United States around 1870...
project, providing a route to New York City in direct competition with the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in New Jersey, including their main line to New York City...
. At the New York end it used the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
's Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
terminal.
On May 29, 1883 the Reading leased the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
. The Reading eventually bought a majority of the CNJ's stock.
Effective April 1, 1889, the Philadelphia and Reading Railway consolidated the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway, Williamstown & Delaware River Railroad, Glassboro Railroad, Camden, Gloucester and Mt. Ephraim Railway, and the Kaighn's Point Terminal Railroad in southern New Jersey into The Atlantic City Railroad
Atlantic City Railroad
The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933.- History :...
. The Port Reading Railroad
Port Reading Railroad
The Port Reading Railroad was a railroad chartered in 1890 and opened in 1892 by the Reading Railroad.-Origins:The Port Reading Railroad started at a junction in Bound Brook, New Jersey with the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey and headed eastward across northern Middlesex...
was chartered in 1890 and opened in 1892, running east from a junction from the New York main line near Bound Brook
Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township...
to the new port of Port Reading
Port Reading, New Jersey
Port Reading is a census-designated place and unincorporated area within Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 3,829.-History:...
on the Arthur Kill
Arthur Kill
The Arthur Kill is a tidal strait separating Staten Island, New York from mainland New Jersey, USA, and a major navigational channel of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Kill is from the Middle Dutch word kille, meaning "riverbed" or "water channel"...
near Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was leased on December 1, 1891 under the presidency of Archibald A. McLeod, but that lease was canceled on August 8, 1893 when the Reading went into receivership. The Reading also relinquished control of the Central New England Railroad
Central New England Railroad
The Central New England Railroad is a railroad in and near Hartford, Connecticut. It began operations in 1995 on former Conrail trackage.The line currently operates two sections of track: The 8.7 mile former Griffin Secondary from Hartford Union Station northwest to industrial areas in Bloomfield,...
and the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
. Amid the turmoil of the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, Joseph Smith Harris was elected president. Under his leadership, the Reading Company was formed and the P&R was absorbed into it on November 30. Also in 1893, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad built its most famous structure, Reading Terminal
Reading Terminal
The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
in Philadelphia. Reading Terminal served as the terminus for most of the Reading's Philadelphia bound trains, as well as the Headquarter for the Company.
Philadelphia and Reading Railway: 1896–1923
After the Panic of 1893Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, and the failure of Archibald A. McLeod's efforts to turn the Reading into a major trunk line, the Reading was forced to reorganize under suspicions of monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
. The Reading Company was created to serve as a holding company for the Reading's rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
subsidiaries: the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, and the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company
Reading Anthracite Company
Reading Anthracite Company is a coal mining company based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in the United States. It mainly mines anthracite coal in the Coal Region of eastern Pennsylvania....
, respectively.
However in 1906, with the support of the Roosevelt Administration, the Hepburn Act
Hepburn Act
The Hepburn Act is a 1906 United States federal law that gave the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to set maximum railroad rates. This led to the discontinuation of free passes to loyal shippers. In addition, the ICC could view the railroads' financial records, a task simplified by...
was passed. This required all railroads to disinvest themselves of all mining properties and operations, and so the Reading Company was forced to sell the P&R Coal and Iron Company.
Even though moving and mining of coal was its primary business, the P&R eventually became more diversified
Diversification (finance)
In finance, diversification means reducing risk by investing in a variety of assets. If the asset values do not move up and down in perfect synchrony, a diversified portfolio will have less risk than the weighted average risk of its constituent assets, and often less risk than the least risky of...
through the development of many on-line industries, averaging almost five industries per mile of main line at one point, and the expanding role of the Reading as a bridge route.
This included its important role on the Alphabet Route
Alphabet Route
The Alphabet Route was a coalition of railroads connecting the Midwest United States with the Northeast, as a freight alternate to the four major systems - the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central Railroad, Erie Railroad and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad...
, from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New York to Chicago, with traffic from the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
and Jersey Central
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
entering the Reading System in Allentown, traveling over the East Penn Branch to Reading, where trains then traveled west over the Lebanon Valley Branch to Harrisburg, and then onward over the Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburg branch, or PH&P to Shippensburg, PA. There trains connected with the Western Maryland Railroad to continue westward. This route became known as the “Crossline” and became very important. Therefore the Reading started to pool locomotive power between its connecting railroads to provide a more seamless transfer of freight and passengers.
Even though the Reading was never again to regain its powerful position of the 1870s, it still was a very profitable and important railroad. From the turn of the 20th century to the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Reading was among the most modern and efficient railroads. In keeping with the standards of much larger railroads, The Reading embarked on many improvement projects which typically were not attempted by smaller railroads. This included triple and quadruple track
Quadruple track
Quadruple track railway consists of four parallel tracks. On a quad-track line, two tracks are used in each direction. It is also sometimes called four-track railway....
ing many of its major routes, improving signaling
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
and track quality, as well as expanding system capacity
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
and station facilities.
