Grassroots Railroad Sports?

And for page 425, a little R&N #425, my favorite steam locomotive that I've been around. Reading #2102 and NKP #765 are impressive, Strasburg #90 has a personal connection with me, and Everett #11 and CNJ #113 are neat, but the #425 is just fun. Gorgeous engine, sharp exhaust note, and she puts on a helluva show.

My first experience with the #425 came in the summer of 2020, when my father and I ventured down to see her, and ride behind her, at Lehigh Gorge Scenic. I would go back the next year to ride a Reading-Jim Thorpe trip with her, and then the following year chased her on her final fall foliage trip before she went down for overhaul.

So, today was the first ever wintertime Reading & Northern Iron Horse Ramble with #2102 leading a train from Reading to Jim Thorpe and back. My goal was to get shots at predominantly different locations from where I typically shoot at. So, to kick things off, I started out at Reading Outer Station to get photos of the #2102 hooked up to her train.

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Engineer Shane Frederickson examining his charge. He's a third-generation railroader, and his grandfather actually worked in the Reading's engine shops, in Reading, and he reportedly worked on the conversion of I-10sa 2-8-0 #2044 into T-1 4-8-4 #2102.

I didn't catch the middle gentleman's name, but on the right, that's Ross Rowland, who at points in time owned and operated sister engines #2100 and #2101, as well as C&O #614. On the left is Steve Wickersham, who was notably part of Rowland's crew that did the miracle 90-day overhaul of #2101 to get it ready for the American Freedom Train.

Thudding her way out of Reading. I have always started my chases up at Leesport, so both the station and this location were new to me. Sadly, the sun went away immediately and never came back.

Passing under the old abandoned PRR Schuylkill Branch bridge at Hamburg. Reading & Northern started out as the Blue Mountain & Reading operating the Schuylkill Branch from further south of this bridge in Hamburg, down to Temple. Sadly, the original BM&R trackage has fallen by the wayside, and I believe a good portion of it has been inaccessible due to an embargoed bridge.

I had planned to catch them in Mohrsville, but it took a while to get across PA 61 at the first location, and then I couldn't make up time on 61 because I was literally ahead of a police car. So, I skipped Port Clinton (been there a ton, tough to get out of, and there was bridge construction there). So I went to Molino. I wanted to go further back anad get the original Reading flag stop shack in the shot, but everyone set up ahead of it.

Passing through Zehners.

So, this was an entirely new location, Marian Ave in Tamaqua, and I really liked it. 

Passing by the Nesquehoning Campus.

So, the last few times I've been at R&N, when they've wyed the trains at Jim Thorpe, they've backed up the line to Nesquehoning, pulled across the new bridge and up onto the Lehigh Gorge line, and then backed down. So, I went over into the Lehigh Gorge State Park and got set up to catch #2102 pulling across the river. And then they reversed the order and I didn't get a good shot, because I needed to be on the hillside at Jim Thorpe Junction.

So, here's the #2102 down in Jim Thorpe, sitting alongside the PIJT/JTPI consist.

Three wide, as the Lehigh Gorge Scenic train passes by on the right.

Backed down to Jim Thorpe station

R&N SW8 #801 shoves out of Jim Thorpe with the tank car used to refill the #2102. 

The #801 shoving up through Jim Thorpe Junction. Confusingly, there is a Jim Thorpe Junction and Nesquehoning Junction, and Jim Thorpe Junction is closer to Nesquehoning, while Nesquehoning Junction is closer to Jim Thorpe.

And then the #2102 came slithering up through Jim Thorpe Junction.