Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern excursion train OSJT is seen crossing the Hometown High Bridge. Leading is T-1 2102, originally a 2-8-0 built by Baldwin for the Reading Company before being rebuilt into a 4-8-4 at the company shop in Reading, PA in 1945. The engine would eventually come under the ownership of Andy Muller’s then Blue Mountain & Reading railroad in the 1980s’ & occasionally run until 1991. In 2015, it was announced that the engine would be restored to operation, with the restoration officially completed in early 2022. To celebrate the occasion, Reading & Northern decided to run a few “Iron Horse Ramble” excursions, a nod to the originally namesake excursions the Reading ran in the late 50s & early 60s utilizing their 4 remaining T-1 engines, including the 2102. I picked August 13th thinking it would be the least crowded outing, only to see the announcement a month prior to the trip that, now knowing that it was also Andy’s 75th birthday, that they were going to add their other steam locomotive, the 425, to the consist. This would mark the first time since June 26th, 1988 that the company has ran a doubleheader steam excursion. Yes, the now-increased crowds made it annoying at times (still doesn’t come close to a Big Boy chase, though), but the wonderful weather & friends made the experience much nicer. Oh, and I must say, the engines didn’t put on a half bad show, either.
