PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has sold former Reading Co. FP7 No. 903 to SMS Rail Lines for use on their Woodstown Central tourist railroad in New Jersey. No. 903 and sister 902, owned by the Reading Co. Technical & Historical Society, have been stored at Steamtown in Scranton, Pa., since 2010.
According the Philadelphia Chapter’s newsletter, early in 2023 the Chapter was approached by SMS to lease No. 903 for a ten-year period. In July the Philadelphia Chapter board considered the proposal and decided to sell rather than lease the engine to SMS at a cost of $10,000. SMS also hopes to lease or acquire No. 902.
Reading Nos. 902 and 903 were among the first six EMD FP7s ordered by the railroad in March 1950 to replace passenger steam locomotives. The two units were completed on June 1, 1950 and delivered to the Reading. They remained in SEPTA commuter service until 1981.
In 1983, both locomotives were purchased by NRHS chapters. No. 902 was obtained by the Lancaster (Pa.) Chapter, while 903 was purchased by the Philadelphia Chapter. They were stored at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. Restoration of the FP7s began in 1986 and was completed in 1995. In 2007, the Lancaster Chapter donated the 902 to the the Reading Co. Technical & Historical Society.
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