Colebrookdale Railroad

The Colebrookdale Railroad operates a variety of excursions originating out of Boyertown with plans eventually to have trains originating from Pottstown as well. The trains operated include a fall foliage train, Haunted History train, Santa Claus train, Valentine's Day train, Easter Bunny Express, Wine Tasting and Cheese Train, and Mother's Day and Father's Day trains. The railroad also allows groups to charter the entire train, or select cars, and to rent the caboose for birthday parties. They currently operate a consist of 5 train cars: deluxe coach, dining car, cafe car, lounge car, and parlor car. The fifth passenger car entered service in mid-November 2020 and is a cross between a parlor car and a coach car. The deluxe coach and parlor car are fully restored with their final interiors but the dining and cafe cars have yet to receive their final restoration. They also have an open-air gondola and a PRR caboose. Other cars not yet restored include a private car named Voiture Lynnewood, a baggage car that will eventually serve as a child entertainment center for the train, and an immigrant sleeper named The Beaver currently stored at their restoration shops. They are not planning on starting restoration on any of these cars for at least a few more years. ==History==

The original Colebrookdale Railroad started building the railroad line between Boyertown and Pottstown in 1865 to serve the iron ore industry along the Manatawny Creek and trains started running on September 6, 1869. The line, which featured both freight and passenger service, originally continued further north to Bechtelsville and Barto before service was later cut back to Boyertown. The Colebrookdale Railroad was leased by the Reading Railroad who operated the line until 1976, when it became a part of Conrail. Conrail planned to abandon the line, but the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation acquired the line and hired operators. The line was operated by the Anthracite Railway, the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad, and Penn Eastern Rail Lines. In March 2001, Berks County acquired the line for $155,000 to keep it active; the line was soon sold to Penn Eastern Rail Lines. The Colebrookdale Spur was abandoned by the East Penn Railroad (the successor to Penn Eastern Rail Lines) in 2008. The Berks County Redevelopment Authority reactivated the line, with the Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad appointed to operate the line beginning in October 2010. Tourist passenger operations began in early October 2014 with a series of "soft" trips, intended to work out any operational issues before the first full season in 2015. The Colebrookdale Railroad began regular tourist service on October 18, 2014. The company's non-profit parent, the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust, was working on developing freight traffic on the line; however, business had to be turned away because tracks and bridges needed reinforcement to support the weight of modern railcars. In early 2020 the railroad operators requested $25 million from the county government for infrastructure improvements. A $40 million loan from the Federal Railroad Administration was approved starting in 2022 to completely rebuild the line and extend it to Bechtelsville. As of 2022, the railroad has acquired two steam locomotives as part of their new steam program. In addition, the railroad is currently redeveloping their yard for more space to store their equipment, and they're transforming parts of their own parking lot into an Edwardian garden that will serve a variety of community events, as well as providing more parking space for their passengers. ==Equipment==

Locomotives Former units ==References==