🚂 Rare! #2102 & #425 Double Header Steam on the Iron Horse Rambles Train! 🚂

1 year ago
121

A super rare event as the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad put a pair of functioning, active steam engines on it's Iron Horse Rambles excursion train. Seen here heading west through the Tuscarora Park Road grade crossing and then crossing the Little Schuylkill River bridge in Tamaqua, on its way to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.
Locomotives:
From Wiki : "Reading 2102 is a preserved class "T-1" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive. Originally constructed by Baldwin in 1925 as an earlier 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive, No. 2102 was rebuilt by the Reading's own locomotive facility as a 4-8-4 in 1945, and it was used for pulling heavy coal trains for the railroad until being retired from revenue service in 1956. Between 1962 and 1964, No. 2102 was used to pull the famous Iron Horse Rambles excursion trains alongside sister engines 2100 and 2124. After the Rambles ended in 1964, No. 2102 was sold to Steam Tours Inc. of Akron, Ohio to spend the next 23 years pulling various fan trips in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. In 1985, it was sold again to Andy Muller to operate on his Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad alongside 4-6-2 "Pacific" No. 425, until its flue ticket expired in 1991. Beginning in February 2016, the locomotive was restored back to operating condition and returned to service on April 6, 2022.
Configuration:​
• Whyte- New: 2-8-0, Rebuilt: 4-8-4
• UIC- New: 1'D, Rebuilt: 2'D'2
Gauge- 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.- 70 in (1,778 mm)
Length- 110 ft 6 in (33.68 m)
Axle load- 69,550 lb (31,550 kilograms; 31.55 metric tons)
Adhesive weight- 278,200 lb (126,200 kilograms; 126.2 metric tons)
Loco weight- 441,300 lb (200,200 kilograms; 200.2 metric tons)
Tender weight- 367,700 lb (166,800 kilograms; 166.8 metric tons)
Total weight- 809,000 lb (367,000 kilograms; 367 metric tons)
Fuel type- Anthracite coal
Fuel capacity- 52,000 lb (24,000 kilograms; 24 metric tons)
Water cap.- 19,000 US gallons (72,000 l; 16,000 imp gal)

• Firegrate area- 94.5 sq ft (8.78 m2)
Boiler- 96 in (2,438 mm)
Boiler pressure- 240 lbf/in2 (1.65 MPa)
Cylinders- Two, outside
Cylinder size- 27 in × 32 in (686 mm × 813 mm)

Power output- 5,500 hp (4,100 kW)
Tractive effort- Loco: 68,000 lbf (302.5 kN),
Booster 11,100 lbf (49.4 kN),
Factor of adh.- 4.09

Operators
Reading Company
Steam Tours Inc.
Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad
Class- New: I-10sa, Rebuilt: T-1
Numbers: RDG 2044, RDG 2102, D&H 302, Allegheny 2102, RBM&NR 2102,R&N 2102
Retired- 1956 (revenue service), October 27, 1991 (1st excursion service)
Restored- April 29, 1962 (1st restoration), April 5, 2022 (2nd restoration)
Current owner: Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad
Disposition: Operational, based in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania"

And Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad 425 is a 4-6-2 light "Pacific" type steam locomotive originally built in 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad. After the GM&N was consolidated into the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio in 1940, the locomotive was renumbered No. 580 and served in passenger service before being retired in 1950. The locomotive is currently owned and operated by the Reading & Northern, based out of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania in excursion service.

8 13 22 © BaltimoreAndOhioRR.

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