Finding Aids

The Reading Company, chartered in 1871, became the holding company for the system of railroads, canals and coal mines assembled between 1833 and 1896 by its predecessor, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company. The collection consists of graphic materials relating to the Reading Company and its predecessor, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company

The event known as Great Train Wreck of 1856, occurred on July 17, when two trains were traveling on the same track towards one another and collided at Camp Hill, just below Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. This item is a hand colored print of the railroad accident aftermath.