Map showing the Phila. and Reading Rail Road and the Various Branches under its Control

The extensive holdings of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad just a few years after the end of the Civil War.

Organized in 1833 to transport anthracite coal from the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia and Reading (pronounced ‘Redding’) Rail Road would grow from a 94-mile single track line to one of the world’s largest corporations within about forty years. The ‘Main Line’ connecting Philadelphia to Pottsville was completed in 1842 and numerous acquisitions in the following years propelled the company’s growth.

This map, issued in 1869, shows the extensive localized control of the railroad and reflects a virtual “monopoly of coal traffic from Schuylkill anthracite region” [Smithsonian]. The image shows over 1,100 miles of railway in operation between the Susquehanna, Lehigh, and Delaware Rivers; with 200 additional miles under contract or projected. A table in the lower right lists the thirty-two separate railroads operated or controlled by the Philadelphia and Reading. Topography is depicted in hachure, giving a tremendous impression of the rugged terrain, especially in the west. Dozens of settlements, many comprised of just a handful of buildings, are labeled throughout.

The image was compiled by Chief Engineer C.E. Byers, based on surveys drawn by T.V. Fay of the Pottstown Engineering Department. Lithographed in Philadelphia by Bowen & Company in 1869. Two years after publication, company directors would organize the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company – soon to become one of the largest owners of coal reserves in Pennsylvania. With control of vast swathes of coal production and transportation, the company experienced tremendous, though unsustainable growth through the 1870s.

Source: Smithsonian Institution; Reading Railroad History