lehigh valley railroad map

ft.), Berkshire Land Company / Cash Book, 1945-1953. The new line is also served by Norfolk Southern Railway, but it is served together with CSX Transportation in a joint ownership company called Conrail Shared Assets Operations. However, the route required a 4,893-foot (1,491m) tunnel through/under Musconetcong Mountain near Pattenburg, New Jersey (about twelve miles east of Phillipsburg),[21] and that proved troublesome, delaying the opening of the line until May 1875,[22] when a coal train first passed over the line. The coal railroads had begun in 1873 to form pools to regulate production and set quotas for each railroad. ft.), PRR / VP of Real Estate / Reports on Coal and Coal Mines, 1861-1864. ft.), PRR / President / Presidential Correspondence of W.W. Atterbury, 1925-1935. (.11 cu. (21 cu. The first locomotive purchased by the LVRR was the "Delaware", a wood-burning 4-4-0 built by Richard Norris & Sons of Philadelphia in 1855. Construction commenced in 1872 as soon the Easton and Amboy was formed; coal docks at Perth Amboy were soon constructed, and most of the line from Easton to Perth Amboy was graded and rails laid. Passengers preferred the convenience of automobiles to trains, and airlines much later provided faster long-distance travel than trains. At Three Bridges, New Jersey, in Readington Township, the line interchanges with Black River and Western Railroad. However, for historical purposes, the part from Manville to Newark is considered a new rail line and the Norfolk Southern part is considered the original line. Following Federal legislation which stopped the operation of such service, the lake line was sold to private interests in 1920. A pair of ALCO FA-2 FB-2 car body diesel-electric locomotives were also purchased to augment the PAs when necessary. The railroad also published a monthly magazine promoting travel on the train called the "Black Diamond Express Monthly". The series is currently being processed, and an item-level Excel spreadsheet detailing drawings that have been catalogued thus far is available in the Archives search room, and can be obtained as an email attachment from the Cassatt and James McCrea, ca 1899-1913. Language: (2006) ft.), Philadelphia and Erie Railroad / Agreement Book, 1853-1894. (29 cu. In 1941, the Pennsylvania placed its shares in a voting trust after reaching an agreement with the New York Central regarding the PRR's purchase of the Wabash. This primarily consisted of the main line and related branches from Van Etten Junction, northwest of Sayre, Pennsylvania) to Oak Island Yard, the Ithaca branch from Van Etten Junction to Ithaca, New York, connecting to the Cayuga Lake line and on to the Milliken power station in Lake Ridge, New York (closed on August 29, 2019) and the Cargill salt mine just south of Auburn; and small segments in Geneva, New York (from Geneva to the Seneca Army Depot in Kendaia); Batavia, New York; Auburn, New York, and Cortland, New York. The purpose of the Temple Iron Company was to lock-up independent coal production and control the supply. Budd Rail Diesel Car service would continue on a branch line (Lehighton-Hazleton) for an additional four days. (.25 cu. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Board Files: Wire and Pipe Crossing Agreements, 1925-1957. [5], At Easton, the LVRR interchanged coal at the Delaware River where coal could be shipped to Philadelphia on the Delaware Division Canal or transported across the river to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where the Morris Canal and the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) could carry it to the New York City market. (11.9 cu. The LVRR strove throughout the 1880s to acquire its own route to Jersey City and to the Jersey City waterfront. (.1 cu. Additional passenger trains ran from Philadelphia to Scranton and westward. 