This combo program features two hours of footage of Reading 4-8-4 2102 and excursion activity on the Blue Mountain & Reading. 

The American Northern - 55 minutes

There is something special about a steam locomotive. It has a heart, a soul, and seems almost alive. It was one of man’s most alluring machines, and they always conveyed adventure, power, and romance.

One of these magnificent machines was ex-Reading T1, number 2102. A home-built 4-8-4, the 2102 was built in 1945 at the Reading Railroad shops in Reading, Pennsylvania. She served the Reading well until they dieselized their locomotive fleet in the late 1950’s. The 2102 powered power many of the “Iron Horse Rambles” excursions which the Reading Railroad ran through the fall of 1964.

This video shows her excursion operations on the Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad in 1988. Cab footage and track side action make for an exciting video.

The Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad - 60 minutes

The Blue Mountain & Reading is a tourist line located in eastern Pennsylvania, running between Temple and South Hamburg. The BM&R uses several historic steam and diesel locomotives to power their trains. Made in cooperation with the BM&R staff, this program tells the story of the BM&R and features all of their historic equipment.

Ex-GM&N 4-6-2 steamer no. 425 and ex-Reading 4-8-4 no. 2102 provide the smoke and stack talk, while ex-Reading GP30 #5513 and Ex-PRR E8’s 5706 and 5898 growl and roar. Along with the railroad’s RDC’s, this program has a wide variety of motive power that you are certain to enjoy! There is a lot of cab time in this one, including a night run in a Pennsy E8.