Fegley’s Reading Diner – The Diet Diner at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles

Why am I calling the Reading Diner the "Diet Diner"? Because while it's fabulously restored and maintained, it doesn't serve any food! Instead is serves as a great addition to the Boyertown Musuem of Historic Vehicles, in Boyertown, PA.

Some background:

A vintage 1938 O'Mahony diner, the Reading Diner was originally open in Exeter, PA. In 1950 it was moved across route 422 to become the basis of Fegley's Family restaurant. As the restaurant grew in size, it grew around the diner, so that from the outside you could barely tell that there was a diner at the heart of the restaurant. Inside the diner offered counter and booth service.

The restaurant closed in 2003 and the diner was removed before the restaurant demolished. First moved  to another site, it was later donated to the Boyertown Auto Museum, where it was repaired and had its grand unveiling in the spring of 2011. They did a  fantastic job!

The diner had almost all of its original parts and materials and there is some fascinating information about what is original and what had to be replaced. I don't want to give away too many secrets, but I was fascinated by the story of the orange tiles!

While the diner itself is not open to serve food, it does serve as a great addition to this museum of local automotive and roadside history.

So while you may come to the museum to see the diner, you, like me, may also be delighted by some of the other exhibits in the permanent collection, which focuses on road transportation that was manufactured in the Berks County area.

According to their website:

"Almost all of the vehicles we have on display were built in Southeastern Pennsylvania. You will see some extremely rare pieces you won’t find at any other museum or car show."

The museum building itself is even part of the collection - having originally been the Jeremiah Sweinhart Carriage Factory, built in 1872. Horse-drawn vehicles were built here until 1926, when the carriage factory was purchased and converted into a truck body factory known as the Boyertown Auto Body Works, where these vintage trucks on display were built.

There are examples of many different vehicles from sleighs to motorcycles, Conestoga wagons, vintage electric cars and more. The Antique Truck Club of America is even based right here in the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles!

Being the collector of road related ephemera, tchotchkes  and whatnot, I was especially drawn to the display cases highlighting the souvenirs of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the collection of vintage license plates that line an entire column at the museum.

Doing my part to continue the success of the museum - and to add to my aforementioned collection of dust catchers, I also stopped by the gift shop, where they had some affordably priced items that will fit right in at the Hacienda!

So if you are hankering to visit a diner but you don't want to break your diet, stop by the Reading Diner in the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. The only thing you'll gain is knowledge (and maybe some souvenirs!)