MINERSVILLE, Pa. — The Railroad Historians of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Chapter, National Railway Historical Society sponsored a “rare mileage” excursion on the Reading & Northern Railroad on April 15. Using the regional railroad’s Budd Rail Diesel Cars, the roundtrip departed from Port Clinton to Tremont and Minersville along the former Philadelphia and Reading Railroad mainline, in addition to both the Mine Hill and Schuylkill branch lines.
The highlight of the excursion was a stop at the former Reading Company station in Minersville, home to Central Railroad of New Jersey steam locomotive No. 113. A static fire-up of the heavy 0-6-0 switcher was provided for both the passengers and the public. This comes after No. 113 pulled the Easter Bunny Trains out of Minersville on April 8th in its 2023 operating debut [see “CNJ No. 113 debuts for 100th …,” Trains News Wire, April 10, 2023].
“It was beneficial to us,” said Robert E. Kimmel Jr., President of Railway Restoration Project 113. “We did some work, and they (excursion passengers) got a chance to see it steam up.”
Railway Restoration Project 113 is a nonprofit organization that owns and operates the restored CNJ No. 113. The group is currently planning the expansion of the 2023 operating schedule as this year marks the 100th birthday of the locomotive. No. 113 was built in June 1923 by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York initially for the Central Railroad of New Jersey.
While future events and excursions for No. 113 in 2023 have yet to be announced, a boiler wash and minor work to the air compressor will be performed on the locomotive according to Kimmel.
More information can be found on the Railway Restoration Project 113’s website.
Not from that area, so what is the P & R railroad?
Philadelphia & Reading – Later Reading RR