LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. -- The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg began a week-long highlight of the famous Reading Railroad during Reading Railroad Days.
The centerpiece is a detailed HO scale model train layout of the Reading Railroad, operated by members of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society in the museum’s climate-controlled Rolling Stock Hall.
Visitors can also view Reading Company equipment from the museum’s collection, including the 101-year-old tank engine No. 1251.
In the early 19th century the Reading Railroad Company transported anthracite coal through Pennsylvania to Delaware and New Jersey making it a critical asset for the coal and energy industry.
Juliette O'Connor, an educator at the museum said, "Not only is it important to Pennsylvania, but it really made a national mark because at one point The Reading Company was one of the largest corporations in the world. There's a natural inclination to want to get involved in railroads because they have a mark in almost every community in America."
Reading Railroad Days will run until July 7.