Reading Modelers - New Jersey in 1947

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

If anyone models the Reading, I thought they would find the details in these shots very interesting.

My dad took these shots with his 620 Brownie in Skillman, NJ in January of 1947.

First, the track gang car shed, with a gang car sitting outside.

http://knox.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1155344

One of the Reading’s Big Dutch Mikes pulls up to the gang car shed.

http://knox.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1155345

The station house in Skillman.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=234747&nseq=0

A trackside Reading customer.

http://knox.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1033972

And another view of the depot.

http://knox.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1153814

Thanks for looking. Corrections are always welcome.

Charles Freericks

2

Neat views. [:)] While I don’t model the Reading, thanks anyway for posting them.

Wayne

3

I’m modeling the Reading at Pottsville and St Clair, but any pictures of the Reading are always greatly appreciated. Thanks for posting.

4

Why doesn’t Amcrash put gingerbread on the gable ends of their stations? [:-^]

5

I have a strong feeling (no way to confirm, sadly) that these pictures were taken in order to model this location.

6

EL,

Thanks for posting these Reading Company photo’s. You just gotta love that '33 Chevy in the last photo! Like the others who replyed I love to see all this Reading “stuff” Skillman is on the New York Branch with the Philly to Jersey City, later Newark, passenger and frieght operations. That station may still be in existance, maybe not used for passengers though because NJT and Amtrak use the old Pennsy Northeast Corridor for today’s passenger runs.

Chris

7

Sadly, the Skillman depot is gone (probably in the 1960s). The good news is that it has two twins that survive. Fanwood/Scotch Plains and Matawan (both in NJ).

8

Excellent photo’s-thanks for sharing

9

I just learned something very cool about the handle on the semaphore base.

It’s a flagstop handle. It’s for passengers to pull down to alert a train that they want it to stop and pick them up.