Reading Company 902 and Reading Company 903 are two preserved ex- Reading Company EMD FP7s.

History

Reading 902 and 903 were among of the first six FP7s ordered by the railroad in March 1950 to replace passenger steam locomotives. The two units were completed on June 1 of that year and delivered to the Reading via the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The pair pulled their first train on June 6. In the following years, the two locomotives sometimes worked together, and sometimes were split, depending on the size of their trains.

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...

inherited the units in 1974, and they were renumbered by the new

Consolidated Rail Corporation Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

in 1976, with the 902 becoming 4372 and the 903 becoming 4373. During the SEPTA years, the FP7s usually operated in push-pull configuration. 903 was the first FP7 to receive the SEPTA paint scheme in February 1978. 902 was involved in a derailment in February 1978, and when it re-entered service in June, it was also repainted into the SEPTA paint. SEPTA ceased all diesel-operations in 1981, and the locomotives were retired. Both locomotives were eventually purchased by the

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

in September 1983. 902 was obtained by the Lancaster Chapter of the NRHS, while 903 purchased by the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Chapter of the NRHS. They were stored at the

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741. It is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Mus ...

. Restoration on the two began in 1986 and was completed in 1995. In January 2007, the Lancaster Chapter donated the 902 to the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society. 902 and 903 operated an excursion on an ex-Reading line owned by Penn Eastern Rail Lines in October of that year, but no more trips are planned for 2008. In January 2010, the 902 and 903 were loaned to Steamtown National Historic Site for a year to maintain the locomotives in exchange for excursion rights. As of 2014, both units are still at the park, but are out of service and on display.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reading 0902 Electro-Motive Division locomotives B-B locomotives Reading Company Individual locomotives of the United States Preserved diesel locomotives Philadelphia and Reading Railroad locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States