1 en:Hoboken Manufacturers' Railroad; 2 en:Bay Shore Connecting Railroad; 3 en:Whippany River Railroad Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway | Train Rides in Jim Thorpe, PA Visit RBMNRR-passenger.com to see train trips originating from our other locations. a railroad company might have purchased and owned land outright, but in the case of laying track from destination to destination, most simply purchased or otherwise secured a "Right of Way" through the property of private owners - i.e. At Easton, the LVRR constructed a double-decked bridge across the Delaware River for connections to the CNJ and the Belvidere Delaware Railroad in Phillipsburg. The line became known as the Lehigh Line during Conrail ownership. During the early years, the line served as the body of the Lehigh Valley Railroad until the railroad either built, acquired, or merged other railroads into its system. Please note: Not all of the Valuable Papers were deposited at the archives, so we may not hold all of the items referenced in the index. Lehigh Valley Railroad; Discussion related to the Lehigh Valley Railroad and predecessors for the period 1846-1976. . Several combinations occurred, but each fell apart as one road or another abrogated its agreement. [25] While the third rail on the Erie Railroad main line between Waverly and Buffalo gave the LVRR an unbroken connection to Buffalo, the road's management desired its own line into Buffalo. ft.), Kensington and Tacony Railroad / Annual Reports to the Auditor General of Pennsylvania, 1895-1896. (.1 cu. [47][note 1]. ft.), Shamokin Valley and Pottsville Railroad / Acts of Assembly Relating to the Shamokin Valley and Pottsville Railroad, 1858. ft.), Mifflin and Centre County Railroad / Monthly Construction Accounts, 1862-1869. (.3 cu. In 1875, the holdings were consolidated into the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, which was wholly owned by the LVRR. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Annual Reports of Water Companies, 1914. Bridging Newark Bay proved difficult. (2 cu. This route became important to Conrail as an alternate route to avoid Amtrak's former PRR/PC Northeast Corridor electrified route. ft.), PRR / VP of Real Estate / Letter Press Books of George W.I. ft.), Susquehanna Coal Company / Leases, 1883-1939. [31], In Pennsylvania, the Lehigh scored a coup by obtaining the charter formerly held by the Schuykill Haven and Lehigh River Railroad in 1886. The section between Allentown and Mauch Chunk opened on September 12. From 1855 to 1879 the Lehigh Valley Railroad had grown from its original road between Mauch Chunk and Easton, to include 658 miles of track as far away as Buffalo and New York City. That charter had been held by the Reading Railroad since 1860, when it had blocked construction in order to maintain its monopoly in the Southern Coal Field. (3 cu. In 1883, Hartshorne retired to allow Harry E. Packer, Asa's 32-year-old youngest son, to assume the Presidency. Bankruptcy trustee from August 1974 to April 1976. [1] In the 1870s the LVRR acquired other large tracts of land starting at 13,000 acres (53km2) in 1870,[9] with an additional of 5,800 acres (23km2) in 1872,[12] and turned its eye toward expansion across New Jersey all the way to the New York City area. ft.), PRR / VP of Eastern Region / Press Copy Plan Book, 1899-1907. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Board of Directors' Roll Books, 1918-1967. ft.), PRR / V.P. 1860-1878] (1 volume) {#286m.1525} which shows track layouts and property ownership along the tracks for what later became part of the Conemaugh Division of the PRR in northwestern Pennsylvania. At the time of his death, the railroad was shipping 4.4 million tons of coal annually over 657 miles (1,057km) of track, using 235 engines, 24,461 coal cars, and over 2,000 freight cars of various kinds. Passengers were routed to the Pennsylvania Railroad's terminal and ferry. ft.), Leechburg Company / Minute Books, 1937-1954. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad is a defunct railroad that operated in eastern Pennsylvania during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This series primarily represents agreements that the PRR entered into with individuals, companies, and local governments. Photo by Doug Lilly. Although the 1864 acquisition of the Beaver Meadow had included a few hundred acres of coal land, by 1868 the LVRR was feeling pressure from the Delaware and Hudson and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in the northern Wyoming Valley coal field, where the railroads mined and transported their own coal at a much reduced cost. The line later expanded past Allentown to Lehigh Valley Terminal in Buffalo and past Easton to New York City, bringing the Lehigh Valley Railroad to these metropolitan areas. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Guide for the PRR with Extensive Map Including the Entire Route, 1855. Then in 1887 the Lehigh Valley Railroad obtained a lease on the Southern Central Railroad (the LVRR previously had trackage rights on the railroad starting in 1870), which had a route from Waverly northward into the Finger Lakes region. ft.), Cherry Tree and Dixonville Railroad / Minute Books, 1903-1943. To support the expected increase in traffic, the wooden bridge over the Delaware River at Easton was also replaced by a double-tracked, 1,191-foot (363m) iron bridge.