Reading & Northern acquires hopper cars from CPKC

Reading & Northern Railroad (R&N) in late July finalized an agreement to purchase 124 covered hopper rail cars from CPKC. The $4 million acquisition is the largest single rail-car purchase in R&N history. The rail cars will support R&N's growing anthracite coal business. 

Pennsylvania is home to the largest known anthracite deposit in the world, and mining has increased in recent years to keep up with higher demand from U.S. steelmakers, R&N officials said in a press release. Anthracite is used in electric-arc furnace (EAF) steel mills across the United States and Canada.

Most of the anthracite being transported to EAFs must be shipped dried in covered hoppers. To meet this growing business segment, R&N continues to purchase covered hoppers. In addition to the 124 cars from CPKC, R&N agreed to purchase 30 covered hoppers from another car owner. These purchases bring R&N's fleet of rail cars to 2,000, company officials said. The new cars will enter service quickly, as R&N anticipates EAF business will increase 10% this year.

"We’re extremely excited with the purchase of these rail cars and pleased that CPKC chose our bid package over many other options. We're regularly exploring the rail-car market looking for opportunities to not only increase but upgrade our fleet," said Andy Muller Jr., owner and CEO of R&N. "These covered hoppers are in fantastic condition and will ensure we can provide our online customers with the equipment they need to ship Pennsylvania-sourced anthracite to markets across the U.S. and abroad."

Meanwhile, R&N today announced it handled 19,000 carloads in the first half of 2026, a record volume for the first six months of any year in the short line's history. The largest traffic increases were registered in frac sand and rock salt shipments, while the leading carload commodities were forest products and anthracite at over 5,000 and 4,000 carloads, respectively. Overall, traffic is running 20% higher than last year, R&N officials said. 

R&N is based out of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. The privately held railroad operates both freight and steam- and diesel-powered passenger excursions over 400 miles of track in eastern Pennsylvania, serving more than 80 freight customers and reaching over 130 communities with passenger service.