Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club

Located right behind Kempton station, the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club is housed in Atlantic City RR wood coach #72.

The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club is open to the public on any Sunday that the big trains are running. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club is housed in coach #72, built in 1889 by Jackson & Sharp for the Atlantic City Railroad. When new, coach #72 would have looked like sister coach #79 shown in the builder's photo above. Photo donated to the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club by Raymond C. Schlegel.

At an unknown date Atlantic City Railroad coach #72 went to the Ironton Railroad where it was converted to tool car #1. The photo above shows tool car #1 behind Ironton locomotive #31 sometime in the 1940s. The Ironton Railroad was partially owned by the Reading Company and #31 is a former Reading locomotive. Photo donated to the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club by Leslie R. Ross.

The Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern acquired the car from the Ironton Railroad in 1963. The car arrived at the WK&S without trucks, couplers, brake rigging or truss rods, but was soon fitted with a pair of composite trucks and truss rods from the same period of the coach's original construction. The trucks may have come off a New York, Susquehanna & Western car from Little Ferry, New Jersey. The photo above is from around 1964 and shows the coach after its arrival at the WK&S, but before the back track was ready. The coach is sitting near the main line on the south side of Kempton station. Photo by Bernie Perch.

Same shot as above, but from the opposite angle. The car has now been repainted. Note how the car is sitting right were today's hole track is located. This photograph shows that the hole track switch has already been constructed. The hole track itself will go in after the car is moved.

Now the car has been placed on trucks and moved to the back track. The car is lettered "HAWK MOUNTAIN LINE" on the left, "WK&S RAIL ROAD MUSEUM" on the right and "HAWK MOUNTAIN HOBBY COACH" on the banner. The car is positioned between the B&O coach and LNE caboose #512.

Coach #72 as it appears today on the back track behind Kempton station. Along with a collection of other static equipment on the back track, coach #72 was initially intended to be a museum display car. The museum didn't last long and around 1967 it was decided to use the car for a new model railroad club. Construction of the HO scale model railroad began over the winter of 1967 and was open to the public by the spring of 1968. The Club is named after the Schuylkill & Lehigh branch of the Reading Railroad and loosely depicts several scenes one may have encountered along the line. The WK&S operates on a portion of the S&L, most of which was scrapped in the early 1970s. The Club consists of 15-20 members, some from the original 1967 crew.

I received the following email including more details of #72's history with the Ironton Railroad...

The Ironton tool car was one of three Passenger cars that was used in Ironton commuter passenger service. After evaluating old Ironton Railroad records, some of which have been destroyed now I fear, I found that this coach was either Ironton No 2 or No 3 which was purchased 2nd hand in 1910. It, a sister coach and the combine No. 1 served the railroad till 1920 in varnish service. The combine arrived on the property in 1914 and was retired 1923 becoming the yard office of the Ironton at Egypt, Pa. That combine is still there but somewhat worse for wear. So two of the three Ironton passenger cars last used survive. I suspect they were from the same order from Jackson Sharp, but the only thing that suggests that is the shape of the overhangs on the step ends are very unique and similar. There was some mention by old timers that one or more of the Ironton Passenger equipment was borrowed briefly by the Chestnut Ridge Rwy before returning to Ironton RR. The coach at Kempton I suspect was retired by 1930 to become tool car No.1. But in the early to mid 20's it appears that at least one or two intact coaches still graced the property being parked near the quarry where the legion stands today in Hokendauqua.
Rich Bach
April 2006