READING & NORTHERN REAL ESTATE COMPANY
Since 1986, the Reading & Northern Real Estate Company was formed to manage the properties of the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad Company (RBMN).
Encompassing over 400 miles of track through nine counties in Pennsylvania, the properties of RBMN support freight and passenger traffic, as well as industrial development opportunities and the operations of the RBMN company.
The Reading & Northern Real Estate Company facilitates the partnership between the RBMN company and various outside entities such as public utility companies, State and local entities, and private companies performing work on or in partnership with the RBMN company property.
Nesquehoning Campus Acquisition
On the heels of RBMN’s purchase of C&S Railroad’s connection to Carbon County in 2021 and fully reconstructing the main bridge in Nesquehoning in 2020, it seemed highly advantageous to look for a new headquarters for RBMN at the midpoint of the line.
Fortuitously, one such property was available for sale. KME (Kovatch Mobile Equipment), a fire apparatus and fire truck fabrication company, was in the process of dedicating the majority of its business interests to its southern facilities. The totality of the facility grounds for sale spanned over 500,000 square feet with spacious, industrial-friendly buildings as well as adjacent offices to house current and future RBMN staffers.
With his usual keen eye for seeing the potential for expansion, Andy quickly seized the opportunity to purchase. And, in April of 2022, KME was rebranded as RBMN: Nesquehoning Campus.
In an interview with Railway Age, Andy explained…
“We anticipate locating important parts of our freight and passenger operations in Nesquehoning, which sits in such a perfect location for our railroad and our employees,” RBMN Founder and Owner/CEO Andy Muller Jr. said. “We now will have the room to grow our equipment maintenance and repair facilities as well as providing much needed storage. With over 1,600 freight cars and our ever-growing passenger fleet, which now consists of 47 cars, plus over 70 motor vehicles and countless number of other equipment for our track department and other departments, we were running out of space to keep our equipment well maintained.”
RBMN, Muller added, “is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, we believe we will be enjoying double-digit carload and revenue growth for years to come fueled in large part by the increasing worldwide demand for Pennsylvania anthracite coal.”
Rapid development soon occurred at the new property. Ease of material transfers for RBMN’s maintenance of way (MOW) department, fleet repair, staff training facilities, and passenger operations took root within the span of a few months and there is generous space left for growth.