Capital Improvements on the Reading & Northern Railroad
The Reading & Northern Railroad has been extremely busy over the past year making much-needed improvements to its infrastructure. These improvements were executed with the goal of expediting freight and passenger travel over various parts of the railroad. 2024 will bring even more improvements as the company aims to further enhance service to its freight and passenger customers.
As always, these projects will all be paid for by the Reading & Northern Railroad itself. Neither government nor taxpayer dollars will be used to fund planned improvements that will nonetheless benefit the entire region that the railroad serves. The following is a mere sampling of what is planned for 2024.
The most basic projects, such as tree trimming and removal, help the railroad in many ways. Much of the railroad lies in heavily wooded areas. Ensuring that the vegetation does not encroach upon our right-of-way will first and foremost allow freight and passenger crews to have a safer workspace. Freight conductors are completely exposed to the elements on a constant basis, particularly when riding on freight cars during switching moves. Our passenger operations benefit from vegetation control also. As many of our passenger cars are open-window, and in some cases, open-air, keeping the foliage under control allows our riders to take full advantage of these amenities without the fear of being struck by wayward tree branches.
At track level, the very foundation of our operations, several miles of rail are scheduled to be replaced. The rail, of course, takes the most direct abuse from the heavy freight and passenger trains that pass over it. Rail conditions must be constantly monitored for potential defects. The replacement of 30,000 crossties is planned. Crossties are the large wooden pieces that support the rails themselves and absorb much of the shock from passing trains. Supporting the rail and crossties is ballast, which is the stone that forms the “bed” for the track structure. Replacing ballast at regular intervals ensures a smooth ride for trains and prolongs the life of the track structure by assuring proper drainage in bad weather. Fifteen new switches are slated to be installed along various parts of the railroad. Switches allow one track to diverge to/from another; and are key to not only the assembly of freight trains in yards, but also the busiest of passenger operations as is often the case in Jim Thorpe.
Finally, at the public level, it is the goal of Reading & Northern to enhance all public grade crossings along the main line with gates, flashers, and bells. Many crossings are already equipped with these safety devices; however, many are still not. Train movements can be surprisingly quiet and roadside advanced warning devices help protect the public from getting in the path of oncoming trains where rail meets road. It is well known that a fully loaded freight train can take at least a mile to come to a complete stop. Providing advanced warning of approaching trains both audibly and visually, gates, flashers, and bells help keep motorists and train crews safe by greatly reducing potentially catastrophic collisions at highway crossings.
