King Coal (train)

*King Coal*
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Pennsylvania
First service	Late 1930s
Last service	June 28, 1963
Former operator	Reading Railroad
Route
Termini	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; Shamokin, Pennsylvania

Last updated October 15, 2025

The King Coal was a passenger train operated by the Reading Railroad between Philadelphia and Shamokin, Pennsylvania.^[1] The train was launched in the late 1930s, as part of Reading's introduction of streamlined trains, with equipment rebuilt by the railroad specifically for the service.^[1]

In its latter years it was truncated to Pottsville on weekends.^[2] Due to declining demand for passenger rail travel as automobiles became more prevalent, the King Coal was discontinued on June 28, 1963.^[3]

References

1 2 Classic American Railroads Volume III. St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing Company. 2003. p. 115. ISBN 0-7603-1649-X.
↑ 'Official Guide of the Railways,' June 1961, Reading Railroad section, Table 3
↑ "'Last train' left Shamokin 50 years ago today". The News Item. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2015.

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[book-1] 1 2 Classic American Railroads Volume III. St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing Company. 2003. p. 115. ISBN 0-7603-1649-X.

[2] 'Official Guide of the Railways,' June 1961, Reading Railroad section, Table 3

[3] "'Last train' left Shamokin 50 years ago today". The News Item. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2015.

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