Reading Company - Bethlehem Branch

K4andT1lover

New member
Hello Trainz fans.
Well, I've done it now - I have started an ambitious (for me) custom route. I have decided to recreate the Reading Company's Bethlehem Branch, in southeastern PA; c 1972. I am starting with the central portion of the line - approx 20-25 miles from Gwynedd, PA to slightly north of Quakertown, PA; where the line currently disappears. (For those who do not know, the Bethlehem Branch used to be a heavily-used passenger and freight line between Phila and the Lehigh Valley and beyond.)
I decided to do this both for the challenge, and for nostalgia - since this is my local area, and I am old enough to remember passenger service on the line. Today, much of the former mainline is reduced to one track; or is gone altogether. I chose c 1972 because it was before the Reading dissolved into Conrail, there was less development, and more scenery, and I have good information for this era.
I am going to run RDCs for the passengers; and probably a GP30 hauling some freight. I also plan to make somewhere around 6 -12 custom buildings for each town along the route, so that it looks somewhat realistic when you roll into the station.
Yes this will likely take me into my retirement years - especially if I expand beyond this first section.

I have learned a lot from this group, and from observing a selection of YT videos. I really poured myself into redoing an old Strasburg route to practice everything; and I feel like I am ready to go. This route started as a TransDEM route (I finally got it to work...); and I have about 2/3 of the track perfected and checked so far.

I'll post a few shots if anyone is interested; as things progress.
Ron
 
K4andT1lover,
Yes, please, post some shots as things go along. I'm certainly interested.

I've got friends in North Wales and know the area a little, but its been many years since I was in that neck of the woods.

It sounds like a cool project. Good luck on putting it all together.

Heinrich505
 
That sounds like a great project, Ron. Don't do too much at once and burn yourself out, it's easy to do that with this stuff.

I looked at google maps satellite view and saw the track is still there, but very weedy and overgrown. From a conversation I saw regarding the Schuylkill Branch, the topic about this branch came up over on http://www.abandonedrails.com/. The line is not used in full, but is rail banked by SEPTA so hopefully it will be resurrected someday for commuter service. (Full wishful thinking here). The parts that are in freight operation are operated by East Penn who leases the track from SEPTA for the service.

Anyway good luck with this.
 
Hi, John.
There has been talk of bringing back service for at least 25 years. A lot of people would love to see it. I think it is too far gone, and too many legal obstacles to ever see it in my lifetime.
Ron



That sounds like a great project, Ron. Don't do too much at once and burn yourself out, it's easy to do that with this stuff.

I looked at google maps satellite view and saw the track is still there, but very weedy and overgrown. From a conversation I saw regarding the Schuylkill Branch, the topic about this branch came up over on http://www.abandonedrails.com/. The line is not used in full, but is rail banked by SEPTA so hopefully it will be resurrected someday for commuter service. (Full wishful thinking here). The parts that are in freight operation are operated by East Penn who leases the track from SEPTA for the service.

Anyway good luck with this.
 
Hi, John.
There has been talk of bringing back service for at least 25 years. A lot of people would love to see it. I think it is too far gone, and too many legal obstacles to ever see it in my lifetime.
Ron

Yeah we've got a lot of those up in my neck of the woods. In many places people are kicking themselves now after the tracks are gone, but it's good to wish isn't it!
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139072828@N08/50145406373/in/album-72157715214584037/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139072828@N08/50145948796/in/album-72157715214584037/

So if this works, here are the first two screenshots from my layout. First is an overall of the 310 baseboards. The second is the Lansdale yard; which is the largest yard on this section of the route. I discovered that TransDEM can make quite a mess out of something like this. :)
The mainline branches off to the left (north); and the branch on the right is single-track to Doylestown. (Part of SEPTA's Lansdale / Doylestown line. All electrified. The mainline is not - which is why it was abandoned.
Ron
 
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That's great progress!

I've been through Doylestown a few times. My aunt lived in Overbrook Park for quite a number of years and we would trek down once a year to visit then take a ride to Blandon to visit my uncle before heading back home.
 
This is the segment I was working on to simulate steam excursions that ran in June 1987 from Lansdale and Souderton to Quakertown and return by the Blue Mountain & Reading with 4-6-2 #425 and a Reading GP30. I used the DEM as well. Are you making custom stations like Quakertown, Perkasie, Sellersville, Telford, Souderton, Hatfield, Lansdale, etc.? For mine I just cobbled stuff together, and used station models that looked close enough. I have zero talent in modeling 3D buildings or anything 3D. I tried Gmax once and gave up. I will let the experts create stuff from scratch. Would you be releasing this segment first before the others? The line was operated by Conrail for freight service then CSX and East Penn, now Penn Northeastern and East Penn. SEPTA wants to restore service at least to near Perkasie. I still haven't finished my route yet but I have track and some roads in, and stations. There is a platform shelter spline based on a Reading design which I used for the Souderton station.
 
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Hi! Yes, I have all the track and roads in from below North Wales to just above Quakertown. Including the Perkasie Tunnel; which I have done three times, and I'm still not 100% satisfied with.
I have put down basic ground textures over the majority of the baseboards, and I will be doing custom buildings for every town. I found two for Lansdale on 3D Warehouse, and I have done three so far for Souderton. I am kind of jumping around now between trackside scenic details, and buildings - to keep things interesting. Even though I am working on it as much as possible, t will still take a long time, because of the detailing I am putting in. This is something I have thought about for years, so now that its started, I'm pretty excited.
I'll post a couple of screen shots in the weeks as it fills out a little more. Don't count on a release anytime soon. :) However, if I ever do, I will release all the custom buildings along with it.
Oh! And I remember those excursions! I think my photos of it are gone however.
 