[23]. (.1 cu. The company controlled 30,000 acres (120km2) of coal-producing lands and was expanding rapidly into New York and New Jersey. Then the CNJ opposed the LVRR's attempt to cross its line at Caven Point. Customers naturally resented the actions of the cartel, and since coal was critical to commerce, Congress intervened in 1887 with the Interstate Commerce Act that forbade the roads from joining into such pools. ft.), Manor Real Estate and Trust Company / Stock Transfer Book, 1889-1931. The Easton and Amboy Railroad was a railroad built across central New Jersey by the Lehigh Valley Railroad to run from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to Bound Brook, New Jersey, and it was built to connect the Lehigh Valley Railroad coal-hauling operations in Pennsylvania and the Port of New York and New Jersey to serve consumer markets in the New York metropolitan area, eliminating the Phillipsburg connection with the CNJ that had previously been the only outlet to the New York tidewater; until it was built, the terminus of the LVRR had been at Phillipsburg on the Delaware River opposite Easton, Pennsylvania. In 1866, the LVRR purchased acquired the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad (originally the Quakake Railroad) and the North Branch Canal along the Susquehanna River, renaming it the Pennsylvania and New York Canal & Railroad Company (P&NY). (1.25 cu. ft.), Lehigh Valley Railroad / Property Schedules, (BV 634, 635 and 636), 1936-1941. how long the Rights-of-Way were for, when the track was laid, and when the time limit was or will be up. The route across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Oak Island Yard remains important to the Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation today, the only two Class 1 railroads that are based in the Eastern United States. ft.), which was maintained by the Secretary's office. Welcome to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Modeler! At Perth Amboy, a tidewater terminal was built on the Arthur Kill comprising a large coal dock used to transport coal into New York City. (.2 cu. (2 cu. ft.), Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mt. (.1 cu. (.21 cu. ft.), PRR / VP of Real Estate / General Correspondence Files of the St. Lawrence Power Project, 1948-1954. This is currently the last time the line has been downsized. Conrail abandoned most of the route in New York State to Buffalo after 1976, considerably shortening the line. (1 cu. ft.), Lehigh Valley Railroad / Statements of Additions and Betterments (GA-8), 1918-1929, 1931-1932. (.1 cu. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Poor's Railroad Manuals, 1923-1949. (.05 cu. ft.), Erie Railroad / Miscellaneous Land Records, [ca. (.16 cu. [13] With these acquisitions, the LVRR obtained the right to mine coal as well as transport it. [1] (.1 cu. In order to handle the additional new ocean traffic, the LVRR created a large new pier at Constable Hook, which opened in 1915, and a new terminal at Claremont which opened in 1923. ft.), Columbia and Port Deposit Railway / Annual Reports to the Auditor General of Pennsylvania, 1895-1896. (.02 cu. The Vosburg Tunnel was completed and opened for service on July 25, 1886. The existing tracks from Manville to Newark became a new rail line and Norfolk Southern along with CSX own it under a joint venture. of Law / Miscellaneous Interstate Commerce Commission Case Files, 1927-1935. The CNJ, anticipating that the LVRR intended to create its own line across New Jersey, protected itself by leasing the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S) to ensure a continuing supply of coal traffic. By 1970, this had dwindled to 927 miles of road and 1963 miles of track. ft.), Enola Realty Company / Minute Books, 1905-1931. Digitized content from the collections of Cornell University Library The State of New Jersey passed legislation that allowed the LVRR to consolidate its New Jersey railroads into one company; the Perth Amboy and Bound Brook and the Bound Brook and Easton were merged to form a new railroad company called the Easton and Amboy Railroad (or Easton & Amboy Railroad Company). (.53 cu. [8] The purchasing of the North Branch Canal saw an opportunity for a near monopoly in the region north of the Wyoming Valley. The LVRR had built coal docks in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, when it built the Easton and Amboy in the 1870s, but desired a terminal on the Hudson River close to New York City. So, its motto, Route Of The Black Diamond, was quite befitting and led directly to both its rise in prosperity and downfall into bankruptcy. The original line retains its original route when it was first constructed and is served by Norfolk Southern Railway. