The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in Jim Thorpe celebrated its 20th anniversary on Memorial Day weekend.

The LGSR story began in 2003 when the Reading & Northern Railroad achieved a major goal in restoring the track across the Nesquehoning Bridge. The bridge had been inactive since the 1970s.

Reopening the bridge created a continuous rail route between Jim Thorpe and Lehigh Gorge State Park. Its primary function was to expedite freight moves between RBMN’s Reading and Lehigh divisions; however, owner/CEO Andy Muller Jr. saw another golden opportunity with the completion of this connection.

Plans were made to create a regularly scheduled passenger operation based in Jim Thorpe with the goal of it becoming a true tourist destination.

Memorial Day weekend 2005 marked the grand opening of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.

Departures at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. have been a staple since the 1980s on the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad.

The first LGSR train departed the Jim Thorpe station right as advertised at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, 2005. Guests were treated to an hour-long train ride into Lehigh Gorge State Park aboard the railroad’s classic former Delaware Lackawanna & Western passenger coaches. An SD50 diesel locomotive on each end of the train served as the power.

Shortly after, the LGSR added the open-air car seating option. This was a hit on the warmer spring and summer days. A second open-air car was added shortly thereafter. Today, the LGSR rolling stock roster is up to four open-air cars in rotation. And, on busy warm weather weekends, it is not uncommon to see three or even all four of them in the train consist.

As time went on, more seating accommodations were added to bring increased variety to the LGSR train. A classic red caboose, which parties of up to six may reserve for a trip, was introduced to allow guests to see the railroad and its accompanying scenery from a unique perspective. The enhanced Crown Class Coaches and the long-requested Vista Dome Cars debuted.

The Vista Dome has proved to be the most popular choice among visitors, almost always selling out on the busiest weekends. The LGSR runs year-round with a weekend-only schedule during the winter months.

Expansion

Such growing business demands also led to the railroad investing in other infrastructures beyond simply the trains themselves. In 2021 the railroad bought the rail line into Jim Thorpe by Reading & Northern. This allowed the company to perform its own track upgrades, allowing for higher speeds and more trains to be operated simultaneously.

More tracks were installed just west of Jim Thorpe station to allow trains to efficiently come and go. Now, as many as four passenger trains can be seen moving about the area on a given weekend.

The Jim Thorpe station platform has been expanded multiple times to accommodate larger trains and to create safer walking and boarding conditions for guests. The railroad has partnered with Carbon County to provide restroom facilities and entertainment to create a total guest experience beyond the train ride.

In September 2024 automatic crossing signal protection was installed for the ever-increasing traffic flowing into and out of the county parking lot in Jim Thorpe. Flashers, gates and bells warn motorists and pedestrians to stand clear as the numerous trains operating in Jim Thorpe make their way to and from the station.

In 2024, the King Coal Café was introduced. A section of Crown Class Coach 450 was renovated into the very first iteration of the King Coal Café and has been tremendously popular ever since. That soon led to an entire dining car being converted into its own King Coal Café for use on weekend and holiday trains.

More to come

Under the direction of General Manager Matt Fisher and Senior Director Jeff Knadler, LGSR is in good hands to be shepherded into its next 20 years. A stationary version of the King Coal Café is planned to make its debut this summer on the grounds of the Jim Thorpe station.

Muller has purchased more pieces of rolling stock that are in various stages of restoration and are waiting to make their debut in revenue passenger service.

Along with the 10-, 20-, 30-, and in some cases, 40-year veterans of the railroad, many new faces have joined the company. Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 80 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Wyoming).

It has expanded its operations over the last 40 years; and now transports nearly 35,000 carloads of freight (which removes over 200,000 trucks from the highway), while its Passenger Department welcomes nearly 340,000 riders annually.

Reading & Northern operates its freight and steam- and diesel-powered passenger excursions over 400 miles of track, owns almost 2,000 freight cars, and employs over 350 dedicated people. Reading & Northern has been repeatedly honored as one of the premier railroads in the nation, including being named Regional Railroad of the Year in 2020 by Railway Age magazine.