Most people who have played Monopoly may not give much thought to the railroad properties but they, just like the street names are based on real railroads. Next time you hop onto the space occupied by the Reading Railroad, you will know that it was based on the railroad which
ran through Reading, PA. For a time in the 19th century, the Reading Railroad was the largest corporation in the world, doing business hauling coal through Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. When the coal business declined, so did the business for the Reading Railroad. Today, most conversations around the Reading Railroad are concerned with the correct pronunciation of it. Is it Reeding or is it Redding? For those who don’t know, it is Redding.
When the Berks County Conservancy gave me permission to place letterboxes on its property, it sent me a packet of information. Most of the places I had already heard of, Angelica Park, Neversink Mountain, Earle Poole Sanctuary, but one of the brochures was new to me – the Gravity Trail which follows the old tracks of the Mt. Penn Gravity Railroad. I spent an 
afternoon exploring the three parks which are located side by side on the trail and began my walk after parking in the middle one. I passed two old pavilions and tried to imagine the picnics that were held there long ago. After crossing a lovely arched stone bridge, I headed left and began my uphill walk. Soon, I forgot that I was actually in the city limits as pretty little waterfalls and several rock formations surrounded me. I crossed a second little stone bridge and after walking a very short distance, I saw an unmarked trail to the right which lead by a rotting tree stump about ten feet tall. I followed the trail about ten more feet and found a tree with an interesting base filled with nooks and crannies on the left side of the trail. The most interesting nook was located on the side facing the road above me.
afternoon exploring the three parks which are located side by side on the trail and began my walk after parking in the middle one. I passed two old pavilions and tried to imagine the picnics that were held there long ago. After crossing a lovely arched stone bridge, I headed left and began my uphill walk. Soon, I forgot that I was actually in the city limits as pretty little waterfalls and several rock formations surrounded me. I crossed a second little stone bridge and after walking a very short distance, I saw an unmarked trail to the right which lead by a rotting tree stump about ten feet tall. I followed the trail about ten more feet and found a tree with an interesting base filled with nooks and crannies on the left side of the trail. The most interesting nook was located on the side facing the road above me. 
My walk was only about a half mile one way but it provided me with a little piece of history, a big piece of beauty and the pride of knowing a new area in the town I live in.
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