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Corporate Histories Prepared in Accord. The Pennsylvania merged with the New York Central in 1968, but the Penn Central failed in 1970, causing a cascade of railroad failures throughout the East. Morgan. Some of the lines and branches covered in the series'twenty-four boxes include: For maps of the routes and land holdings of the Lehigh and New England Railroad, the series ft.), Nescopec Railroad / Annual Reports to the Auditor General of Pennsylvania, 1895-1896. The first such combination occurred in 1873, followed by others in 1878, 1884, and 1886. Indicates major drainage, cities and towns, and names the railroads along the lines. This company became an important factor in the movement of anthracite, grain and package freight between Buffalo, Chicago, Milwaukee, Duluth, Superior and other midwestern cities. [29] At the same time, the LVRR organized the Buffalo and Geneva Railroad to build the rest of the 97-mile Geneva to Buffalo trackage, from Geneva to Lancaster. East of the junction with the Reading Line in Allentown and in Bethlehem, the line serves as Norfolk Southern's main corridor in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey, and the New York Metro Area at large, as Norfolk Southern doesn't currently use the eastern half of its Southern Tier Line, which follows the Delaware River from Port Jervis north to Binghamton, New York, and which is now (2022) operated by the Central New York Railroad. The two most popular reasons for wishing to consult railroad-related land records are property ownership investigations and historical research. 1951: September 14: Last day of steam on the Lehigh Valley Railroad as. [24] The marshalling yard is now the residential area known as Harbortown. (5 cu. ft.), Manor Real Estate and Trust Company / Indexes to Minutes, 1870-1954. (.2 cu. Subsequently, the LVRR favored engines from Baldwin Locomotive Works and William Mason, but tried many other designs as it experimented with motive power that could handle the line's heavy grades.[7]. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Board Files: Green Sheet Leases, 1926-1957. File. N Scale Lehigh Valley locomotive by Life-Like. In order to document their corporate valuations to the ICC, American railroad companies had to submit detailed maps of their real estate holdings. It was located along the Hamilton Street Bridge in Allentown. (6.05 cu. (.1 cu. 1902 - NYC introduces The 20th Century Limited. The first leg of the construction to Jersey City was the Roselle and South Plainfield Railway in 1888 which connected with the CNJ at Roselle for access over the CNJ to the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City. ft.), Western Pennsylvania Railroad / Minute Books, 1860-1903. DeRuyter Val Map - info needed by Cactus Jack - Tue Aug 25, 2015 2:08 pm. (2 cu. In 1856, the "E. A. Packer" 4-4-0 was purchased from William Mason of Taunton, Massachusetts. Photos not available for this variation. Small party privacy and fantastic views! ft.), Finley Company / Minute Books, 1945-1959. [1] Operations continued until the LVRR's bankruptcy in 1976. ft.), Suquehanna, Bloomsburg, and Berwick Railroad - Ledger, 1902-1904. For land and trackage owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the State Archives holds a series of 49 microfilm rolls, filmed in 1976 by the Penn Central, entitled: Real Estate Maps and Atlases (#RRV 1101 through 1148) {#286m.423} . (5 cu. And the County Tax Assessment Office would have current information as to ownership of each geographic parcel if that is in question. Coverage includes locations in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Paper or digital copies of the items on the list can then be ordered. After the U.S. entered World War I, the railroads were nationalized in order to prevent strikes and interruptions. Packer brought additional financing to the railroad, installed Robert H. Sayre as chief engineer, and renamed the