I only rode behind #2102 twice, South Hamburg to Temple spring 1988 and my uncle from Emmaus and his then 2 year old youngest son were there. Then, we rode behind it again from Emmaus to Pennsburg Sept. 7, 1988. Those two routes will never be used by the #2102 ever again. Or on any former Conrail/Reading lines that are now NS. I missed all the BM&R excursions on Conrail and other lines in the mid-late 1980's and the #2102 excursions on SEPTA at Lansdale Oct 1991 right before it was retired. I had just ridden behind it at Emmaus which is a few miles from me and no my uncle Dave from Emmaus was not on that train. I really want to see it or ride behind it this year, but my mom has breathing issues and we would have to stay at a hotel in the Reading area and bring her home oxygen concentrator for the hotel room and tanks and a battery concentrator for the train. Reading is only 27 miles from me but it would be fun to make a weekend out of it and stay two nights like Friday and Saturday nights and ride the train on a Saturday on one of the dates. They should have one or two open air coaches behind the #2102. Maybe they will offer shorter rides at some point for those who don't want an all day excursion. Like Reading to Port Clinton or Jim Thorpe to Old Penn Haven. And how about on the lines lesser used by excursions like toward Schuylkill Haven and toward Ashland? And up the Lehigh Gorge line? The original Reading Rambles had some interesting routings that could not be done today due to track abandonment and other railroads owning track that wouldn't allow excursions now, like Norfolk Southern. Liability, open window coaches, and friction bearings are why. It was a different situation in 1985, 1987, and 1988 when #2102 ran on Conrail. In fact, an insurance crisis killed most off line excursions for 1986 and in 1989 the off line excursions on Conrail came to an end, 1988 was the final year. #2102 will only operate on track RBMN owns or leases. Is the Haucks-Packerton ex-CNJ line owned or leased by RBMN?
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