23 09, 2021

The Heritage of Reading: 1813-1847: Canals, Heavy Industry, and the Railroad

2021-09-23T09:40:18-04:00September 23rd, 2021|Heritage of Reading, History, Planes-Trains-Automobiles, Towns-Wards|Comments Off on The Heritage of Reading: 1813-1847: Canals, Heavy Industry, and the Railroad

The town of Reading was chartered as a borough by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1783, and granted a new Borough Charter in 1813, with the legal boundaries set beyond those of the original town plan. The northern and southern boundaries were still [...]

9 02, 2021

The Seventh and Penn Street Railroad Crossing

2021-06-04T12:05:12-04:00February 9th, 2021|Planes-Trains-Automobiles|0 Comments

From day one of the 20th century it was recognized that the future well-being of the development of center-city Reading was inextricably tied to the Reading Company train tracks cutting right through the very heart of the city at Seventh and Penn. Below: [...]

27 01, 2021

The Railroad Shops on North Sixth Street

2021-06-04T12:07:29-04:00January 27th, 2021|Planes-Trains-Automobiles|0 Comments

In 1900, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad began construction of the sprawling railroad shops along North Sixth Street in Reading.  They were the largest railroad shops in America, and unlike most railroads, allowed the Reading to make its own engines. The Reading shops [...]

14 12, 2020

Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Shops, 7th & Chestnut Streets

2021-06-04T12:13:30-04:00December 14th, 2020|Planes-Trains-Automobiles|0 Comments

The Reading Foundry, at 7th & Chestnut Streets, once housed the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad heavy duty shops prior to 1904. Below: The Reading Foundry, at 7th & Chestnut Streets. The construction of the railway in 1836 immediately stimulated enterprises of various kinds, [...]

26 11, 2020

Reading Fairgrounds Speedway, the Home of Champions

2021-06-04T12:13:51-04:00November 26th, 2020|Planes-Trains-Automobiles|0 Comments

From September 20, 1924 to June 29,1979, dirt-track racing fans crowded the 80 acre site of the Reading Fairgrounds located in Muhlenburg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania which was home to a half-mile oval that was known as “The Home of Champions” Modified stock [...]

6 08, 2020

The Reading Fairgrounds in Muhlenberg Township

2020-08-06T12:27:04-04:00August 6th, 2020|Entertainment-Recreation, Planes-Trains-Automobiles|1 Comment

On April 20, 1915, two adjoining tracts of land in Muhlenberg Township, totaling 54 acres, were purchased for $20,750 for the site of the Reading Fairgrounds. Several subsequent purchases increased the area to approximately 78 acres. The site was ideal since it was [...]

1 07, 2020

Trolleys of Reading and Berks County Pennsylvania

2023-06-03T10:32:02-04:00July 1st, 2020|Planes-Trains-Automobiles|0 Comments

Electric lines came early in Berks, the East Reading Electric Railway enjoying the distinction of being one of the oldest electric lines east of the Mississippi, and dating from 1888, the year of Frank Sprague’s successful electrification of the Richmond, Virginia Street Railway [...]

26 06, 2020

Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Swinging Bridge at Outer Station

2020-06-26T09:20:05-04:00June 26th, 2020|Bridges-Viaducts, Planes-Trains-Automobiles|0 Comments

In 1886, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad (P&R) decided to provide a safe pedestrian route across its main line and yard tracks east of the Outer Station in Reading. With the closest underpass located two blocks north of the station, pedestrians coming from [...]

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