The winding road over my shoulder in the photo is the end of a 2.5-mile downhill section of the old gravity railroad right-of-way.

I love autumn. See how the trees in the photo are changing colours? I got tired of looking at all those leaves in my yard, so I got up off the couch and went into action. I closed the curtains. Then ...I drove to Reading.

In the late 1800s BC (before coasters), Mt Penn, which borders Reading to the east and is part of the Appalachian Mountains, was inaccessible to the average person. Automobiles were not yet affordable, and no roads were cut through the woods that covered the 1,200ft-tall mountain. Only trails gave hikers access to stunning views, so in 1890 the local Chamber of Commerce decided to build a railroad to carry about 2,000 passengers per weekend to the top of the mountain.

The railroad was a 7.5-mile long circuit, including 2.5 miles of ascending track and 5 miles downhill. The entire trip took about 45 minutes. A steam-powered engine pushed one or two trolley cars to the summit where passengers would disembark for a scenic view of Reading. The engine would then disconnect from the trolley and return by itself back down the same track it had just covered.

The trolley would begin to roll forward, coasting down the other five miles of gradually descending track for its return trip, using nothing but its brakes to control its descent. Its average speed was about 12 mph.

Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity in 1687. Gravity is chiefly noticeable in the fall, when the apples are dropping from the trees. That’s why I chose November to put gravity into action. I drove to Mt. Penn’s summit; put my car in neutral, and coasted downhill over the first half of the original right-of-way. With the fall foliage lining the roadside, it was a glorious ride.

Unlike the trolley, I did not use the brakes to control my descent. I reached a top speed of 25 mph. Ok, so riding downhill in one’s car is not exactly rollercoasting, but please cut me some slack here. That’s what one does in November when the parks are closed and you’re suffering coaster depravation.

Mt. Penn was not the only gravity railroad in North America. The Shohola Glen Switchback Gravity Railroad, built in 1886 at Shohola, Pennsylvania, and the Rhume Run Railroad, built in 1833, Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, are among the others. The Mauch Chunk Railroad, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was the first. It operated from 1827 until 1937.

Someday I hope to bicycle the route of the Mauch Chunk, as long as I don’t have to peddle up. Like passengers aboard the Mauch Chunk Railway, I just want to go with gravity.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend