Erie Ave. (Freight) Railyard: (
Satellite, the coaling tower would have been near the middle of the freight handling building. The roundhouse was just east of it.)
NQ Tower: (
Satellite, I assume it was close to Erie Street, but I can't reconcile the photos with the topo map.)
Passenger Railyard: (
Satellite, between Fairmount Ave. and Green Street.)
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Pomah Zapk posted
Railroad Name! Reading Railroad. Subject! Steam locomotive. Description Camelback Engine with spoked wheels at Reading Terminal, Philadelphia, PA Location! Philadelphia, PA. From the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. |
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Jim Lamanno posted
Found this on "Historic Photos of Philadelphia". Reading Terminal 1974
Bell Evans posted
Reading Terminal at 12th and Market Street (1974)
Ed Johnson shared
𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted
Reading Terminal at 12th and Market Street • 1974! |
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Historic Philadelphia USA posted
The Reading Terminal, Philadelphia, (1973) In 1973, Philadelphia’s historic Reading Terminal continues to serve as a vibrant market and transit hub, connecting residents with both local produce and commuter rail services. The market, housed beneath the iconic train shed, is bustling with vendors selling fresh vegetables, meats, cheeses, and baked goods, drawing crowds of Philadelphians for their weekly shopping. Inside, stalls are filled with an array of colors, sounds, and aromas, making it a lively place where city residents and visitors alike gather to experience the flavors and culture of Philadelphia. With its distinctive arched windows and Victorian-era architecture, Reading Terminal stands as a beloved landmark, preserving a sense of history and community in the city’s heart. |
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Gerry Meyle Sr. posted
Erie Avenue on the Reading in Philadelphia, Pa. May 2, 1964, New GP30s, RS3s, FP7s (904), GP7s and more.
From my collection. |
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Kyle Finsel posted
Picture from the Reading Railroad Magazine December 1928. Airplane veiw of the freight station, yards and engine house at 3rd. street and erie avanue Philadelphia Pa. |
I learned from a topo map for the
coaling tower in Reading, PA, that the empty black rectangle to the west of the roundhouse was probably the location of the coaling tower. But I can't reconcile the buildings in Gerry's photo with the topo maps. Because of all of the tracks to the left of the coaling tower in the photo, I think we are looking north. So why don't we see a roundhouse instead of some backshop buildings on the right side of the photo?
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1952 Germantown Quad @ 24,000
I included part of the New Cathedral Cemetery because cemeteries tend to be a fixed point in time.
The 1967 map looks basically the same. That is, it also shows a roundhouse to the east of the coaling tower. |
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Tim Starr posted
Floor plan for the Reading Railroad roundhouse with attached machine shop at Philadelphia, soon after it was constructed in 1919. (Railway Review)
Bob Wolters: What was the streets location's? |
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Tim commented on his post
Overview of the facilities at Philadelphia. |
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Dennis DeBruler answered Bob's question
southwest quadrant of Luzerne and 2nd Streets, 1952 Germantown Quad @ 24,000 |
I tried finding an old aerial photo to confirm the roundhouse location, but the oldest I could find was a 1973 photo. The yard had already been converted to a road freight operation.
Darren Reynolds
posted four photos with the comment:
Does anyone know who owns this tower?
"NQ" tower (Erie Ave.)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
[The comments agree that it was Reading.]
Bob Wittmaier: There also was a tower at the North End of Erie Ave yard and was still in use in the late 1960’s. It was between two Street Bridges( 5th Street and Hunting Park Ave). From 5th street you could look into the second floor of the tower. It was cool as I could watch tower operations from a public street. I lived about 5 blocks away. I rode my bike there. Now there’s nothing there. No track either.
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Darren Reynolds posted
PRR Eng#3907 Pushes a cut of cars(And Caboose)
Passed "NQ" tower in Norristown, Pennsylvania
Photo & Date: Unknown |
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Historic Philly posted
Reading Terminal under construction. (1890s)
Ed Johnson shared |
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John Semola commented on the above post
Was there working a show. |
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John Semola commented on the above post
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Passenger Service (Depot and Railyard)
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Robert Wanner posted
Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, Pa 1960-70's. Photo by Howard Pincus with my thanks and respect.
Howard Pincus: I recognize that photo- I took it in 1970, with a 4x5 camera. This was probably copied from a book or magazine, where it was originally published.
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Robert Wanner posted
Headhouse at the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, Pa. 1960-70's. |
Robert Wanner
posted two photos with the comment: "Train time at the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia when things were humming there in the 1970's. From the Headhouse to outside along the platforms people arrive and exit to and from downtown before the SEPTA tunnel. Just a reminder of good times gone by. Photos from collection."
Bev Smith: The 13-track train shed is the largest single-span train shed remaining in North America.
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Robert Wanner posted
Reading Company, Reading, Pa. Outer Station. Main Line train from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia drifting on to Platform #1-2 with a Class G-2 4-6-2 locomotive for motive power. Long afternoon shadows would place this as either Train 95 or 35 in late 1951. Standing on a baggage cart for this photo by Robert Wanner. |
The Reading headquarters were in the upper stories of the headhouse.
The trainshed still has its arched roof.
I didn't look at all 54,363 photos, but every interior shot I saw showed a low ceiling. And you don't need those big green rivited steel columns to support a free-standing shed. So I'm confused. If I every go to Philadelphia again, this shed gets priority over the Liberty Bell.
There was a railyard a little north of the station that had three turntables.
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| 1949 Philadelphia Quad @ 24,000 |
Now the tracks use the length of that passenger yard to go from an overpass of Fairmount Avenue to a tunnel. This must be the SEPTA tunnel. As implied by some comments, this tunnel takes commuter trains on the former-Reading Route to the
Suburban Station. Since commuter trains have a lot of horsepower so that they can accelerate quickly from their station stops, they can handle the grade of going from an overpass to a underpass in just a couple of blocks.
When I tried to figure out how these tracks connected with the tracks that go through the Erie Street Railyard, I discovered that they don't connect. This excerpt has the Erie Street Railyard at the top and the passenger terminal at the bottom. The freight yard supported industries west of American Street and
docks on the Delaware river.
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| 1949 Philadelphia, 1949 Camden and 1952 Germantown Quads @ 24,000 |
Don Crabtree posted four photos with the comment: "Race Street Tower in Phila. Controlled all train traffic in to and out of Reading Terminal. Being restored at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg PA."
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