An updated passenger coach has been added to the Lehigh Gorge trains in Jim Thorpe. Coach number 450, “The Pagoda,” is named after the famous Reading Pagoda found just south of the city of Reading.

Referred to as a heavyweight 6-axle car, it was originally built in the 1920s for the Illinois Central Railroad.

The passenger coach was recently purchased in an auction of rail cars by the Reading and Northern Railroad.

“The Pagoda” looks nearly brand-new as it was the focus of the railroad’s restoration and paint department earlier this summer.

The roof and exterior were painted to match the rest of the passenger fleet on the Reading and Northern.

The inside of the car was thoroughly cleaned, and the extra-large comfortable seats are in the process of being refabricated.

The coach is currently being placed in the 70-minute Lehigh Gorge train service.

The Lehigh Gorge trains run daily out of historic downtown Jim Thorpe.

The service is a big hit due to the brand-new air-conditioning system that was placed in the coach by the railroad this year.

The AC/Heating system built by Northwest and installed by railroad contractors and employees keeps the air temperature inside the cabin of the coach to a constant 72 degrees.

Crown seating featuring “The Pagoda” is available now through the rest of the season. Tickets can be purchased at www.lgsry.com, or the day of the trip at the ticket booth next to the train station in Jim Thorpe.

Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 75 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming).

It has expanded its operations over the last 30-plus years and now handles over 40,000 carloads of freight and 250,000 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.