Reading Observation No. 1

Built by the Budd Company in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, in 1937, Reading Observation No. 1 was one of two observation cars created for the Crusader, the Reading Company's new premier passenger service between Philadelphia and Jersey City. As the nation emerged from the Great Depression, the Reading named the new streamliner through a contest among Philadelphia schoolchildren, awarding the winner $250, and the Crusader debuted on December 12, 1937, with great fanfare. Sleek and elegant, the five-car train was designed for passenger comfort and operating efficiency, with a diner in the center and an observation coach at each end so the whole train did not need to be turned around at terminals. Two of the Reading's G3a class Pacific-type steam locomotives were clad in matching stainless steel, and the Crusader became the first stainless steel streamlined passenger train in the Northeast. It continued its twice-daily run until 1968, when it was retired in favor of more cost-effective Diesel Cars, then was sold to Canadian National and remained in service until the early 1980s. Car No. 1 was purchased by Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in 1983 and moved to Strasburg.

Pennsylvania · United States