From a hilltop in the lush valley northeast of Reading, the senses come alive with spring. A lone tree in an open field provides a natural place to sit under and take it all in. Surrounded by young corn plants and fertile soil, a steady breeze blows across the field and carries the scent of new plantings. All around trees are budding and yellow flowers are scattered about the cornfield so pollen is in the air and it tickles the nose. Farms fill the valley as far as you can see, but it’s Sunday, so the fields are ideal and quiet. In the distance you can see the occasional Amish buggy moving across the landscape as the occupants go about their visits. A horse in a trot has a beautiful movement and we try and watch it as it darts between the open areas and behind trees or houses. Below you and slicing right through the farmer’s field is the former Reading Main line running between its namesake city and Allentown. It’s a relatively quite day on the railroad, with the scene interrupted just a few times during our visit. An approaching train redirects the senses, as its horn and movement up the hill fills the valley with the sounds of its approach. The horns call out for a grade crossing miles away and move increasingly closer. The sound of the prime movers working up hill gets louder and louder until the train gets close enough for the sound of steel wheels on steel rails to take over as the train moves across the field. The train moves on and the landscape gets quite again allowing the senses to refocus on the beauty and tranquility of the scene. This rail line and these fields have seen a lot of change over the years, but the awakening of spring and the excitement of a passing train never changes.
