Reading Observation No. 1

Reading Observation No. 1 (HMD5C)

Location: Ronks, PA 17572 Lancaster County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 58.944', W 76° 9.729'

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Inscription

1937

Builder: Budd Company, Red Lion, PA
Build Date: 1937
Retirement Date: 1982
Number Built: 2
Weight: 97,000 lbs.
Length: 85 ft.
PHMC Cat No. RR78.52

The Crusader:
As the nation pulled itself out of the Great Depression, the Reading Company launched a new premier passenger service from Philadelphia to Jersey City. In search of a name for the new streamliner, the Reading held a contest among Philadelphia school children, paying the winner $250 (equivalent to nearly $3,000 in 2005). The Crusader debuted on December 12, 1937 to a great fanfare.

Sleek and elegant, the train was designed for passenger comfort and operating efficiency. The five-car train included a diner in the center, and an observation coach at each end, thereby eliminating the time-consuming need to turn the whole train around at each terminal. Two of the Reading's G3a class Pacific-type steam locomotives were clad in a matching cloak of stainless steel to complete the train.

The Crusader continued to make its twice-daily run until 1968, when the train was retired in favor of more cost-effective Diesel Cars. The entire train was sold to Canadian National, where it remained in service until the early 1980's. Car No. 1, one of the two observations, was purchased by Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in 1983 and moved to Strasburg.

(Banner at bottom of marker):
The Crusader was the first stainless steel streamlined passenger train in the Northeast.
Details
HM NumberHMD5C
Tags
Placed ByPennsylvania Railroad Museum
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 8th, 2014 at 2:37am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 400772 N 4426450
Decimal Degrees39.98240000, -76.16215000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 58.944', W 76° 9.729'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 58' 56.64" N, 76° 9' 43.74" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)717
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 300 Gap Rd, Ronks PA 17572, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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