Reading & Northern Pottsville Job--01/06/10

RBMN PNWC-06 is seen at several locations on the Pottsville Branch. This line was once a vital link to the anthracite coal mines in the region, although today little coal is shipped out compared to previous years. Today's train departs Port Clinton with a pair of SW8s, ex-Lehigh Valley #803 and ex-DL&W #801. The 803 has a nice M3 horn on it. The train is seen at a crossing in Landingville and passing the station at Schuylkill Haven before performing work in the yard at West Cressona. After working West Cressona and later Pottsville, the train is seen again heading under the old signal bridge at what was formerly POTTS interlocking. The interlocking was removed when Conrail converted this line to manual block in the early 1980s, but the signal bridge still remains. Finally, the train is seen just outside the Yuengling Brewery in Saint Clair/Port Carbon. Yuengling is an important customer for the RBMN, with plenty of hoppers loaded with malt heading to the brewery. The train is seen switching here. As a bonus, the Mountain Job (MCQA) is seen at the end of the video as it crosses over the neatly painted bridge in Mahanoy City.

PNWC-06:
RBMN 803 (SW8M)
RBMN 800 (SW8)
5 loads from PN. Consist swapped at West Cressona and Pottsville with 1 load for Yuengling.


RBMN Pottsville Branch

Port Clinton (DCS PORT)
MP 79.0--8:17AM

Landingville
MP 86.2--8:39AM

Schuylkill Haven (DCS HAVEN)
MP 89.0--8:50AM

Mount Carbon (DCS POTTS)
MP 92.9--10:06AM


Pottsville Running Track

Port Carbon (YUENGLING)
MP 94.9--10:18AM

MCQA-06:
LGSR 426 (SD50)
RBMN 2004 (SD38)
4 empties from ISG Flyash (Gilberton)
6 empties from International Paper (Locust Summit)
RBMN Mahanoy & Shamokin Branch
Mahanoy City--MP 108--12:21PM

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Reading
• Blue
• Mountain
• Northern
• RBMN
• Port
• Clinton
• Landingville
• Schuylkill
• Haven
• Pottsville
• Branch
• Mount
• Carbon
• SW8
• M3
• Yuengling
• brewery
• train
• railroad

[UFO4X]

How close does this train run to Lambertville, New Jersey? I read the PRR used to deliver anthracite coal there many years ago?

[sp8553]

There aren't tracks in Lambertville anymore, they were abandoned in the mid-1970s. There are still quite a few anthracite coal dealers scattered throughout the country (but particularly in the northeast), but most if not all of them get their coal trucked in now.

[425ENGR]

Great video. We almost never see any railfans out on this job. I (Chris Bost) was engineer this day and John Hartman was conductor. Thanks for posting this and come out and see us again sometime!

[sp8553]

Thanks! I haven't seen a whole lot of coverage of this job so I thought it would be neat to shoot. Any train with end cab switchers is worth seeing for me, so this was a nice train to chase. Hopefully I can make it up there again in the coming months.

[indie1361]

Hey, how do you find out about RBMN freight trains. Can you direct me to a schedule for freight trains or something?

[mstng100mph]

#800 in this video is now running in nothern PA in Towanda PA for Shaffers feed service. Runs through my back yard taking feed cars from the main line to shaffers. about a 7 mile trip. Awesome road horn on it.

[sgprailfan]

@UFO4X The tracks between Lambertville and Ringoes New Jersey are out of use and will be returned to service someday for tourist trains and freight for the Black River & Western Railroad. Coal trains will probably never go through there again. The Bel-Del line between Trenton and Lambertville is now a trail as are other sections to the north.

[OttoRax]

Good to see some rail service still alive in Pottsville. I remember as a kid back in the early 1970's you could hop on an RDC car and take it all the way to Reading Terminal in Phila. That service is sorely missed in the coal region. I recall doing that and hopping on a subway from RDG terminal to catch a Phillies game and all we had to drive were the few miles to Pottsville. Those were the days!

[jadebullet]

Man, I gotta find out when they run this train now that I have the ability to get out and take some pictures of teh R&N.

[cnjgp7]

Thanks for posting! Good video, and nice to hear an in-service M3 in the 21st century that's not a collector horn!

[cnjgp7]

@UFO4X sp8553 is right that the Bel Del/Pennsy/Conrail/whatever doesn't run through Lambertville anymore along the Delaware River. The Black River and Western owns about a mile of track in Lambertville... the southern-most mile of their main, but it hasn't seen a train in about 10 years. Furthest south they go anymore is Ringoes.

[dsm4g63gst3]

whats great is Pottsville City is Building a 14 floor high rise bus/train terminal that will house a high speed train connecting Reading and Pottsville and also taxi's and city and long distant bus lines all over the country! Once they finish building it pottsville"s popuation which is 18,000 people will rapidily grow in the next couple years,, maybe with good people but most will be drug dealers from philly and reading and new york YAY for the future of schuylkill county.

[nhrrman]

Awesome video as usual!!!!!