Historically, the most vital and noticeable construction through the Reading are
Historically, the most vital and noticeable construction through the Reading area has been railroads. As part of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad (P&R), incorporated in 1833, much of the town has been covered with railroads until the P&R railroad filed for bankruptcy protection in 1971. The railroad in the Northwest Reading neighborhood runs along the Schuylkill River, which leads to the neighboring cities of Pottsville, Pottstown and Philadelphia. This railroad was also located directly next to Parish Steel (later Dana Corp.), becoming vital to the neighborhood’s industry. (ReadingPa.gov, n.d.)
This railroad has been an important part of the neighborhood, as it was used by the Reading Iron Company and Carpenter Technology in the transport of iron and steel, and Reading Anthracite Company in transportation of anthracite from the northern Coal Region counties to Reading and the southern states. A passenger line to and from Philadelphia in 1833 made the neighborhood a hotbed for railroad use (ReadingPa.gov, n.d.).
This usage continued well into the 20th century, even after the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company was renamed the Reading Company in 1923. The reason for the name change was to streamline the company’s corporate structure after World War I, when the railroads were no longer under government control and lines were becoming electrified. This period right after World War I was the company’s best years. However, industrial railroad use decreased significantly after World War II when the demand for anthracite fell sharply (ReadingPa.gov, n.d.).
For the next two decades, this decline slowly ate away at the Reading Company’s profits, until the Reading Company finally filed for bankruptcy in 1971, and sold all its railway lines to Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), and subsequently the Reading lines were sold to Virginia-based freighter Norfolk Southern in 1997, including the rails in Northwest Reading (Alecknavage II, 2003).
In or before the first decade of the twentieth century, much of the railways in the area were abandoned. One can see remnants of these former lines running through neighborhood streets, such as Buttonwood Street. Since then, many of the other abandoned lines have been paved over, while others that have not are largely grown over with brush. According to former Reading mayor Tom McMahon, mayor of Reading from 2004-2012, the Norfolk Southern rail is still active and used a few times a week (T. McMahon, personal communication, March 13, 2017).
Another major infrastructure fixture in northwest Reading is the Schuylkill River Trail, a 140-mile trail that extends from Pottsville to Philadelphia. One mile of the trail runs through Northwest Reading along River Road, with its entrance behind Baer Park. On this section, one can see remnants of the former Schuylkill Canal, a historic canal that was in operation from 1825 to 1931. The beautiful Kissinger’s Lock (Lock 45), which officially ceased boat traffic in 1945