Always looking to the future, the Reading & Northern Railroad has unveiled its first diesel locomotive featuring a patriotic design celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. The company also announced that the paint scheme was conceived by one of its own team members.
Reading & Northern engine #3061, a General Motors model SD40-2 diesel locomotive, was selected by the company to be repainted into the colors of our country to celebrate the coming year’s monumental occasion. Taking advantage of the car body’s length, the 3,000-horsepower locomotive’s long hood is dressed in red and white stripes to resemble the American flag. The cab is blue and adorned with thirteen stars on the nose. It has been fittingly renumbered 1776. The paint scheme was designed by Evan Kerr, a six-year veteran of Reading & Northern who serves as a conductor, engineer, and dispatcher.
The SD40-2 is widely regarded as one of the most reliable, and therefore best-selling, diesel locomotives in history. Hence it is well-represented on the Reading & Northern roster, with a total of twenty units. They can be seen all over the railroad, hauling everything from unit coal trains to general merchandise. As with SD40-2 #1983, which was painted to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the railroad in 2023, #1776 is sure to be a popular sight among train enthusiasts and the public. With the passenger department already planning several special events centering around the Semiquincentennial, #1776 may even make appearances on excursion trains in 2026.
Perhaps most fittingly, the locomotive was unveiled on Veterans Day. Paint Department Manager Zach Frye said “This engine is one of the most beautiful and passionate projects ever taken on by the paint shop. Our crew of five people were able to turn this engine into a masterpiece in just one month’s time. We are very proud to introduce locomotive #1776 for all to see.”
Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 80 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schulkill, and Wyoming).
