The Reading & Northern Passenger Department has already begun its 2026 schedule of all-day rail excursions to historic Jim Thorpe from Reading Outer Station and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Regional Railroad Station at Pittston.

For the first time, excursion trains operated in January and February, and will continue to do so throughout and March.

The winter 2026 schedule was announced this past December.

For the first six weekends of the year, guests had the opportunity to ride the train from Pittston or Reading to Jim Thorpe at a reduced fare. It also marked the first time that all-day passenger service would be offered year-round.

Reading & Northern reports that its regular fares have not increased, and the trips will follow largely the same schedule and format as in past years.

Trains from Pittston and Reading will operate Saturdays and Sundays, plus Presidents Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, through Sept. 20.

After a successful experiment in 2025, trains from Reading will also operate on Fridays in September.

Following its traditional slate of Fall Foliage excursions (to be announced later), the last of the 2026 regular season will take place on weekends in November and December.

The latter part of the schedule will include Black Friday “Shopper’s Specials” to Jim Thorpe originating from Reading and Pittston on Nov. 27.

Reading Outer Station is celebrating its 10th year of passenger excursions in 2026. It is located at the very southern end of Reading & Northern’s operating territory.

This route is mainly serviced by the railroad’s 1950s-era self-propelled rail diesel cars, or RDCs. During the ride, guests may visit the refreshment counter in RDC No.9166, which offers reasonably priced snacks, beverages and souvenirs.

Trains depart Outer Station at 9 a.m. sharp, with station stops at Port Clinton and Tamaqua enroute to Jim Thorpe. Plans are in the works for additional intermediate station stops along this popular route. Once again, the railroad is partnering with The Village at Housers Crossing to offer a “flag stop” exclusively for Village guests.

The Village at Housers Crossing, just south of Tamaqua, is a unique lodging retreat opened in 2021 by Carolee Smith on a historically significant parcel of anthracite country land.

Village guests have the option to purchase round trip train tickets to Jim Thorpe as part of their getaway.

Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Regional Railroad Station at Pittston is entering its fourth year and services the northern segment of the railroad’s system. Its trains depart Pittston at 8:45 a.m. and make station stops at Mountain Top (also known as Penobscot) and White Haven.

The special feature of the Pittston trains is First-Class Lounge Observation car No. 7, King Coal. This car can only be boarded at Pittston and presents unique views of the scenery thanks to its larger windows, boat-tail profile and position at the end of the train.

Crown Class Coaches, along with a dining car offering snacks, beverages and souvenirs, join the King Coal in completing the train.

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 projects 40,000 carloads of freight in 2026 (which removes over 220,000 trucks from the highway), while its Passenger Department welcomed over 410,000 customers in 2025.