The Reading invested in the construction of new cut-offs, bypasses, and connections, much like the Pennsylvania Railroad's Low Garde lines and the Lackawanna Cut-off. The completion of the Reading belt line in 1902, a 7.2 mile long westerly bypass of downtown Reading, alleviated the heavy rail congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
in the busy city.
In Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
Bridgeport is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles north of Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. The old-time industries were paper, flour, cotton, and woolen mills, steel works, brickyards, etc. Bridgeport is six miles east of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania...
, a new bridge was constructed over the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
in 1903. The bridge connected the P&R main line on the west (south) bank of the river with the Manayunk/Norristown Line
Manayunk/Norristown Line
The Manayunk/Norristown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to the Elm Street station in Norristown, Montgomery County.-Route:...
on the opposite side, allowing passenger service to Norristown, and a bypass of the old main line, known as the West Side Fright line.
The Ninth Avenue branch—the main thoroughfare into Reading Terminal—was also improved. Between 1907-1914 the old double track and street level route was replaced by an elevated quadruple track route that offered greater capacity and safety. In 1901, the Reading gained a controlling interest in the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
, allowing The Reading to offer seamless, one-seat rides from Reading Terminal
Reading Terminal
The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
in Philadelphia to the CNJ's Jersey City Communipaw Terminal
Communipaw Terminal
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, sometimes known as Communipaw Terminal was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal at the mouth of the Hudson River at the Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey.-Designation:...
by way of Bound Brook onto the CNJ mainline. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
was also looking for access to the New York market, and in 1903 the B&O gained control over the Reading and thus ensured its trains track rights over the Reading and CNJ to Jersey City.
To the north, the New York Short Line was completed in 1906, and was a cut-off for New York Bound through freights and the B&O
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
s Royal Blue.
Reading Shops
In 1900, the Reading Shops began construction along the Reading yards and North 6th street, facilitating the maintenance and construction of a greater locomotive and rolling stock fleet. The shops were completed four years later, with their imposing brick architecture, they were the largest railroad shops in America, and unlike most railroads, allowed the Reading to make its own engines.They still stand today in non RR use. Larger steam locomotives were introduced to haul the increasing traffic, including the massive N1 class 2-8-8-22-8-8-2
.A 2-8-8-2, in the Whyte notation for describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, is an articulated locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. The equivalent UIC classification is, refined to Mallet locomotives, D1...
mallet, and Reading made one M1 class 2-8-2
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
freight hauler,BLW built the rest the rest. Big freight haulers were the massive K-1 2-10-2 locomotives,built in reading,pa.from some of the mallets,as well as the G1 class 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
passenger locomotives. These classes were an important break of tradition of the Readings motive power fleet. The M1s were the first Reading locomotives to include a trailing truck, and the first engine with the cab behind the Wootten firebox
Wootten firebox
The Wootten firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. The firebox was very wide to allow combustion of anthracite coal waste, known as Culm. Its size necessitated unusual placement of the crew, examples being camelback locomotives...
. The G1s were the first Reading passenger locomotives with three coupled driving wheel
Driving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
s.In 1945-47 the company took 30 class I-10, 2-8-0 locomotives and rebuilt them at the 6th street facility into the modern T-1 class 4-8-4 locomotives at a cost of 6 million dollars. This was a move to offset the fact that EMD FT diesel locomotives (first choice by rdg management)were very hard to obtain,in order have faster up to date modern power. the steamers never ran long enough to pay back this major investment. of note was the Reading’s investment in smaller 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
s and switcher
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
fleet.
Passenger Operations
The Reading Company did not operate extensive long distance passenger train service, but it did field a number of named trains, most famous of which was the streamlined Crusader, which connected Philadelphia and Jersey City. Other trains in the fleet included the Harrisburg Special (between Jersey City and Harrisburg), King Coal (between Philadelphia and Shamokin, Pennsylvania), North Penn (between Philadelphia and Bethlehem), Queen of the Valley (between Jersey City and Harrisburg), Schuylkill (between Philadelphia and Pottsville), and Wall Street (between Philadelphia and Jersey City). The Reading participated in the joint operation of The Interstate Express with the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, with service between Philadelphia and Binghamton, NY. In addition, the Reading offered through passenger car service with the Lehigh Valley Railroad via their connection at Bethlehem. Like most railroads the Reading had contracts with the US Post Office to haul and sort mail en-route. After the Second World War the Reading looked at dropping the mail and in 1961 notified the Govt. that it intended to stop mail service on their passenger trains. On 7-1-1963 the Post Office let them out of the contracts (valued at 2,137,000 dollars), and the RR switched to BUDD RDC self propelled cars, instead of locomotive hauled passenger trains, to save money.The Reading operated an extensive and very busy commuter network out of Reading Terminal in Philadelphia. In the late 1920s, most of the suburban system was electrified for improved efficiency, the one notable exception being the branch to Newtown, Pennsylvania
Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is entirely surrounded by Newtown Township, from which...
