On December 17th, 2022, I was able to take a ride on one of Reading and Northern #425's final excursions prior to her 1472day inspection. However, I wasn't riding in the standard coach cars, dome car, or crown class... I was up in 425! That's right, I was able to secure a cab ride ticket for the 1:00pm trip from Reading Outer Station to Port Clinton and return. This is a ride I had wanted to do for years, as I have long known cab rides were available for 425, however, I was never able to actually get one until these final trips. I can confidently say that this ride was well worth the wait though, and if you are someone who loves steam locomotives like me, it is a ride that is worth every penny. So, if you're interested in seeing what it's like to operate a mainline steam locomotive, make sure to stick around and check out this video!

Additionally, I have several people I would like to thank for making this video possible. Firstly, I like to thank Reading and Northern's steam crew for not only operating these excursions, but also being so welcoming to visitors in the cab. It truly makes a cab rider's experience all the more exciting, and I really enjoyed my ride as well as getting to know the crew!

I'd also like to thank the Reading and Northern Railroad for adding these Santa Claus excursions with 425 as the motive power for the month of December! It was nice to see her run a few more times, as well as being able to receive this experience prior to her overhaul.

I also can't go on without saying a sincere thank you to my family for waiting along the mainline at various points in order to film me passing by, as this allowed me to have both incab and trackside footage of my ride. Not only does this make the video more complete, but it also allows me to look back in the future and remember this day even better!

I also have to extend an equal thank you to fellow Youtuber and friend @JamieMakin, who also provided me with trackside footage of my ride! Please make sure to check out her channel, as she has put together an awesome video of this weekend's excursions, as well as other exciting railroad content from the Reading and Northern and numerous other railroads.

Please enjoy this special perspective of one of 425's final runs!!

0:00 Intro
0:45 Climbing Onboard (Special Thanks to Jamie Makin)
1:33 5 Minutes Till Departure
2:18 "Okay Ahead to Port Clinton... Over"
4:26 Reading Outer Yard w/ Radio Chatter
9:01 Passing Under US Rt. 222 and Approaching Peacock's Lock Viaduct
10:47 Approaching Cross Keys Rd.
12:02 Passing Thru Leesport (Special Thanks to my StepFather)
14:29 Approaching Belleman's Church Rd.
15:35 Passing Thru Mohrsville (Special Thanks to my Mom)
17:23 Shoemakersville
19:24 Approaching Fisher Dam Rd. & River Rd.
21:51 Entering West Hamburg
22:56 Passing by Industrial Dr. (Special Thanks to my Mom)
23:48 Passing by Lowland Rd. (Special Thanks to Jamie Makin)
25:13 Approaching Port Clinton
28:10 And Back to Reading We Go!
29:24 Pacing at Lowland Rd. (Special Thanks to my StepMother)
30:44 Can You Read a Water Glass?
30:58 "I've wanted to do that my whole life!!"
31:13 Entering Reading Outer Yard
31:34 Special Thanks & Outro

Music in this video:
Song: Straight Fuse
Artist: French Fuse
Licensed to YouTube by: YouTube Audio Library