This Whitcomb 65DE19a diesel is not what it appears to be, as it was never owned by the Lehigh New England Railroad. It is owned by the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern, Inc. (WK&S), a privately owned heritage railroad company in Kempton, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1963 and operates over an isolated remnant of a former Reading Company line. Its nickname is the Hawk Mountain Line due to its proximity to the Hawk Mountain range. The line runs along Ontelaunee Creek near areas favored by birdwatchers.
This center cab diesel was built by Whitcomb in 1944 as United States Army Transportation Corps 8467. It was later owned by Gulf Oil, as GOCX 7. The WK&S has repainted it in Lehigh New England colors, as an homage to LNE 65DE19a 601. (Kempton, Pennsylvania – September 25, 2025)