. This line was partly electrified in 1966.
Reading Company: 1924–1976
After the first World War, and the return of the Reading from government control, the Reading decided to streamline their corporate structure. For twenty years the Reading Company, the holding company created for the P&R and the P&R Coal and Iron Company, only controlled the P&R after the sale of the P&R Coal and Iron Company. In 1924, to simplify corporate structure the P&R ceased operation and the Reading Company took over operating the Railroad.The time period just after World War I may have been the Reading Company's best, with traffic on the Reading at their peacetime
Peacetime
In politics, peacetime is defined as any period of time where there are no violent conflicts occurring. For example, the time after World War II is considered peacetime in Western Europe and the United States....
high. Annual volume was about 15 million tons of Anthracite, 25 million tons of Bituminous Coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
, with a further 30 million tons of industrial traffic. Even though the Reading had taken great strides to wean itself of anthracite dependency, the Reading was still heavily reliant on coal revenue. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania anthracite production had reached its maximum production in 1917 with 99.7 million tons produced.
Commuter lines
In the 1920s, the Reading operated a dense network of commuter lines branching off of the Ninth Street BranchReading Viaduct
The Reading Viaduct is the common name for an abandoned railroad viaduct in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formerly owned by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway...
mostly powered by small 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
s, 4-4-2
4-4-2 (locomotive)
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
s and 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
camelbacks
Camelback locomotive
A camelback locomotive is a type of steam locomotive with the driving cab placed in the middle, astride the boiler...
.
Bankruptcy protection
The Reading Company was forced to file for bankruptcy protection in 1971. The bankruptcy was a result of dwindling coal shipping revenues,freight being divereted to highways by trucking companies, and strict government regulations that denied railroads the ability to set prices, required fair taxes, and forced the railroads to continue to operate money-losing lines as a common carrier.Electrification
The railroad also had an extensive commuter operation centered around Philadelphia, the hub of which was Reading Terminal. The following suburban lines were electrified before the onset of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
:
- Norristown LineManayunk/Norristown LineThe Manayunk/Norristown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to the Elm Street station in Norristown, Montgomery County.-Route:...
- Chestnut HillChestnut Hill East LineThe Chestnut Hill East Line , is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail system. The route serves the northwestern section of Philadelphia with service to Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill...
- Lansdale/DoylestownLansdale/Doylestown LineThe Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City Philadelphia to Doylestown in Bucks County.-Route:The Lansdale-Doylestown segment of the R5 line utilizes what is known as the "SEPTA Main Line", a four-track line that has been owned by SEPTA since 1983...
- HatboroWarminster LineThe Warminster Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail. It serves stations between its namesake town, Warminster, and Center City, Philadelphia...
(extended to Warminster in 1974) - West TrentonWest Trenton Line (SEPTA)The West Trenton Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City Philadelphia to West Trenton, New Jersey.-Route:The West Trenton Line connects Center City, Philadelphia with the West Trenton section of Ewing, New Jersey...
The notable exception was the Fox Chase/Newtown branch
Fox Chase Line
The Fox Chase Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail system.Originally known as the Fox Chase/Newtown Branch, service was truncated in January 1983 from Newtown to its current terminus in Philadelphia at Fox Chase due to unreliable train equipment and low ridership...
. With the aid of public funding from the city of Philadelphia, the line was electrified as far as Fox Chase
Fox Chase (SEPTA station)
Fox Chase is the current terminus of SEPTA's Fox Chase Line. It is located just west of the intersection of Rhawn Street and Rockwell Avenue in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania...
(the last station within city limits) in September 1966. Electrification was to be completed through to Newtown
Newtown (SEPTA station)
Newtown is a closed station and terminus of SEPTA's Fox Chase/Newtown Line located on Penn Street in Newtown Borough, Pennsylvania.-History:In the railroad's original plans, the line was to continue to the north, but this expansion was never built. Newtown Station was built in 1873 and torn down in...
in the 1970s, but government subsidies were not readily available, leaving the Fox Chase-Newtown section as the lone non-electrified suburban commuter route on the Reading system. Passenger service was terminated on January 14, 1983 under the auspices of SEPTA.
To further complicate matters, the Reading was forced to continue paying its debts to the Penn Central Railroad
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
, however, Penn Central (also in bankruptcy at the time) was not required to pay its debts to the Reading Company.
