Photos on the Ahead of the Torch (AOTT) website of a Reading crossing gate shanty being moved from the "Port Clinton Transportation Museum" to a new home at the "Reading Railroad Heritage Museum". From the photos, I couldn't see much of a "Transportation Museum" in Port Clinton and it seemed like the shanty was dumped on some concrete pads with a few imbeded tracks, but not much evidence at all of a "Reading Railroad Heritage Museum". These small railroad structures are interesting but sure would like some additional info on this move as the AOTT story seemed to be lacking in it.

Les

The Port Clinton Transportation Museum is (was?) a production of the Northern Berks-Southern Schuylkill Historical Association.

Here's a third party mention.

http://roadsidewonders.net/pctrans/

Note that Port Clinton is the headquarters of RBMN.

The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum, located in Hamburg, PA, is owned and operated by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. It's very real.. Here's their website:

http://www.readingrailroad.org/

Phil Mulligan

Phil -

Thanks for the info. The reference to the Port Clinton Transportation Museum says that the structure in question was the Port Clinton depot whereas it is described on AOTT as a crossing gate building. There were also a couple of photos on AOTT of a tall birdhouse, which I didn't understand the connection. Now I see it was actually on the roof of the Port Clinton building; train station OR crossing gate shanty. I guess the folks at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum are trying to determine if the birdhouse was actually on the structure when in railroad service, or if it was a later addition.

All of this interesting. Thanks again for the references to the two websites.

Les

Given the type of "Stop" sign in the building, I'd say it was a crossing gate shanty.

The Little Schuylkill Railroad from Tamaqua was built in 1829 as a railroad and it delivered coal to the Canal from Pottsville to Philadelphia. Hence the word "Port" in Port Clinton.

Phil Mulligan

The birdhouse is for Purple Martins just in case anyone else wants to know that. LOL

The Reading Company Technical and Historical Society met tonight and shed some light on the building.

The little museum in Port Clinton closed and gave its RR stuff to the RCT&HS. A guy who sells sheds moved the shanty to the R.Co. Museum in Hamburg where it awaits restoration. It seems to have good paint. (R.Co. standard chocolate and cream)

It is indeed the crossing shanty from Port Clinton. There's a nice potbellied stove inside it as well as a round "STOP" sign for the watchman for use on highway traffic.

Phil Mulligan