LV - The Forks of the Delaware

[Kree8tiviT]

continue......LHR

At Union Square, Phillipsburg, NJ

The crossing at Union Square....Northampton St. bridge and Hotel Easton in background

Hmmm, I'm not sure about this pic......
either it is New Jersey in the 1950's..........or, it is present-day Cuba!

crossing in front of the Union Square Hotel, now becomes So. Main St.

Passing the Pennsy's station

and below the station, taking the turn-out onto the bridge across the Delaware...........usually referred to as the "Connector Bridge".

The connector bridge was actually built by several railroad companies......due to the legal entanglements about what states, and where they could operate.
The L&HR got involved with the project to provide direct service for one of their major customers, the New Jersey Zinc Co..........who had their mining operations in Franklin, NJ, but a large processing plant north of Allentown, Pa, near Palmerton.
The L&HR and the CNJ exchanged trackage rights in the deal, giving the L&HR direct access to the Zinc plant via the CNJ line, and the CNJ gained access to points northeast.

 

[Sampug394]

Wonderful Route. I'm just wondering; Has any Made/Reskinned any Steam Locomotives for the Lehigh?

 

[Kree8tiviT]

continuing.....LHR

Coming off the Connector bridge spanning the Delaware....

the train takes the cut thru Mt. Ida,

and passes above So. 3rd St in Easton, Pa.

Now on the CNJ's trackage, crossing the Lehigh River,

and on approach to CNJ's Easton passenger & freight stations.

CNJ station approach, from Lehigh Drive

 

[Kree8tiviT]

continu...LHR

Traveling along Lehigh Drive in Easton, Pa..........

nearing underpass of the Lehigh Valley's North Branch bridge

and nearing the Lehigh Foundry in West Easton, Pa.

approach bridge over Main St. West Easton, above the foundry and Lehigh River Drive

and passing behind the foundry, where will continue it's trip towards Bethlehem, Pa.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

At the Lehigh foundry

Meanwhile, down within the Lehigh Foundry area........

An Erie unit is has yard shuttle assignment.....

Actually...........i have not yet done any "Erie" motive power yet......so I am using gfisher's EL unit as a "stand-in" for now.

outbound from yard

thru the "slot"

approach crossing at Main St. in front of the foundry........
this is the area where I can remember the foundry workers congregating with their lunch pails.....watching the world roll-by as they eat.

then pass the various companies along the industrial spur

Re-joining the CNJ trackage at foundry junction

and crossisng over to the mainline tracks

heading eastbound.......
comes to the LV north bridge.....

From here, an Erie unit would have continued thru Easton, the cut at Mt. Ida......and used the CNJ bridge across the Delaware.........

in New Jersey, the junction of the Lackawanna with the CNJ would have provided access to the "Washington secondary" branch leading to the Erie yards above Stockton St. near Firth Ave......
and ultimately, to the Ingersoll-Rand sidings................but, I have yet completed any of that......in due time.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

Just a note

Just a note: Wanted to say thanks for the nice comments received .......greatly appreciated.

And, to let know that I have not been ignoring any of your questions..........I just want to get all the pics posted first, before addressing any specific questions, details and such....hope you understand.

I still have at least one more update before finishing with what is completed (well, not completed....just presentable). Hopefully this weekend sometime.

Thanks again,

Mark

 

[Dylanviey]

Just a note: Wanted to say thanks for the nice comments received .......greatly appreciated.

And, to let know that I have not been ignoring any of your questions..........I just want to get all the pics posted first, before addressing any specific questions, details and such....hope you understand.

I still have at least one more update before finishing with what is completed (well, not completed....just presentable). Hopefully this weekend sometime.

Thanks again,

Mark

Jsut wanted to say i have spotted a tracking plan error in Philupsburg.

The station was 2 track. not 3.

Here's a satailight photograph of that area serka 1963.

since it's kind of hard to see the tracks i took the liberty to highlight the tracks for you. i would also post some of my photographs from that spot but my scanner is currently not working due to i lost the drivers.

it was 3 track from this point to i think right before the current switch is located today.

 

[sethmcs]

Wow!

I can't wait until you get to Bethlehem, Pa.:udrool: :mop:

 

[Dylanviey]

I have to ask. Where did u get those spools that are on the back of my F22 flat cars? If it's on the DLS what's the KUID? I would really like to make them a default load in a future UP-Date for them.

Dylan

 

[MrScott2006]

I seen about 6 or 7 items in the pics that I'd like to know about. Nice layout.

 

[evan123]

Just a note: Wanted to say thanks for the nice comments received .......greatly appreciated.

And, to let know that I have not been ignoring any of your questions..........I just want to get all the pics posted first, before addressing any specific questions, details and such....hope you understand.

I still have at least one more update before finishing with what is completed (well, not completed....just presentable). Hopefully this weekend sometime.

Thanks again,

Mark

This is very understandable, in fact, I wish for you to take your time! This route as it is looks incredible, the detail is absolute, and your enthusiasm is incredible. Keep up this work.

 

[Dylanviey]

This is very understandable, in fact, I wish for you to take your time! This route as it is looks incredible, the detail is absolute, and your enthusiasm is incredible. Keep up this work.

