Winter Iron Horse Rambles | Reading & Northern 2102

On February 14th, 2026 the Reading & Northern Railroad hosted their first Iron Horse Ramble of the year featuring none other than the former Reading T-1 No. 2102. 2102 was built in 1925 for the Reading Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Originally it was constructed as a 2-8-0 consolidation type locomotive specially and numbered 2044. It was primarily used on heavy freight service over the Reading Railroad’s branch lines. In 1945 the Reading Railroad rebuilt the locomotive in their own shops to a 4-8-4 northern type locomotive. The 2102 spent its remaining year in freight service hauling heavy coal trains until its retirement in 1956. Between 1960 and 1964 the locomotive was used on the Reading’s Iron Horse Rambles alongside sister locomotives 2100 and 2124. The 2102 was sold to the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern in 1985 and operated excursion trains until its flue time expired in 1991. 2102 returned to service in 2022 after restoration began in 2016. The Reading & Northern Railroad is a class 2 regional railroad and provides freight service over 400 miles of track in the Anthracite Country of Pennsylvania. The Reading & Northern also host several passenger excursions on their trackage including the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railroad in Jim Thorpe. The railroad was founded in 1983 as the Blue Mountain and Reading and provided freight service between Hamburg and Temple. In 1985 they began running regularly scheduled steam powered passenger excursions. The company grew in the 90’s after acquiring 150 miles of trackage from Conrail and renamed the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad. The route of the winter ramble would begin at the Reading Outer Station and head north over the R&N’s Reading Division to Jim Thorpe. The train was made up of 14 passenger cars (New England railfan's take note the 1127 is former Boston & Maine 34 'Salisbury Beach'). This is my first video in quite some time so bare with me as I try and get back into it. I am in no way a professional. Thanks for watching!