Fall in eastern Pennsylvania is a very special time of year, with cool temperatures and spectacular foliage dotting the trees covering the lofty mountains that dominate the scenic landscape. It is also a season where big steam pounds the rails of the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad with their annual Fall Foliage excursions, leading passengers and rail enthusiasts alike on a thrilling journey up steep grades, past crystal clear lakes and rivers, through a 955-foot long tunnel and over a 168-foot high trestle as they travel from Reading to Jim Thorpe, PA and return. In 2022, these excursions once again took to the high iron, but this year brought about one significant change in comparison to previous years. Continuing her already active schedule, former Reading Railroad T-1 4-8-4 #2102 headed up three different Autumn Leaf Excursions throughout the month of October, her first year doing so since her return to action earlier in the spring. We were once again on hand to soak up the awesome sight of hard working steam on the Reading & Northern in the fall, though our plans deviated in more ways than one. Like many, we were ready to chase the October 8th run, though it would not come to be as #2102 developed a problem with her fire table, resulting in her being taken off the train at Port Clinton. We returned on the 29th, and the fall colors were still near peak on a day without a cloud in the sky, making for a near perfect day for photography. #2102 put on a fabulous show with her sold-out train as she roared out of Tamaqua Tunnel and battled the steep climb up the grades of Hometown Hill. It made for a memorable day and a fitting conclusion to her first year back in service in nearly three decades.
#2102 was originally built by Baldwin in 1925 as I-10sa-class 2-8-0 Consolidation #2044. The T-1 4-8-4 class was developed in 1945 as means of satisfying the Reading Railroad's desire for bigger and more powerful steam locomotives. The I-10sa's were converted in the Reading's own shops in Reading, PA and #2044 soon became T-1 #2102. The "T-Hogs", as they were nicknamed by the crews, spent their working lives hauling massive coal trains from the Anthracite mines to the seaports, were the coal would be shipped worldwide and cross-country. The Reading ceased steam operations in 1956 and #2102 was sold to a steel corporation in Reading, where she was used to provide steam power for the company's plant, though she would not sit idle for long. In 1962, #2102 was returned to steam to participate in the famous "Reading Rambles" excursions alongside sister T-1 #2100. These excursions were favorites among railfans and were among the very first mainline excursions of the preservation era. Two years later in 1964, the Rambles drew to a close, and #2102 was sold to Steam Tours of Akron, Ohio, where she would soon begin a lengthy excursion career that saw her traveling to many destinations in the eastern third of the nation. Highlights of her mainline days included operations in West Virginia along the C&O Greenbrier Division, masquerading as Delaware & Hudson K-62 #302 on excursions in New York and into Canada, and doubleheading with Grand Trunk Western #4070 around the famous Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, PA. Finally in 1985, #2102 came home to Reading where she led a series of Rambles excursions before being purchased by Andy Muller for operations on his Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad. Andy continued to operate 2102 on mainline runs as well as featured her in special events on BM&R trackage. Her final runs in the 20th century took place in 1991 over the newly acquired "Reading Cluster" from Reading to Cressona and Tamaqua on a series of excursions and railfan weekends, as well as a coal drag. In 2016, the Reading & Northern began evaluating #2102 for restoration, and work soon commenced later that year. Six years later in 2022, she moved under her own power for the first time in 31 years and now she's ready to make history once again!
Enjoy!
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