Ron Ruddell’s new book “Riding the Bell Lehigh Valley Transit’s Liberty Bell Route” took 10 years to research until being published in 2015. 264 pages of text and photos this is the book to own concerning the “Liberty Bell Limited” written from the perspective one who know’s the regional railroad in PA and also one who was a passenger on the original rails. And Ron is a certified streetcar operator at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine, he even operates the only preserved Liberty Bell Trolley during the Spring and Fall.

Side note: the Seashore Trolley Museum is the world’s oldest and largest museum dedicated to trolleys from around the world. If you have ever looked in a book about trolleys and have been dazzled by early examples of trolleys at this museum you can see them in person. If is operated by a dedicated army of volunteers and Ron’s brother was the one to spearhead the restoration of its Liberty Bell trolley.

Back to the book: Ron’s Books in New York State has some copies left, it seems to be selling like hot cakes, maybe a good book to add to your collection while it is still available.

Here is the description of the book on Ron’s Books website:

Ron Ruddell 264 Pages hardcover

In the newest Central Electric Railfans’ Association publication, author Ron Ruddell chronicles the history of Lehigh Valley Transit’s famed Liberty Bell Route interurban that ran between Philadelphia and Allentown. Known for its scenic line through southeastern Pennsylvania, LVT operated a fascinating variety of equipment from stately heavyweight interurbans to secondhand lightweight high-speed cars acquired from Ohio and Indiana. Portions of the line meandered alongside local roads or over city streets while other sections operated on private right-of-way with catenary and block signals on fast competitive schedules. A cut above many interurbans, the LVT even operated deluxe club car service on selected runs. Noted transit historian George Hilton called the LVT’s Liberty Bell Route the last “pure” interurban as it owed its existence exclusively to passenger traffic or express carried in interurban freight equipment. The reader will learn about the Liberty Bell Route’s development, operations, colorful equipment, and also about the people whose dedication and effort managed to keep the line in operation until 1951.

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