The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 Gap Road, Strasburg, will host its annual Reading Railroad Days from Wednesday, July 1, to Sunday, July 5, and Wednesday, July 8, to Saturday, July 11. Reading Railroad Days will take place during regular museum hours and will be included in the regular museum admission.

A detailed HO-scale model train layout of the Reading Railroad, operated by members of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society, is a centerpiece in the museum's climate-controlled Rolling Stock Hall. Visitors also may view Reading Company equipment from the museum's collection, including the 108-year-old tank engine No. 1251, the 95-year-old multiple unit commuter car No. 800, and the 188-year-old Rocket steam locomotive. Artist Peter A. Lerro Jr. will display and sell his original railroad paintings and reproductions.

In its heyday, the Reading Company was a multifaceted industrial giant. Originally established as the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad in 1833 to transport anthracite coal, the 94-mile line evolved into a large corporation serving eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Operations included coal mining, iron making, canal and sea-going transportation, and shipbuilding. With its great complex of shops for locomotive and car building and repair, and constant advances in railroad technology, the company held a position of leadership in the railroad industry for over a century.

Visitors may purchase advance tickets online at http://www.rrmuseumpa.org or at the door. For more information about the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, visit the aforementioned website or call 717-687-8628.