ABOUT US
The Reading Company Technical and Historical Society (RCT&HS) is a 501(c)3 corporation of more than 800 members residing around the world. Since its inception in 1976, members have actively assembled a comprehensive collection of over 70 pieces of Reading Railroad rolling stock including significant examples of diesel locomotives, freight and passenger equipment, cabooses, a training car for engineers, and an entire wreck train (currently not on display). Our archives include over 20,000 photographs and tens of thousands of blueprints and pages of correspondence pertaining to the railroad’s people, facilities, and operations. Reading Railroad artifacts include tools, signals, lanterns, train dispatching boards, a 100-foot turntable (not on display), and many other pieces of railroad hardware.
Reading Terminal in Philadelphia c. 1893
The RCT&HS has owned and operated the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum as its educational center since 2008. The Museum presents an exhibit annually in the main hall from March to November and electric trains for the Christmas season, November through January. The Museum houses our Archives with accessibility for historical research by appointment and provides open space for preservation of rolling stock and motive power. The Museum’s theme, “The Reading Railroad Shaped Communities,” is a video shown in our theatre, which interprets the significance of the Reading Railroad to the nation and communities it served.
Founded in 1833, the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road (P&R) is one of the first railroads in the United States and was constructed to initially haul anthracite coal from the Coal Regions in NE PA to Philadelphia. The original double track mainline extended south from the mining town of Pottsville to Reading then on to Philadelphia. The P&R bought or leased many railroads in the Schuylkill River Valley and extended west and north along the Susquehanna River. With the success of the coal business, the Reading built Port Richmond in Philadelphia which allowed anthracite to be loaded onto ships and barges. In 1871, the Reading established a subsidiary, the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company for buying coal mines. Through this time, the P&R extended its reach by leasing or acquiring lines that served more populated areas. In 1893, the Reading Terminal opened in Philadelphia. The Reading continued expanding by adding bridges, bypasses, and connections and enlarging passenger service. In 1976, Reading Company assets were sold to the newly formed Conrail (Consolidated Railroad Corporation).
Schuylkill River Heritage Area
The Reading Railroad’s early development centered around the Schuylkill River – the Main Line followed the course of the River itself, and its principal reason for existence in the earliest days was to transport coal from the mines to the river and canal for transport by water. Thus, the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum and the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society are proud to support the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area. Covering the entire course of the Schuylkill River from the coal regions to Philadelphia, the Heritage Area sponsors a variety of recreational and cultural activities to help celebrate and preserve the history of one of Pennsylvania’s great natural resources.
The MISSION of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society is to document, preserve and communicate the history of the Reading Railroad and its impact on the communities it served.
OUR VISION: to become a renowned, valued and viable educational resource where through excellent exhibits, programs, publications, and display of rolling stock, the significance of the Reading Railroad will come to life for people of all ages.
RCT&HS Executive Board:
Duane Engle, President
Stephen Gilbert, First Vice President
Robert Biamonte, Second Vice President
Frank Scalise, Treasurer
James Adams, Secretary
Stephen Brodecki, Director
Donald Crabtree, Director
Michael Huber, Director
Dale Woodland, Director