Colebrookdale Railroad

The Colebrookdale line began construction in 1865 and commenced regular train service on September 6, 1869, originally serving the iron‑ore industry along the Manatawny Creek. After being leased to the Reading Railroad, the line remained under its operation until Conrail absorbed it in 1976, at which point the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation took ownership and contracted operators such as the Anthracite Railway, the Blue Mountain & Reading Railroad, and Penn Eastern Rail Lines. Berks County purchased the line for $155,000 in March 2001, shortly thereafter selling it back to Penn Eastern, and the East Penn Railroad (the successor to Penn Eastern) abandoned the Colebrookdale Spur in 2008. The Berks County Redevelopment Authority reactivated the corridor, appointing the Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad as operator in October 2010; tourist passenger service began with “soft” trips in early October 2014 and entered full regular operation on October 18, 2014, the year the heritage railroad was formally founded. In early 2020 the operators sought $25 million for infrastructure upgrades, and a $40 million Federal Railroad Administration loan was approved in 2022 to rebuild the line and extend it to Bechtelsville.