Passed The Test. Reading and Northern Railroad - Passenger RBMN T-1 2102 (4-8-4) passed by the former Reading Railroad Station in Tamaqua, PA on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 under its own power for the first time since 1991. During the the first of two load tests, it brought 50 coal hoppers from North Reading, Pa to Jim Thorpe, PA and back to Tamaqua. On Saturday, May 28, 2022, the RBMN will kick off its ambitious steam passenger schedule for the season using this engine. The Tamaqua Station, built in 1874 by the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, today serves as a museum as well as the very tasty Tamaqua Station Restaurant. One can dine on local cuisine there, including turkey from Koch's and have an (RBMN customer) Yuengling. The station served Reading passengers until 1961, and was formally abandoned in 1981. After a $1.5 million restoration it reopened in 2004, and is an occasional stop on RBMN passenger trains today.
