Buffalo Express

There was a lot of historic rail preservation and operation going on in the east in the 1980s. After the formation of Conrail in 1976, thousands of miles of track were spun off to smaller shortlines. These tended to be more friendly towards railfans, and many catered to them. The shedding of track made a lot of old equipment surplus, which came on the market for relatively low prices, well within what an individual could pay. I came close to buying a partial interest in a locomotive for a few thousand dollars. I personally knew of several people who bought their own locomotives, cars, and even knew someone who started their own railroad with surplussed track and cars! Then there were many active organizations that pooled resources to acquire and restore historic rail equipment.

One of the most active groups was headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. They not only bought and restored locomotives and cars, but also the former Reading Railroad shop facilities in which to do their work. The railroad that served the shops, the Blue Mountain and Reading, was quite happy to host and run the historic equipment on their lines.

I took this shot in the mid 1980s, but could easily have done the exact same 30 years earlier. The restored Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives pulling through a restored Pennsy signal bridge, pulling period cars, looked just as it would have when that line ran their daily passenger train from Reading to Buffalo, New York. When I shot it the train only ran from Reading to a few miles outside of town and back, for tourists.

One of the things I enjoy about train photography is the connection with my interest in American history. With the appropriate equipment and setting, it lets me to go back to an earlier time.