Kempton Station
The current Kempton station and yard complex is located a few hundred yards immediately north of the small town of Kempton. The original Kempton station, located in the middle of town, is long gone. Shown here is the current Kempton station which includes a ticket office, waiting room and crew room. Although not original to this line, it is an original Reading station that was relocated here from the town of Joanna, Pennsylvania along the Wilmington and Northern Branch of the Reading Railroad. The Joanna station came to the WK&S in 1963. At that time the original Kempton Station in downtown Kempton was still standing, but was in use as a freight station by the Reading Company and unavailable. When the original Kempton station did become available, the WK&S did not have the need or the money for it, so it was lost.
Below is an early shot of the current Kempton station. Note the complete lack of trees and landscaping that exist today. The "museum" sign at left is curious. This photograph appears to predate the back track museum display as well as construction of the hole track. Perhaps the sign refers to car #72, which originally sat on the ground to the left of the picture and may have housed some sort of display.
The railroad got some TV publicity in 1973. During September Hess's department store videotaped their fall fashion show at the WK&S which was subsequently broadcast from Philadelphia. The broadcast boosted WK&S ticket sales.