Does anyone have recent photos and information of the former Reading RR enginehouse at Gordon, PA? I understand it still exists, in some sort of industrial use. I believe this was built as a diesel facility to replace the ancient roundhouse there, but also serviced T-1 4-8-4s in their last years.

ryarger@rypn.org

> Does anyone have recent photos and
> information of the former Reading RR
> enginehouse at Gordon, PA? I understand it
> still exists, in some sort of industrial
> use. I believe this was built as a diesel
> facility to replace the ancient roundhouse
> there, but also serviced T-1 4-8-4s in their
> last years.

The entire property that was the Gordon engine terminal is now owned by Universal Forest Products. The engine house stands, in good condition, but does not have track into or near it. Reading & Northern serves this customer daily.

Gordon was originally on a branch of the Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad. The line came across the Broad Mountain, then down twin inclined-planes with cable & hoist systems. At Gordon, conventional motive power took over, and thus the engine terminal.

After the Gordon Planes were abandoned, around 1899, Gordon was a helper engine facility, with pushers assisting trains both eastbound to Tamaqua, and westbound to Shamokin over the Lucust Summit grade.

The newer engine house was built to accomodate the bigger engines of the "later" steam era, 2-8-2, 2-8-8-2,
2-10-2, and 4-8-4 types, which would not fit into the old roundhouse. These engines found their way into helper service as more modern power (steam then diesel) took the main-line work away from them.

When The Reading became fully dieselized, there was no longer a need for helper engines out of Gordon, and the facility was closed. -sorry I don't have any exact dates to post.
The Gordon enginehouse and facility was never intended as a diesel facility.

This was indeed one of the "last stands" of the T-1 engines, as well as the K-1 2-10-2's and "Malleys". Plenty of photos and some great movie footage on various videos can be found.

For more, check out the
RCT&HS web site: ReadingRailroad.org

Steve Gilbert
1st VP, RCT&HS
RBMN

I might add Gordon's "new" enginehouse is rectangular and the engines turned on a wye.

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

In the fall of 1965, another young railfan and I were wandering around in the coal region and came across Gordon. Poking around in the empty building, we found the locker room and looked in a couple of lockers. Imagine my delight when when I found in one of them a diagram book of Reading steam locos marked "Assistant Trainmaster Catawissa 1919!!" The newest pages in the book included the K-1 2-10-2s and the two earlier "Oil-electric" switch engines.

K4s1361@hotmail.com

> In the fall of 1965, another young railfan
> and I were wandering around in the coal
> region and came across Gordon. Poking around
> in the empty building, we found the locker
> room and looked in a couple of lockers.
> Imagine my delight when when I found in one
> of them a diagram book of Reading steam
> locos marked "Assistant Trainmaster
> Catawissa 1919!!" The newest pages in
> the book included the K-1 2-10-2s and the
> two earlier "Oil-electric" switch
> engines.

Did you take this book home, or put it back into the locker ? a-k-a: where's this book today ?

> Did you take this book home, or put it back
> into the locker ? a-k-a: where's this book
> today ?

Of course I took it with me! It languished in a drawer for some years and then I donated it to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, where I hope it still reposes, occasionally of use to Kurt and others.

K4s1361@hotmail.com