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Local Area Info: Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad 425

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad 425 is a 4-6-2 light "Pacific" type steam locomotive originally built in 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad. After the GM&N was consolidated into the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad in 1940, the locomotive was renumbered #580 and served in passenger service before being retired in 1950. Today, the locomotive is owned and operated by the Reading & Northern Railroad, based out of Port Clinton, PA in excursion service.

Locomotive 425 was built for the Gulf, Mobile and Northern by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Eddystone, PA as the first of two G-1 Pacifics ordered, the second being 426. The two engines later became Gulf, Mobile and Ohio 580 and 582, respectively. Both were retired in 1950.

Quickly after retirement, 580 and 582 were purchased by Paulson Spence as part of his Louisiana Eastern Railroad. Both 580 and 582 were renumbered to #4 and #3, as part of a large fleet of steam engines which Spence had acquired over time, and hauled trains of gravel and occasional passenger trips. When Spence died in 1961 and the Louisiana Eastern collapsed, #3 was sold for scrap (along with most of the line's engines), while #4 was purchased in 1962 by Malcolm Ottinger and became the main power of the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad of Kimberton, Pennsylvania, where it also regained its original number, 425. In the 1970s, it was purchased by Brian Woodcock and others and moved to the Wilmington & Western Railroad, though it never operated on the line due to its high axle load. In 1983, it was sold to Andrew J. Muller, Jr. to power tourist trains on the newly formed Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad based out of Temple, PA. The engine made many runs on this 26 miles shortline, as well as a few trips on the mainline. The high-stepping Pacific was later joined by Reading Company 4-8-4 #2102 in 1987. The Blue Mountain & Reading became much larger with the purchase of nearly 300 miles of former Conrail trackage throughout the early 1990s. The railroad was renamed to Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern (often shortened to Reading & Northern). In 1995 both names officially Merged. Having more track gave 425 and 2102 a large amount of new areas to roam, and the engines became based out of the railroad's own headquarters of Port Clinton.