Official Magazine of the Employees and Customers of the Reading & Northern Railroad EADING NORTHERN MAGAZINE E NEXT R IN TH AILS DET FOR TCH WA Table of Contents Keeping On Track .......................................................................................................................................P. 3 KEEPING ON TRAck RBMN Press Release .................................................................................................................................P. 4 Reading & Northern Railroad Takes Over Service to Humboldt Industrial Park ...............P. 5 By: WAYNE MICHEL, PRESIDENT P. 5 Its that time again. Writing my year end Fast forward to 2011 and CAN DO decides addition to new conductors and engineers, we Humboldt Industrial Park Ad.................................................................................................................P. 6 column before Thanksgiving for an issue it wants to get out of the railroad business; it needed track people, car repair mechanics and that will come out in January 2016. Writing wants to sell the 7.5 miles of railroad it owns at customer service representatives. All of this Operations .....................................................................................................................................................P. 7 this I put myself in a holiday mood. I think Humboldt. It approached NS, which decided has been done to make sure that the Humboldt of the lights and music of the season. it was not interested in buying the lines, customers receive our high quality guaranteed perhaps because it already had an exclusive ..................................................................................................... And since I love movies and TV I think of service while our exisiting customers see no Building the Road to Hazleton P. 8-11 contract to operate through 2016. Shortly holiday classics. Miracle on 34th Street, degradation in their excellent service. It’s a Wonderful Life, A Chistmas Story thereafter CAN DO was approached by a ..................................................................................................P. 12-13 As this year comes to a close we can celebrate P. 8-11 Humboldt Industrial Park Map and for pure laughs Elf. One of my favorites shortline entrepreneur seeking to purchase the growing up was Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. lines. When NS gave CAN DO the green light not only our expansion to Humboldt but also Speak for Ones Without Voices ..................................................................................................P. 14-15 I didn’t realize it till I started to research this to pursue a sale CAN DO asked RBMN if we completion of another record breaking year column but this tv special was the first time would be interested. After checking to make in both our freight and passenger business. sure NS was okay with our acquisition interest The Reading & Northern Railroad’s Schuylkill Haven Station ........................................P. 16-17 the world was introduced to Mr. Magoo. While most of the rail industry suffered serious However, it certainly was not the first time we we agreed to bid on the property. Ultimately declines in business, our freight business was met Ebenezer Scrooge. In fact, Scrooge was we were the successful bidder and in June up over thirty percent. And our passenger Safety ............................................................................................................................................................ P. 18 introduced to the world by Charles Dickens 2012 RBMN entered an agreement to purchase business showed a similar gain as we should in 1843. the tracks. exceed 100,000 visitors this year. P. 14-15 P. 18 Since NS had a contract to operate on the Employee Spotlight ................................................................................................................................. And with his introduction the world welcomed Hard work, commitment to our employees, the term “bah humbug” into our lexicon. tracks through 2016, we began performing track maintenance while NS continued to focus on our customers; these are the elements Congratulations! ....................................................................................................................................... P. 19 There is something about those words that of our continued success. Thanks to our always amuses me. Probably the dismissive operate. We also began talking with NS to arrange for a smooth transition. Assisted by dedicated workforce we remain not only on tone towards all things bright and beautiful Reprint ......................................................................................................................................................... P. 19 CAN DO, the shippers and most notably track but ready to start a new track in 2016. and sweet and loving. The tone that we all Congressman Louis Barletta, we were able to And for that we say “Ah Humboldt”. t know will be changed by the end of the tale. The Industrial Legacy of Hazleton, Pennsylvania ...............................................................P. 20-21 come to an agreement with NS to allow us to But this year when “Bah Humbug” is spoken begin operations on January 1, 2016. P. 20-21 my mind does an alliteration. “Bah Humbug” ......................................................................... In order to ensure an efficient operation NS also Record Ridership & Amazing Achievements P. 22-25 becomes “Ah Humboldt”. For this is the season agreed to allow us to interchange the Humboldt of Humboldt. Happy Birthday! ....................................................................................................................................... P. 26 traffic at our existing Reading interchange. Tyler After over fifteen years of conversation Glass has written an article detailing how we will between RBMN and CAN DO, the regions serve Humboldt and we have a map showing Welcome Aboard ...................................................................................................................................... P. 27 most successful industrial development the route over our newly renamed Hazleton organization and the owner of the Humboldt Branch. Erik Yoder details the work we have Railroad Operations Return to Schuylkill Haven ........................................................................ P. 28 Industrial Park, RBMN finally took over done this year to ensure that the Hazleton P. 30-31 ownership of the rail line in the Park and Branch is ready to handle the estimated 5000 began rail service on January 1, 2016. Helping Birds Survive the Cold .......................................................................................................... P. 28 carloads of new RBMN business. It is appropriate at this time of year to recount Dan Gilchrist and Dennis Shaffer have led the our blessings and good fortune and our effort to reach out to each Humboldt customer RBMN Anniversaries ............................................................................................................................. P. 29 Humboldt acquisition certainly would be and help them design a guaranteed service counted in their number. schedule that meets their needs. We believe The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly ....................................................................................................P. 30-31 Candidly while we always thought RBMN these customers will see a greatly improved should serve Humboldt, and in fact all of service with a substantial reduction in transit P. 32 RBMN Christmas Party ......................................................................................................................... P. 32 Hazleton, our friends at Norfolk Southern felt time for their inbound materials. otherwise. And since NS owned the line going Included in this issue is a map of the COVER PHOTO to Hazleton we had agreed to sit on the sideline Humboldt Industrial Park, a brief overview of W. E YODER TIE GANG INSTALLING TIES ON HAZLETON LINE JUST SOUTH OF MAIN STREET QUAKAKE MP 1.84. AS THE GANG INSTALLS and watch this park grow in our backyard. the customers, and an advertisement for one NEW TIES, 18” DOUBLE SHOULDER TIE PLATES ARE ALSO INSTALLED ON EACH TIE. For me this was especially bittersweet since in of the many excellent rail-served locations in 1995 while I was managing the Conrail line the park. RBMN and CAN DO will be working EDITORS sale program Conrail had decided to sell the hand in hand to aggressively market these sites. Jolene FAY • FrAnces KArYcKi Hazleton lines to RBMN. However, before Conrail could get around to that sale NS and In preparation of this acquisition RBMN ALL PHOTOS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE RAILROAD UNLESS OTHERWISE MENTIONED. THIS MAGAZINE IS PROUDLY PRINTED ON REcycLED PAPER. CSX purchased Conrail and split its assets. has hired over a dozen new employees. In 3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Reading & Northern Railroad Takes Over Rail Service to the Humboldt To: All Media From: CAN DO, Inc. and Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Industrial Park For additional information, please contact Precision Design at 570-455-3533 or Reading & Northern President Wayne By: DAN GILCHRIST, EXECUTIVE VP MARKETING & SALES Michel at 610 562-0227. The Humboldt Industrial park is one of the premier industrial parks in the entire state of PA with outstanding Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad infrastructure, an excellent location, great highway