Made famous as a name from the Monopoly board, the Reading (pronounced Red-ding) Railroad grew from a 94-mile coal hauling line into a 1,300 mile railroad system in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. For a time in the 19th Century, Reading was the largest corporation in the world. As the coal business declined and truck competition increased, Reading's revenues signficantly declined. Reading entered bankruptcy in 1971 and became a part of Conrail in 1976. Today, segments of the Reading are an important part of the Norfolk Southern and CSX freight networks.

Reading Railroad Online is designed to be a resource of information on the history, equipment and operations of the Reading Company. Contributions of material from site visitors are welcomed.