On a brisk February morning, the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern’s job out of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania is literally around the bend from its turnaround point at Mount Carmel Junction. Here U33B 3301, which came from Port Clinton running hammerhead first, is making its final switching move at a small explosives plant before working the facing-point International Paper siding and returning to Port Clinton. The empty covered hoppers will be coupled it a load of paper on the main line, and then the crew will get to the business of getting to the other end of the cut of cars.
Once one of the most bustling areas of the country, the Coal Region of Central Pennsylvania holds many memories of heavy industries rooted deep in the depths of the Anthracite Coal veins.