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Here are some pictures from our Anthracite region tour Frank Bartus and I did last week. We never made it to the museums due to automobile troubles and a totally lost day. There was so much area to cover and with the lost day plus the excessive heat, we just couldn’t do it.
We did however visit a smaller Coal Mine Museum in Lansdale PA near Tamaqua. One of the older folks (volunteers) then gave us directions to a defunct breaker near Mahanoy City. In that region there are so many sites that are abandoned, missing breakers now, and completely grown over. You’d never know there was coal mining in the regions since the old tailing piles are now tree-covered mountains. Where there are current mining operations, there are piles, upon piles of coal. We visited (with permission) the Balashak St. Nicholas breaker operation. They are recovering coal from old tailing piles and strip mine operations in the region. Coal is trucked to the breaker, sorted by size, then trucked to the rail trans-loading facility located across the road where it is then loaded into hoppers. There are many smaller micro-mining operations in operation in the area. This has become a whole industry in its self where Anthracite is not king for specialty operations such as restaurants, forges, and heating.
Located nearby is a defunct breaker which we took pictures in and about. There was once a large railyard located on the premises for the coal cars. The tracks are long gone with bits and pieces sticking out. In the pictures, you’ll see a crane and lots of big holes in the ground. The mine company, mentioned above, is recovering coal from the area.
Located down the road in Gilberton, is a new coal operation. This takes up acres, upon acres of land, and includes huge piles of fresh coal across the road. The mining trucks look extremely small compared to the coal. The large tower in the pictures is a new breaker that loads sorted coal into freight hoppers. There is also a truck transloading facility here as well. We didn’t have permission to walk around, so our pictures are from the distance. Again, it was terribly hot, and I was not feeling well from the heat.
During our trip up to Hazelton from Jim Thorpe where we stayed, we ran into an abandoned Whitcomb locomotive. The tracks are long gone with only a single switch rail around, and the wheels are buried in the dirt. The hulk is sadly rusted all over and the unit looks like it’s ready for the rust pile. Located about a mile before the locomotive is a tailing pile that is about ready to swallow up a building. This gives you an idea of the scale of things.
In the greater Duryea region, are tailing piles a couple of hundred feet high. Many of these are still abandoned with some operations taking place along with reuse of the land for other purposes such as fuel transloading facility. In the region we checked out the Duryea Jct. and the big bridge crossover that leads into the yard. We took some photos of the active side of the yard along Coxton Road. We ran out of time and never saw the extensive nature of the former yard operation. Looking at the area on Bing or Google Maps shows a double wye and two turntables.
http://binged.it/14ZmHsI
If it weren’t for the heat and car trouble, I’m sure we could have made it to the museums, but by the time we recovered it was into the weekend and we had to return the next week. We plan to possibly head down this way again in the fall when the trees are bare and take some better pictures. The foliage can be a bit thick making it difficult to take pictures.
John
Here are some pictures from our Anthracite region tour Frank Bartus and I did last week. We never made it to the museums due to automobile troubles and a totally lost day. There was so much area to cover and with the lost day plus the excessive heat, we just couldn’t do it.
We did however visit a smaller Coal Mine Museum in Lansdale PA near Tamaqua. One of the older folks (volunteers) then gave us directions to a defunct breaker near Mahanoy City. In that region there are so many sites that are abandoned, missing breakers now, and completely grown over. You’d never know there was coal mining in the regions since the old tailing piles are now tree-covered mountains. Where there are current mining operations, there are piles, upon piles of coal. We visited (with permission) the Balashak St. Nicholas breaker operation. They are recovering coal from old tailing piles and strip mine operations in the region. Coal is trucked to the breaker, sorted by size, then trucked to the rail trans-loading facility located across the road where it is then loaded into hoppers. There are many smaller micro-mining operations in operation in the area. This has become a whole industry in its self where Anthracite is not king for specialty operations such as restaurants, forges, and heating.
Located nearby is a defunct breaker which we took pictures in and about. There was once a large railyard located on the premises for the coal cars. The tracks are long gone with bits and pieces sticking out. In the pictures, you’ll see a crane and lots of big holes in the ground. The mine company, mentioned above, is recovering coal from the area.
Located down the road in Gilberton, is a new coal operation. This takes up acres, upon acres of land, and includes huge piles of fresh coal across the road. The mining trucks look extremely small compared to the coal. The large tower in the pictures is a new breaker that loads sorted coal into freight hoppers. There is also a truck transloading facility here as well. We didn’t have permission to walk around, so our pictures are from the distance. Again, it was terribly hot, and I was not feeling well from the heat.
During our trip up to Hazelton from Jim Thorpe where we stayed, we ran into an abandoned Whitcomb locomotive. The tracks are long gone with only a single switch rail around, and the wheels are buried in the dirt. The hulk is sadly rusted all over and the unit looks like it’s ready for the rust pile. Located about a mile before the locomotive is a tailing pile that is about ready to swallow up a building. This gives you an idea of the scale of things.
In the greater Duryea region, are tailing piles a couple of hundred feet high. Many of these are still abandoned with some operations taking place along with reuse of the land for other purposes such as fuel transloading facility. In the region we checked out the Duryea Jct. and the big bridge crossover that leads into the yard. We took some photos of the active side of the yard along Coxton Road. We ran out of time and never saw the extensive nature of the former yard operation. Looking at the area on Bing or Google Maps shows a double wye and two turntables.
http://binged.it/14ZmHsI
If it weren’t for the heat and car trouble, I’m sure we could have made it to the museums, but by the time we recovered it was into the weekend and we had to return the next week. We plan to possibly head down this way again in the fall when the trees are bare and take some better pictures. The foliage can be a bit thick making it difficult to take pictures.
John
We'll be traveling down that way again when the foliage clears.