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The Reading Belt Branch was the result of an attempt to bypass the bottleneck of the yard and numerous grade crossings on the Main Line in downtown Reading. The original line was incorporated on April 9, 1900, as the Reading Belt Railroad Co. to build from Belt Line Junction in Muhlenberg Township, just north of the City of Reading, to Klapperthal Junction, south of the city near Neversink Mountain. The 6-mile section from Cumru Junction to Birdsboro was originally part of the Wilmington and Northern Railroad, which was leased to Reading for 999 years in 1900. The original plan of operations called for southbound trains to use the W&N to Birdsboro, while northbound trains would use the Main Line to Klapperthal Jct.
Connections were available to the Main Line at Belt Line Jct. and Klapperthal Jct. as well as Birdsboro. Lebanon Valley Junction was constructed as a wye junction enabling trains coming east from Harrisburg to divert north towards Pottsville or Allentown as well as south towards Philadelphia (both directions were railroad east). There are four crossings of the Schuylkill River and three crossings of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Schuylkill Division.
During the Conrail era, place names were shortened and portions of the Belt Line became an important part of their east-west routes. CP Belt (Belt Line Junction) to Valley (Valley Junction) was a portion of the Reading Line. Valley to CP Titus (Klapperthal Junction, Conrail renamed it for the nearby Titus generating station) became part of the Harrisburg Line. Valley has since been renamed CP Leisey in honor of a former Reading Co. and Conrail dispatcher. The section from Cumru to Birdsboro was downgraded for mostly local freight operations but still saw the occasional through freight from time to time. It became informally known to Conrail crews as the "Turkey Path".
The Titus Station (located between Cumru and Klapperthal), a coal-fired power plant, is a major rail customer receiving unit trains of coal. There is a a rotary car dumper on site. Dyers Quarry, on the "Turkey Path", is a major supplier of railroad ballast.
CP-Belt would become a popular spot for the railfan community in the Reading area. The former Schwambach's Diner located adjacent to the site was a great place to hang out and talk to train crews as they strolled in from their trains to grab a bite to eat. The diner was nicknamed "CP Schwambach's" by local fans and Conrail crews. The diner has since been demolished and a car dealership is located on the site.
Norfolk Southern inherited the Belt Line in the Conrail breakup. It continues to be a key east-west freight route and sees heavy train traffic.
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