Post-railroad: 1976-present
On April 1, 1976, the Reading Company sold its current railroad interests to the newly formed Consolidated Railroad Corporation (Conrail), leaving it with 650 real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
assets, some coal properties, and 52 abandoned rights-of-ways. As of 1999, most former Reading lines are now part of Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
(NS), as a result of the Conrail split between NS and CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
. It had sold 350 of the real estate tracts by the time it left bankruptcy in 1980.
In the early 1980s a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
lawyer named James Cotter gained control of the corporation through his holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
, the Craig Corporation, and liquidated the rest of its assets to finance his cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
chains in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The company sold one of its last railroad-related asset, the Reading Terminal Headhouse, in 1993. In 1996, Cotter reorganized the company as Reading Entertainment
Reading Entertainment
Reading Entertainment is a movie theater company which is part of Reading International, Inc., successor to the Reading Company, whose railroad properties were conveyed to government-owned Conrail in 1976. Most of its operations are in Australia, New Zealand, and United States under the Reading...
. The Craig Corporation merged in 2001 with Citadel Holding Corporation, another Cotter company, and became Reading International, Inc.RDI still ownes 317 acres of former railroad property,mostly in upper PA,along with the Reading Railroad publicity files of aprox. 300-600 lin. feet.(as of 2011)
Company officers
The presidents of the Reading were as follows:- Elihu Chauncey, 1834–1842
- William F. Emlen, 1842–1843
- John Cryder, 1843–1844
- John Tucker, 1844–1856
- Robert D. Cullen, 1856–1860
- Asa WhitneyAsa Whitney (canal commissioner)Asa Whitney was an American manufacturer, inventor, railroad executive and politician.-Life:...
, 1860–1861 - Charles E. Smith, 1861–1869
- Franklin B. GowenFranklin B. GowenFranklin Benjamin Gowen served as president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in the 1870s and 1880s....
, 1869–1884 - Frank S. Bond, 1881–1882 (Elected president when Gowen's leadership was contested)
- George DeBenneville Keim, 1884–1887
- Austin CorbinAustin CorbinAustin Corbin was a 19th-century American railroad executive and robber baron. He consolidated the rail lines on Long Island bringing them under the profitable umbrella of the Long Island Rail Road....
, 1887–1890 - Archibald A. McLeod, 1890–1893
- Joseph Smith HarrisJoseph Smith HarrisJoseph Smith Harris was an American surveyor, civil engineer, and railroad executive. Largely self-taught, he worked on several projects for the U.S. government, including the Coast Survey of the Mississippi Sound in 1854–56 and the Northwest Boundary Survey of 1857–61...
, 1893–1901 - George Frederick BaerGeorge Frederick BaerGeorge Frederick Baer was an American lawyer who was the President of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and spokesman for the owners during the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902....
, 1901–1914 - Theodore Voorhees, 1914–1916
- Agnew Dice, 1916–1932
- Charles H. EwingCharles H. EwingCharles H. Ewing was president of the Reading Company from 1932–1935.In 1921, Ewing was still Vice President of the line when disastrous head-on collision near Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on the Newtown branch of the railroad, on December 5, caused the deaths of 27 people, including passengers,...
, 1932–1935 - Edward W. Scheer, 1935–1944
- Revelle W. Brown, 1944–1952
- Joseph A. Fisher, 1952–1960
- E. Paul Gangewere, 1960–1964
- Charles E. Bertrand, 1964–1976
Cultural references
Although the Reading was habitually overshadowed by its larger, longer, and more powerful neighbor the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, it still managed to make a mark on the public consciousness when railroads dominated the national economy. The railroad was a frequent target for the Molly Maguires
Molly Maguires
The Molly Maguires were members of an Irish-American secret society, whose members consisted mainly of coal miners. Many historians believe the "Mollies" were present in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania in the United States from approximately the time of the American Civil War until a...
, and that conflict is reflected in a number of musical and print works.
Perhaps the greatest impact of the Reading on contemporary American imaginations arose from its being included on the (American) Monopoly
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
game board, just five spaces after "Go". Although many who only knew the Reading through print media (such as the Monopoly board) pronounced its name "REED-ing", it was actually pronounced "REDD-ing", after its namesake city of Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, which in turn was named after Reading, England
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, which is in the county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Reading, Pennsylvania, is in Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
.
External links
- North East Rails (Reading to Pottsville, PennsylvaniaPottsville, PennsylvaniaPottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
and the Anthracite Coal RegionCoal RegionThe Coal Region is a term used to refer to an area of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the central Appalachian Mountains comprising Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northumberland, and the extreme northeast corner of Dauphin counties....
of Schuylkill County, PennsylvaniaSchuylkill County, Pennsylvania-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
) - Reading Company Technical and Historical Society
- Stans RailPix : Reading ,Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Photos, Page 1 of 2
- Philadelphia NRHS, Reading history
- Northeast railfan Reading Steam Roster
- Northeast railfan Reading Diseal Roster
- http://www.schuylkillhavenhistory.com