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August Update

By the time I hit the bed tonight, I should have about 43 miles of the route with topography, tracks, and roads; stretching from Jenkintown in the south, to slightly above Hellertown in the north. I have the last 3 miles or so into Bethlehem on hold while I research the proper track and yard layout for the time period. The 10 or so miles below Jenkintown into center city Phila, will perhaps be done sometime in the far future. As it is, the route will include branches and links for a number of other possible connections.

The north contains track restored where it has been missing for some time...
50236718658_5aabb974e5_b.jpg
[/URL]Restored track by Ron Alderfer, on Flickr[/IMG]

Much of the route looks like this:
50237584562_d816a85375_b.jpg
[/URL]Landscape 2 by Ron Alderfer, on Flickr[/IMG

And details are getting dropped into some spots to avoid boredom:
50237365901_af2ea9cf7f_b.jpg
[/URL]Bethlehem by Ron Alderfer, on Flickr[/IMG]

Eventually, I will start fleshing out towns and details along the route:
50236718678_69beb49547_b.jpg
[/URL]Towns by Ron Alderfer, on Flickr[/IMG]

The depot buildings, and close neighbors are custom made, so it will take a while. But this is where things are generally headed on the Bethlehem right now...
50237365821_fc4c84800c_b.jpg
[/URL]Tunnel by Ron Alderfer, on Flickr[/IMG]

Happy Trainzing!
 
This is coming along nicely. I'm glad you're taking your time with this. It'll be a great route and an accomplishment when it's completed.
 
I like what I'm seeing. Thanks for the update.

I'm getting inspired to restart the redo of my EBT route in TANE. I gave up a couple years ago when things didn't work out so good bringing the old MD/HOG version into TANE. I have a new one made using TransDem. I added in the PRR 4 track main that was just a ground textured guide in the previous versions. The dem data is 10m and I can easily find man made cuts and fills and stream and river beds in it. But I do the track and set grades a bit differently using vector data from drawings and track diagrams and then convert to trk files and it fits the terrain pretty good. Some manual terraforming is still necessary of course but the track and grades are accurate. Ben Dorsey made some custom stuff for the EBT but still lots left to do - I guess we're on our own now.

I'm not that familiar with the area you're modeling but I grew up not far from there in Delaware and Chester counties in SE PA (1946-71) so I've visited many of these places.

I've got a lot of baseboards to finish and I need a lot of inspiration so keep it coming.

Bob Pearson
 
This is looking realy good - looking forward to following your progress - question re post 11 - whose tunnel/portal is being used?

regards

John
 
Hi, John.
The portals are "JMR Tunnel Portal 2 (1 trk)"; and the tunnel itself is "WLTunnel1TkBlack". Kuids are: Kuid2:709825:100532:1 and Kuid:240029:100153.
I've tried several combinations. This is the best so far, but it may not be my final set. We'll see.
Ron


This is looking realy good - looking forward to following your progress - question re post 11 - whose tunnel/portal is being used?

regards

John
 
Thank you, Ron.

I've also tried numerous tunnel/portal combinations and for one reason or another have been less than happy. Will give these a trial.

Again, many thanks and good luck with your Reading Branch. The nearest point I've ever travelled in that area is NY to Philadelphia but I have books on the LV, CNJ, PRR, etc. and their operations in the area- great stuff.
regards
John
 
Nice work. I attempted to build the same route you're building using the DLS DEM. I wanted to go all the way from Bethlehem Union Station to Reading Terminal in Philadelphia which ceased being used as a train station in November, 1984 when the new tunnel segment and underground Market East station opened. Conrail/SEPTA stopped diesel train service on the line on July 26, 1981. June 30, 1981 was the last day of Bethlehem-Quakertown service and July 26, 1981 last day of Quakertown-Lansdale service. In June 1987 the BM&R 425 and Reading GP30 ran rides from Lansdale and Souderton to Quakertown and return. Steam northbound, diesel southbound. More recently New Hope & Ivyland ran diesel powered train rides from Lansdale to Souderton. SEPTA is interested in electrifying the line to Rt. 309 overpass past Telford for new train service to a new park and ride station off Rt. 309.
 
Thanks! Right now, I am running this route from just below Jenkintown, on up to Union Station in Bethlehem and the connections there. I have information collected to take it down to the old Reading Terminal - but I am leaving that section until everything else is complete.
As far as SEPTA doing anything north of Lansdale in my lifetime - I'll be very surprised. :hehe:


Nice work. I attempted to build the same route you're building using the DLS DEM. I wanted to go all the way from Bethlehem Union Station to Reading Terminal in Philadelphia which ceased being used as a train station in November, 1984 when the new tunnel segment and underground Market East station opened. Conrail/SEPTA stopped diesel train service on the line on July 26, 1981. June 30, 1981 was the last day of Bethlehem-Quakertown service and July 26, 1981 last day of Quakertown-Lansdale service. In June 1987 the BM&R 425 and Reading GP30 ran rides from Lansdale and Souderton to Quakertown and return. Steam northbound, diesel southbound. More recently New Hope & Ivyland ran diesel powered train rides from Lansdale to Souderton. SEPTA is interested in electrifying the line to Rt. 309 overpass past Telford for new train service to a new park and ride station off Rt. 309.
 
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