PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern has added “Crown Class” service to its Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway with the debut of coach No. 450, The Pagoda, a 1920s-vintage six-axle heavyweight coach built for the Illinois Central Railroad.
The car, purchased in a bankruptcy auction of equipment of a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings, has been repainted to match the rest of the Reading & Northern fleet. While most of the fleet is open air cars or open-window coaches, the new car offers air conditioning, added this year by railroad contractors and employees.
The car has been named for the landmark Reading Pagoda, a city-owned seven-story structure dating to 1908 that offers a 30-mile panoramic view from its mountainside location.
Rode the Lehigh Gorge Scenic train for the first time last week. It was a nice trip and it certainly lives up to the “scenic” moniker. The Pagoda was in the train last week and with temps in the 90’s I bet the A/C was popular. We opted to rent the caboose and enjoyed the open air on the backporch.