Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Home Page Engine 425 was recently restored and has been busy riding the tracks to raise money for charity.
Those planning the charity train ride from Duryea to Jim Thorpe include YMCA executive director Tina Fisher, Pittston Memorial Library board of trustees member Kelly Carroll and Care & Concern Free Health Clinic executive director Gloria Blandina. “I wonder what it’s going to be like when I actually see the train,” said Blandina, the executive director of the Care & Concern Free Health Clinic in Pittston, who up until now has seen only photographs of the train on which she and she hopes hundreds of others will take a charity ride from Duryea to Jim Thorpe. Proceeds from the purchase of $75 tickets will go to the clinic, the Greater Pittston YMCA and the Pittston Memorial Library. “It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Blandina said of her work at the clinic, which provides health-care services to men and women with little or no health insurance. She said people remember family members growing up working on trains, which is adding to the event’s appeal.
“It’s something new, and I think it’s something in this area that people are really excited about,” Carroll said. “People are calling enthusiastic.”