Colebrookdale Railroad generates significant economic impact

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The Colebrookdale Railroad has become a popular Berks County tourist destination, having been recognized over the past several years with prestigious travel awards from USA Today, Philadelphia Magazine and others. The railroad, which operates a short line freight service and offers rides in restored train cars through the Secret Valley, a scenic area between Boyertown and Pottstown, also provides significant economic impact and has the potential to dramatically increase that impact as the railroad continues to expand its operations.  

   With about 30,000 visitors each year, the railroad generates an annual economic impact of more than $8 million, according to a study conducted in 2020. However, said Nathaniel C. Guest, the railroad’s executive director and president of the nonprofit Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust (CRPT), ambitious and far-reaching plans are in place to create business opportunities in Boyertown, Pottstown and locations between the boroughs. 

   “That economic impact will continue to increase as we move forward with our plans,” Guest said recently during a virtual community forum sponsored by the Berks Alliance, an organization that focuses on community development in Berks County and Greater Reading. 

   Those plans include a train station and regional welcome center currently under construction in Pottstown Memorial Park. The station is in close proximity to the Pottsgrove Manor historic site and the 1906 Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel attraction, both of which are expected to attract visitors to the borough. 

   The trust, which partners with Alvernia University, Berks Nature, the Science Research Institute, the YWCA and other education-based organizations, also is working to expand the Colebrookdale Children’s Education Center, an off-grid outdoor area located two miles from the railroad’s Boyertown Station.  

   Michele Barrett, director of educational programs, said the CRPT has used grant money to develop a STEAM education program that’s been approved by the U.S.  Department of Education and is offered at no cost to school groups.  

   Other plans include building a farmer’s market to provide space for vendors who formerly relied on Zern’s Market, which closed in 2018; creating a formal event site at the old ironmaking site of Glasgow near Pottstown; and cultivating the Frog Hollow Natural Area to include an event space and picnic area to be utilized by train passengers. 

     The CRPT also is expanding the Boyertown Yard to increase accessibility and create a regional visitor’s center and event space. The yard, on which the main train station is located, has been improved dramatically with the addition of walkways made from reclaimed street bricks, open-flame gas lamps, a historic gate and other additions.  

   Located in the heart of Boyertown, the site has attracted new businesses to the area, including a restaurant, brewery and coffee shop.  In all, Guest said, 13 new businesses have opened in Boyertown since trains began operating in 2014.  

   Colebrookdale Railroad was first established as a link between Boyertown and Pottstown in 1869 and was used to transport passengers and iron ore along the Manatawny and Ironstone creeks. After gradually falling into disrepair, the line was scheduled for abandonment in 2009. 

   Recognizing that the railroad is an important part of the region’s history, Guest, an attorney and Pottstown native, started a campaign to save the railroad. He and others formed the CRPT and persuaded the Berks County Commissioners to purchase the railroad for $1.35 million to continue service to freight customers who relied on the line through an agreement with Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad, a for-profit company now owned by the CRPT.  

   The county turned the railroad over to the Berks County Redevelopment Authority in 2014, and the trust and redevelopment authority have worked together since then to identify additional partners and funding sources. The railroad has received funding from multiple state and federal agencies, and recently was awarded $14.7 million in federal funds to renovate its tracks to accommodate modern freight travel.  

   The grant will be used to rehabilitate the railroad’s 8.6 miles of track and repair or replace 14 bridges, work necessary for the trains to keep running. Although the passenger trains currently generate more income than the freight rail service, Guest expects that balance to shift as the track is improved and extended two miles north from Boyertown to New Berlinville.   

   “Over time, freight will surpass income from the passenger trains,” he said. 

   The hope is that businesses will be attracted to leasable industrial and commercial sites that can be served by the railroad or build facilities with rail access.  

   He also said Colebrookdale Railroad is renowned for the quality of its restored rail cars and there are opportunities available for it to contract with other railroad organizations to restore their cars. Guest said it takes between two and eight years and can cost close to a million dollars to fully restore a historic train car. 

   “We take pieces of railroad equipment that are near the end of their historical life span and recreate them,” Guest said. “I think that will become an important part of our business plan.” 

   The railroad recently added railbikes, rail vehicles powered by their riders, to its attractions. The hugely popular railbikes are being redesigned, said Barrett, with new models to be debuted in 2023. Acting on CRPT’s commitment to hiring employees with intellectual and developmental challenges, up to 80 percent of the workforce to manufacture the new bikes will be people with autism, she said. 

   More information about the Colebrookdale Railroad and its operations and programs can be found at colebrookdalerailroad.com.