View source for Reading 902 and 903

{{notability|Products|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox locomotive
| name=Reading 902 and 903
| image=RDG-902-on-display-track-May-2012.jpg
| powertype=Diesel
| operator=[[Reading Company]]; [[SEPTA]]
| gauge={{track gauge|ussg}}
| builder=[[Electro-Motive Diesel|General Motors Electro-Motive Division]] (EMD)
| buildmodel=[[EMD FP7|FP7]]
| serialnumber=11389
| builddate=June 1, 1950
| rebuilddate=1986–1995
| aarwheels=B-B
| fleetnumbers=902; 4372, 903; 4373
| retiredate=1981
| restoredate=1995
| currentowner=[[Reading Company Technical and Historical Society]] (902)<br>[[SMS Rail Lines]] (903)
| disposition=Operational
}}
'''Reading Company 902''' and '''Reading Company 903''' are two preserved ex-[[Reading Company]] [[EMD FP7]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reading Fs pull public trips in Pennsylvania|url=http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=2561|work=Trains News Wire|publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]]|date=2007-10-08|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref>

==History==
Reading 902 and 903 were among of the first six FP7s ordered by the railroad in March 1950 to replace passenger [[steam locomotive]]s. The two units were completed on June 1 of that year and delivered to the Reading via the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]].  The pair pulled their first train on June 6.  In the following years, the two locomotives sometimes worked together, and sometimes were split, depending on the size of their trains.<ref name=NRHS>{{cite web|title=Philly NRHS - Reading FP7A 903|url=http://www.trainweb.org/phillynrhs/FP7A.htm|accessdate=2008-01-25}}</ref>

[[SEPTA]] inherited the units in 1974, and they were renumbered by the new [[Consolidated Rail Corporation]] in 1976, with the 902 becoming 4372 and the 903 becoming 4373. During the SEPTA years, the FP7s usually operated in push-pull configuration. 903 was the first FP7 to receive the SEPTA paint scheme in February 1978. 902 was involved in a derailment in February 1978, and when it re-entered service in June, it was also repainted into the SEPTA paint. SEPTA ceased all diesel-operations in 1981, and the locomotives were retired.<ref name=NRHS />

Both locomotives were eventually purchased by the [[National Railway Historical Society]] in September 1983. 902 was obtained by the [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]] Chapter of the NRHS, while 903 purchased by the [[Philadelphia]] Chapter of the NRHS. They were stored at the [[Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania]]. Restoration on the two began in 1986 and was completed in 1995.<ref name=NRHS /> In January 2007, the Lancaster Chapter donated the 902 to the [[Reading Company Technical and Historical Society]].
[[File:Reading FP7s -903 and -902 parked next to Reading 4-8-4 -2124 (October 2021).jpg|alt=Reading FP7s #903 and #902 parked next to Reading 4-8-4 -2124 (October 2021).|left|thumb|Reading FP7s #903 and #902 parked next to Reading 4-8-4 #2124 (October 2021).]]
902 and 903 operated an excursion on an ex-Reading line owned by [[Penn Eastern Rail Lines]] in October of that year,<ref name=NRHS /> but no more trips are planned for 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reading Fs to be displayed at Strasburg|date=2008-01-11|publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]]|accessdate=2008-01-24|url=http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=2963}}</ref>

In January 2010, the 902 and 903 were loaned to [[Steamtown National Historic Site]] for a year to maintain the locomotives in exchange for excursion rights. Both locomotives were displayed outside near the parking lot.

In September 2023, the 903 was sold to [[SMS Rail Lines]] for use on their Woodstown Central tourist railroad in New Jersey. The 902 was also leased to SMS for the same purpose.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-10 |title=Reading FP7 sold to SMS Lines |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/reading-fp7-sold-to-sms-lines/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref> Both locomotives were moved to their new home in early 2024.  Currently, No. 902 is pulling [[Woodstown Central]] passenger excursions while the railroad repairs its steam locomotive, No. 9.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reading 0902}}
[[Category:Electro-Motive Division locomotives]]
[[Category:B-B locomotives]]
[[Category:Reading Company]]
[[Category:Individual locomotives of the United States]]
[[Category:Preserved diesel locomotives]]
[[Category:Philadelphia and Reading Railroad locomotives]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States]]
[[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1950]]