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The Rotary Club of Mountain Top will be holding their second train excursion on Saturday. The steam train will run from Penobscot Yard to historic downtown Jim Thorpe via the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Trail.
Michelle Reilly, president of the club, said the day allows individuals to “go back in time” on the steam engine.
“We don’t travel that way anymore,” she said.
The train, a Reading & Northern Railroad 425 steam engine, will travel through several tunnels and cities, as well as allowing passengers to see the Lehigh River on the way to the destination and the return trip home.
Participants will park at the Mountain Top Hose Company No. 1 on Woodlawn Avenue and will be shuttled up to the boarding station, Reilly said. The trip to Jim Thorpe takes approximately 90 minutes each way.
Reilly said the club had a sold out its first event with more than 600 people enjoying the sights and sounds.
“It’s nostalgia,” Reilly said.
Once in Jim Thorpe, Reilly noted several shops and restaurants attendants can visit.
“There are also horse-and-buggy rides, boutiques and antiques,” she said.
According to steamlocomotive.info, the 425 was built in 1928 for Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad at a cost of $44,000. Over the course of years, it was bought and sold several times, finally being purchased in 1984 by Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad, who use the locomotive as the main scenic train though the gorge.
The excursion will go on rain or shine.
The event is a fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Mountain Top . The club motto is “Service before Self,” and it serves the community in a variety of areas, including supporting area young people in academic and athletic endeavors.
According to Reilly, the day wouldn’t be feasible without the help of the sponsors, including DBI Services in Hazleton, who is the presenting sponsor.
Tickets are $70 per person, no discounts for children/seniors, and can bought through eventbrite.com or in-person at Triangle Pharmacy, 89 S. Main St., Fairview Township.