I'm quite sure he is. other than those 3 or 4 inaccuracy's i pointed out everything else looks great.

 

[jadebullet]

Looking very awesome man. I am absolutely stunned. I am really excited to have a route to run the best of Pennsylvania on, as well as the fact that your shots have shown me that there are more cars from the 1950s than I knew about.

I understand about finishing up posting shots before answering questions, so I will just sit patiently and wait for the car KUIDS.

Great work.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_Victor Balata

Along the borderline of Wilson Borough & Avona Heights ......


approaching the Victor Balata Textile & Belting Co. Because of it's obvious domineering size, the water tower was a well-known landmark....visible all the way to downtown Easton and the Delaware River (unfortunately, Trainz won't display scenery objects that far)

Victor Balata manufactured industrial textiles, conveyor belting and such

across the tracks from the factory ......

the Lincoln St alley

approaching the crossing at So. 25th St. in front of the plant.
25th St. formed the border between Wilson Borough & Palmer Township

Crossing 25th St.

From here the tracks will swing to more northerly direction......continuing thru Palmer Township, Wilson Borough, Forks Township, Tatamy, Stockertown, & Belfast...........serving many important industries along the way, and making connections with the Erie, Lackawanna, Lehigh & New England, Bath & Ironton railroads.

The North branch provided connection to many of the cement and slate companies, as well as coal.

but all that will be part of another construction "phase" of this route.

Regards,

Mark

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_Avona

continuing westerly........

approaching the Avona Heights section of town

at the So. 23rd St bridge just below 2nd St. in Avona. (strangely, there was no 1st St, go figure). Avona heights was a "tract home" type community, typical of the post-war era

emerging from the bridge, below Balata and Victor streets in Wilson Borough........We would pick the wild Mulberries that grew near the bridge in the foreground.....eat them til our lips turned purple. And on occassion, the, recesses beneath the bridge provided the seclusion for many an early teen-age "make-out" session. As such, "picking mulberries" became our "code" slang for these romantic trysts.

westbound behind Balata St, Wilson Boro

and below 2nd St, in Avona Heights on the opposite bank

below 2nd & 3rd St in Avona, another midget football field.
The yellow brick company in the distance at 4th & Front St is the Smiley Candy Co., makers of the famous (perhaps, infamous) candy cigarettes.

Home of the Wilson Vikings.......had to include this one since I played on that team as a young boy.

Here's a secret.......
I used GFisher's parking stripe spline to make the yardlines - anything in a pinch, eh?
As a "sign of the times, things to come"....my father, friends, relatives helped build the field....and the retaining walls along the banks and steps were made from railroad ties......we tore the ties from CNJ trackage along the Chain Dam section of tracks. Sort of ironic they find railroad usage again here in Trainz!

Hillside Ave end of the field.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_Trestle

Along the bluffs between Wilson Borough & West Easton.......


approach to the West Easton trestle...the water tank of the Victor Balata company looms in background...a highly visible area landmark

on the trestle at Keystone Ave.....

The West Easton Fire Co sits below the trestle........and the midget football field of the Wevona Bears (Wevona being a contraction of WEst easton & aVONA heights, the adjoining communities).

the trestle had two spans......this one over Iron St. The portion of Main St was referred to locally as "Greenie's Hill".......a snow-sledding favorite location.

The Iron St & Keystone Ave hills..........you can see why it attracted snow sledders. Of course, in those days, it was the wood and metal "Radio Flyer" sleds......or a galvanized garbage can lid in a pinch.
The Livingstone School in background

exiting the trestle, the Lehigh Foundry visible in background.

along the field below 4th St Avona Heights....housing developement nowadays

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_West Easton

After a steady ascent from the Lehigh River.......

reaching West Easton at Palmer St. crossing.....

quickly followed by crossing at So. 19th St.

westbound, above Spring St., West Easton

The Delight-form Bra Co and silk mills in background

and the Lehigh Foundry in background.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_Lehigh River

On the bridges......

crossing above the Lehigh Canal and locks

crossing the Lehigh River

and at the opposite river bank, crossing over Lehigh River Drive

One final crossing....the Jersey Central's mainline

and now begins the steady climb, below the cliffs beneath Butler St in Easton, and Freemansburg Ave in Wilson Borough, ascending into West Easton.

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_Canal St.

Proceeding along Canal St. in Southside Easton.......

pass the Easton control tower

and veering off the mainline tracks in front of the passenger car repair shops

onto the Lehigh Valley's North Branch tracks

passing above the lower yard

and approaching the bridge over the mainline

on the Lehigh Valley's North Branch bridge, crossing over the LV mainline at Easton

 

[Kree8tiviT]

lv_continue_Easton

Arriving in Pennsylvania.......

Thru the cut at Mt. Ida, and approaching the LV Easton station

below Lachenour Heights section of Southside Easton

thought I'd try a "heads-out" shot

crossing So. 3rd St, at the foot of Smith Ave hill

passing the Easton station

Freight operations on the lower level

I may be wrong..........but this station is the only Lehigh Valley mainline station - that I am aware of - where the train passed over top of the station. I'm not talking about small "communter platforms" such as exist outside New York City/New Jersey......I'm talking mainline stations......anyone know any others?