The Reading & Northern Railroad announces that it started running trains for the season under its Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway banner in Jim Thorpe on Jan. 1.

The trains depart from the Jim Thorpe station on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Each trip will be 70 minutes round trip, taking the route into the Lehigh Gorge State Park. The trains have clean restrooms available, and the cars are heated for the winter.

Live narration on the train will point out items of interest as well as providing facts about the surrounding areas during the ride. These trains will be primarily powered by diesel locomotives.

For the beginning part of 2022 at Jim Thorpe, Reading & Northern will be offering new, additional classes of seating options.

In addition to Standard Coach, the First-Class Dome offers panoramic views with comfortable seats. The railroad will introduce Crown Class Coach seating options for the first time. Crown Class Coach features plush, larger, reclining seats - similar to a charter bus.

Tickets will be available for sale over the phone at 570-325-8485, at the ticket booth in Jim Thorpe day of train ride, or on online at www.lgsry.com.

Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 70 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming).

It has expanded its operations over the past 30-plus years and now handles over 34,000 carloads of freight and 200,000 excursion train riders over 400 miles of track. Reading & Northern operates both freight services and steam and diesel-powered excursion passenger services, owns almost 1,400 freight cars, and employs nearly 300 dedicated employees.

Reading & Northern has repeatedly been honored as one of the premier railroads in the nation including being named Regional Railroad of the year in 2020 by Railway Age Magazine.