Ride the Ramble from Reading to Jim Thorpe with #2102 | May 24, 2025

Reading & Northern's T-1 steam locomotive #2102 is of course the star of the show for the Iron Horse Rambles, but there's a lot of other fun aspects of the trips to experience. This video is different from my typical Rambles videos in that I tried to highlight the people at the railroad who make the trip happen as well as the people who ride and chase one of the most thrilling modern day railroad adventures. From that perspective, Narrator Russ Scianna is the star of this show as we go from Reading Outer Station to Jim Thorpe, PA on the morning of May 24, 2025. We'll also meet a singing hobo who hitched a ride as well as some fans of the channel. And of course there's plenty of steam action to be seen and heard as we travel through some of the most diverse scenery on the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad. Then we'll wrap things up with some railfanning at Jim Thorpe Station that includes the diesel F units. This is the first of three videos from the day. In the rest of the series I'll be riding in the open air car and will let #2102 do all the talking. Be sure to stay tuned for that whole new experience as well. 0:00 intro 3:30 Russ's pre-trip narration 7:20 Reading to Port Clinton 17:15 Port Clinton to Tamaqua 37:46 Tamaqua to Hometown High Bridge 44:41 Hometown High Bridge to Nesquehoning 51:49 Nesquehoning to Jim Thorpe 1:01:50 2102 moves her consist to The Narrows 1:02:45 2102 moving for service and cab tours 1:03:53 3 pm Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway departure with the F units 1:05:53 2102 backs down to her consist 1:06:56 I survived The Narrator! 1:07:41 meeting some of my fans 1:08:20 Mack the Train Hobo plays at the station 1:15:20 2102 pulls into Jim Thorpe Station for boarding 1:17:00 outro 1:17:44 end screen These railroad adventures burn up cash like 2102 burns up coal on the mainline! Vehicle expenses, camera and computer equipment, file storage space, and food along the way are skyrocketing in price. It’s not in my nature to ask for help, but if you’d like to make a donation as a thank you if you enjoyed this content it will help keep this channel chugging down the tracks. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamiemakin "Steam and Steel Dreams" outro music created by Jamie Makin with Suno.