Uploaded August 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Reading Heritage Unit returns to home rails for the second time on August 12, 2013, heading westbound on an empty auto train 11J from New Jersey to Michigan. The first shot locates itself on the Norfolk Southern Reading Line, then chasing the train across the Harrisburg Line and finishing off on former Pennsy territory at the famous stone arch Rockville Bridge on the Pittsburgh Line.
0:00 - Wanting to catch the Reading Heritage unit by some other Reading Railroad heritage, the first shot shows the train passing between the 142E and 131W searchlight signals. A bonus in this shot is the activated 142E signal, because MW workers just west of my position were shunting the signal.
2:00 - Barely beating the train to this location, 11J roars west by a private lane, meeting counter part train 18N, carrying a shorter train of loaded auto racks eastbound.
3:00 - 18N with NS C40-9W 9330 and NS SD70M 2589 meets the rear of 11J.
3:45 - Catching up to the train at Swatara, just west of Hershey, the train is stopped short of the 101 signals at Brownstone for traffic heading eastbound out of Harrisburg. One of the Reese's factories is seen in the background, the other to my right. The aroma of peanut butter and chocolate is strong at this location.
4:15 - Back on the move west, 11J passes through older style signals at the TARA crossovers (now called BURKE).
5:30 - The last shot is blasphemous, such that we see the Reading Heritage unit leading across one of Pennsylvania Railroad's most iconic structures, the Rockville Bridge, which crosses the Susquehanna River just above Harrisburg.
The Reading Heritage Unit returns to home rails for the second time on August 12, 2013, heading westbound on an empty auto train 11J from New Jersey to Michigan. The first shot locates itself on the Norfolk Southern Reading Line, then chasing the train across the Harrisburg Line and finishing off on former Pennsy territory at the famous stone arch Rockville Bridge on the Pittsburgh Line.
0:00 - Wanting to catch the Reading Heritage unit by some other Reading Railroad heritage, the first shot shows the train passing between the 142E and 131W searchlight signals. A bonus in this shot is the activated 142E signal, because MW workers just west of my position were shunting the signal.
2:00 - Barely beating the train to this location, 11J roars west by a private lane, meeting counter part train 18N, carrying a shorter train of loaded auto racks eastbound.
3:00 - 18N with NS C40-9W 9330 and NS SD70M 2589 meets the rear of 11J.
3:45 - Catching up to the train at Swatara, just west of Hershey, the train is stopped short of the 101 signals at Brownstone for traffic heading eastbound out of Harrisburg. One of the Reese's factories is seen in the background, the other to my right. The aroma of peanut butter and chocolate is strong at this location.
4:15 - Back on the move west, 11J passes through older style signals at the TARA crossovers (now called BURKE).
5:30 - The last shot is blasphemous, such that we see the Reading Heritage unit leading across one of Pennsylvania Railroad's most iconic structures, the Rockville Bridge, which crosses the Susquehanna River just above Harrisburg.