company the "Lehigh Valley Railroad." ft.), PRR / Secretary / Minute Books of the Real Estate Committee, 1869-1918. (.4 cu. On April 1, 1976, major portions of the assets of the bankrupt Lehigh Valley Railroad were acquired by Conrail. (.4 cu. ft.), Manor Real Estate and Trust Company / Ledgers, 1903-1925. This allowed the line's eastbound grade to be reduced and a shorter route for handling through traffic established. ft.). While researchers are welcome to come in and browse through the hundreds of boxes of rolled maps and drawings, Archives staff is not able to do research for non-visiting patrons in this series. ft.), PRR / VP of Operation / Chief of Motive Power / Miscellaneous Motive Power Blueprints and Related Materials, ca 1900-1968. ft.), PRR / President / Subject Index to Presidential Corr. Summary Outline map of the middle Atlantic states showing the three major lines in different colors. (.1 cu. 985, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 16:09, Catawissa, Williamsport and Erie Railroad, Pennsylvania and New York Canal & Railroad Company, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway, New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, Lehigh Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, "Lehigh Valley Railroad to Retires $2,489,000 in 66-Year-Old Bonds", "Pennsylvania Railroad Seeking all the Stock of Lehigh Valley", http://www.parailfan.com/NS/ns_lehigh_line_ett.pdf, "Last of the Railroad - Era Passes Tonight as Lehigh Ends Service", "E. E. Loomis is Dead. ft.), PRR / VP of Operation / Chief of Motive Power / Condition of Frt. (.1 cu. ft.), Frederick and Northern Railroad / Minute Book, 1873-1897. Lehigh Valley Railroad System Map.svg. Finally in 1887 the two railroads reached a settlement, and construction of the LVRR's Jersey City freight yard began. [30] As a result of its leases and acquisitions, the Lehigh Valley gained a near-monopoly on traffic in the Finger Lakes region. [39], Following the defeat of its plan, the D&H sold its stock to the Pennsylvania Railroad. From the beginning, the LVRR's New York City passengers had used the Pennsylvania Railroad's terminal and ferry at Jersey City, but in 1913 the PRR terminated that agreement, so the LVRR contracted with the CNJ for use of its terminal and ferry, which was expanded to handle the increased number of passengers. (.55 cu. (.1 cu. Clement, 1935-1949. (.1 cu. :-)). File usage on other wikis. It also built a passenger terminal in Buffalo in 1915. These operators include: The Lehigh Line was the Lehigh Valley Railroad's first rail line and served as the main line. [45], In 1944, the LVRR's gross revenues came close to $100,000,000 which was a milestone for the railroad.[1]. Maps of North America. ft.), PRR / Secretary / Library /Publicity Photographs, ca 1830-1960. [16] After the LVRR opened its line, the Lehigh & Susquehanna extended to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and connected with the CNJ and the Morris and Essex Railroad in 1868. 1850-1967] (157 cu. These engineering drawings consist primarily of maps and structure drawings, although other subjects such as bridges, grade crossings and equipments are also documented. ft.), Manor Real Estate and Trust Company / Minute Books, 1870-1954. of F. Thomson and A.J. These locomotives were also used in freight service during and after the era of LVRR passenger service. ft.), PRR / VP of Real Estate / General Correspondence Files and Coal Mine Reports, 1930-1938. Indicates major drainage, cities and towns, and names the railroads along the lines. ft.), Valley Real Estate Company - Ledger, 1907-1922. A daily freight train was put into operation leaving Easton in the morning and returning in the evening. [42], Following the Great Depression, the railroad had a few periods of prosperity, but was clearly in a slow decline. Any of the State Archives aerial photograph collections, including: images for these and other years available online via the, MG-286 Hollyman Publicity Photographs, ca 1940-1959. Train Cars and Work Equip. ft.), Pioneer Real Estate Company / Minute Book, 1946-1947. (.02 cu. [citation needed]. ft.), Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad / Contract Books, 1864-1891. - Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway . Among them: The primary passenger motive power for the LVRR in the diesel era was the ALCO PA-1 car body diesel-electric locomotive, of which the LVRR had fourteen. (.1 cu. System Map (1940) An official, 1940 system map of the Lehigh & New England Railroad. When the LVRR opened, those producers eagerly sent their product by the railroad instead of canal, and within two years of its construction the LVRR was carrying over 400,000 tons of coal annually. ft.), Lehigh Valley Railroad / Valuable Papers Files, 1850-1966. The original maps were never transferred to the Archives, but a book by book inventory of the film exists. