Reading & Northern Provides Updates on Nesquehoning Campus

Diamond Company Store ©2024 Steve Gilbert

Since acquiring the former KME properties in Nesquehoning, Pa., in 2022, the Reading & Northern Railroad (RBMN) says it has made “great progress in shaping the campus as its own.”

Many departments, RBMN says, have established a presence at the campus, but there is still a lot more work to be done.

According to RBMN, the location of the Nesquehoning Campus is “most ideal,” as it is situated right in the middle of the railroad’s busy main line between Reading and Scranton, Pa. Tracks are under construction to lead into select existing buildings, some of which are tailor-made for the servicing of RBMN’s ever-expanding fleet of diesel locomotives, which currently totals 63. This, RBMN says, will mark the first time in more than 75 years where locomotives would be maintained and repaired in Carbon County. In addition to its locomotives, RBMN owns a vast array of company vehicles varying in size from common automobiles to large trucks; all of which are serviced and maintained at the Nesquehoning Campus. The campus even has its own classroom, used for the training and qualifying of employees, primarily in the Transportation Department.

The other buildings on campus house RBMN’s Maintenance of Way (MOW), Signals, Real Estate and Passenger Departments, totaling more than 30 people working at the site already. MOW and Signals work together to ensure the overall safety of the railroad. MOW’s focus is the upkeep of the track structure on the entire railroad. The Signal Department maintains not only the signaling system that helps control train movements along said track, but also the automatic warning devices at RBMN’s highway grade crossings that help keep the public safe in the communities it serves. Real Estate handles all matters related to company property, encompassing more than just the railroad’s existing trackage.

The Passenger Department has a building of its own at the Nesquehoning Campus, and big plans are in the works for the future, according to the railroad. RBMN will be introducing the Nesquehoning Regional Railroad Station in 2024. Plans for a station platform are under way right now, as well as an additional main track to accommodate more train traffic. This, RBMN says, will create numerous opportunities for new excursion routes. Tickets for two such excursions are on sale now. The railroad’s famous Iron Horse Rambles, featuring its largest steam locomotive, 4-8-4 T-1 class #2102, will operate from the new station in Nesquehoning on June 22 to Tunkhannock; and on August 17 to Pittston. Another excursion, featuring the F-unit diesel locomotives, on August 18 to Pittston is also in the works. The railroad will also seek to connect Nesquehoning to neighboring Jim Thorpe (home of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway) during peak times to cut down on traffic congestion and parking issues in the popular and historic town.

Finally, after a decades-long hiatus, RBMN says it will be relaunching the Black Diamond Company Store, based at the Nesquehoning Campus. This store, which has already established an online platform, will offer customers the chance to browse and purchase numerous long-requested railroad-related items, such as t-shirts, hats and puzzles depicting artwork and photos of the railroad’s trains. On busier weekends, the store will also have a display at the Jim Thorpe station.