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 16:09. Abandoned Lines By mileage, no state comes close to the abandonments suffered in Pennsylvania, which now amounts to roughly 6,500 miles. :-) Disclaimers: Finally in 1900, the LVRR purchased the National Docks Railway outright. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Co. (.1 cu. (.1 cu. The Lehigh Valley Railroad's original and primary route between Easton and Allentown was built in 1855. (.1 cu. The Pennsylvania Railroad in 1962 requested ICC authorization to acquire complete control of the LVRR through a swap of PRR stock for LVRR and elimination of the voting trust that had been in place since 1941. For 25 years the Lehigh Canal had enjoyed a monopoly on downstream transportation and was charging independent producers high fees. ft.), Peoria and Eastern Railway / Annual Reports, 1928-1936, 1938-1961, 1963-1966, 1970-1973, 1976. Original file (SVG file, nominally 800 600 pixels, file size: 447 KB). In 1920, the LVRR sold its lake line company, the Lehigh Valley Transportation Line, to private interests due to new federal legislation which stopped the practice of railroads owning lake lines. Ball, Chief Conveyancer and Benjamin W. Carskaddon, Assistant Real Estate Agent, 1876-1902. The Shortsville to Victor segment became the Ontario Central Railroad in 1979 (the Ontario Central became part of the Finger Lakes Railway in October 2007[51]). ft.), Berkshire Land Company / Journal and Ledger, 1939-1955. Talk of the railroad had been in the air since 1849 and eventually a Lehigh Valley track was laid into the valley east of Livonia Center. [1], On May 17, 1879, Asa Packer, the company's founder and leader, died at the age of 73. of Purchases / General Correspondence and Confidential Files of C.D. The LVRR operated several named trains in the post-World War II era. ft.), State Realty Company / Minute Book, 1907-1909. The most important market in the east was New York City, but the LVRR was dependent on the CNJ and the Morris Canal for transport to the New York tidewater. The LVRR, wanting to capitalize on the tourist appeal of the cataract and to extend its anthracite coal business to the Midwestern United States, entered an agreement with the New York Central to use . (.1 cu. [10] The LVRR recognized that its own continued prosperity depended on obtaining what coal lands remained. ft.), Susquehanna and Clearfield Railroad / Annual Report to the Auditor General of Pennsylvania, 1895-1896. (143 cu. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for LV Lehigh Valley Railroad Depot (train station) at Andreas, Schuylkill Co., PA at the best online prices at eBay! ft.), PRR / VP of Special Services / Merger Studies, 1950-1970. the succession of recorded deeds). Records vary as to scope and nature, including pipe and wire, trackage and crossing rights, real estate, physical facilities, financial obligations, operations with affiliated companies, governmental authorizations, purchases, and so forth. (.4 cu. Names Alter, R. H. Pennsylvania Railroad. In New Jersey, the LVRR embarked on a decade-long legal battle with the CNJ over terminal facilities in Jersey City. Ended: Mar 02, 2023. ft.), PRR / VP of Special Services / Merger Testimony and Exhibits, 1962-1967. Although the heavy wartime traffic had left the railroad's plant and equipment in need of repair, the damage was partly offset by new equipment that had been purchased by the government. Construction from Waverly to Buffalo was split into two projects, Waverly to Geneva, New York, and Geneva, which is located at the northern end of Seneca Lake), to Buffalo. permission to lay track, run trains and do needed maintenance along a long, narrow swath. The railroad was chartered on August 2, 1847, and elected James Madison Porter its president on October 21. The restructuring allowed the LVRR to extend the maturity of its mortgages, but it needed to repeat the process in 1950. ft.), West Lane Garage Company / Minute Book, 1934-1943. Conversely, the other railroads' obligations to pay those fees to the Penn Central were not waived.