Catasauqua - Crossroads of the
Anthracite Railroads
By Joe Yurko
Ed., This article was published in
Flags, Diamonds and Statues, A Publication of the Anthracite Railroads
Historical Society, Inc. Vol. 6, Nos. 3 & 4, 1986. This excellent and thorough account brought back
memories of our flattening coins on the tracks of the L&NE while the
engineer of the switcher gave us a friendly wave, of running through the Second
Street tunnel before the next train came along, and of hearing the rumble of
the trains as they passed beneath the Lincoln Jr. High School. J. McV, Feb., 2009
The Early Years
Catasauqua &
Fogelsville R. R.
The Later Years
The Reading R.R. (formerly the
C & F R. R.)
Part One
Early Years
As
one follows the tracks of existing railroads and walks the weed-grown roadbeds of
what has been left in the past, places of interchange (or interaction) between
different railroads for the most part generate curiosity and interest. Along
the lines of the Anthracite Railroads, many of these locations were similar
enough so that they could be placed into groups of only a few types of
interchanges. Some were major points of transfer, found in most of the cities
of eastern Pennsylvania. Others were those places where the unremarked branch
of one carrier met the busy multi-tracked mainline of another. In the
anthracite coal region, spurs of different companies to coal breakers
crisscrossed each other with wild abandon. A similar situation existed, though
at a very much smaller and less fierce level, in the Cement Belt just north and
east of Allentown-Bethlehem, Pa. At the western end of this area, along the
Lehigh River, are the twin towns of Catasauqua and West Catasauqua. The interaction which took place here among several of the Anthracite
roads was something special. It was a blending of some familiar elements
resulting in a unique place of Anthracite railroad activity. The
characteristics and personalities of the railroads involved were essentially
the same as elsewhere, but the particular mix of mainlines and branchlines of the roads at "Catty" was not to be
found anywhere else.
An eastbound on #4 track
passes by Catasauqua interlocking in the bright morning of Sept. 15 1946.
(Donald W. Furler)
Catasauqua
(a compound Indian word meaning "dry ground") is located on the east
bank of the Lehigh River three miles north of Allentown. The village of West
Catasauqua on the opposite bank is actually part of a township. The railroads which operated on the west side generally
identified the location as just Catasauqua. Four of the anthracite railroads
plus a shortline passed through or interchanged in
the area. The mainlines of the Lehigh Valley and
Jersey Central followed the west and east banks of the river respectively. From
the east came a branch of the Lehigh & New England, which passed under part
of the town in a tunnel. A branch of the Reading came in from the west. The
Lehigh & New England crossed the CNJ, Lehigh River, and Lehigh Valley to
physically meet the Reading. All four railroads maintained yard trackage. Just west of town, two lines of the Ironton RR
came in to meet the LV and RDG, the two railroads which
owned the Ironton. Catasauqua was also served for many years by a trolley line;
a narrow-gauge at one time was operated by the Crane
Iron Works, the industry which, for many years, was the heart and soul of the
community.
A new platform is built
at the LV Catasauqua depot with four tracking of the main line recently
completed. (J. Yurko
Collection)
A
postcard view looking upriver about 1912. The rebuilt Lehigh Valley is at left, the CNJ main with the curve and canal bridge at North
Catasauqua is to the right. The Thomas Iron Co. at Hokendauqua
is seen a short distance away to right of center. (J. Yurko
Collection)
A trolley for Allentown
crosses the CNJ main at Race St. about 1951. View is looking west on the CNJ.
The railroad owned the elevated shanty which
controlled the gates. The transit company had a derail at the crossing
maintained by a watchman from the other shanty. Automatic gates were installed
here prior to the end of trolley operations in May,
1953. (Lester K. Wismer)
The
significance of the original Lehigh Crane Iron Co. facility, located at what
would later be called Catasauqua, is not well known to most rail historians
and, for that matter, not known to most historians outside of the Lehigh
Valley. The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. greatly contributed towards making
anthracite coal a viable fuel. The "Old Company" had a near monopoly
in certain markets but still wanted to sell more coal. Possessing the Lehigh
Canal, they practically had a monopoly on transporting their treasured product.
The company undertook efforts which resulted in the
aforementioned facility, this nation's first truly productive anthracite iron furnace.
As ore was available locally, many furnaces would come to dot the Lehigh Valley
landscape. The Industrial Revolution was considerably sped along thanks to the
LC&N Co's. actions. But
it was the Bethlehem Iron Co. (later Bethlehem Steel), a few miles downriver
from Catasauqua, which would end up being the survivor of this era.
LV 4-4-0 camelback #656
brings what is likely an early run of the "Black Diamond Express"
westward under the Race St. bridge. Steps leading to the Lower Catasauqua flagstop are seen above the first car. Four-tracking
of the main line was still several years ahead of this circa 1898 scene. (Collection
of Lehigh County Historical Society)
As
the furnaces in and around Catasauqua grew silent, the production of Portland
cement was on the rise. No-cement mills were located at Catty but one did not
have to go far out of town to find one. With room for small yards west of town,
the railroads developed a place of interchange and classification. Serving the
cement industry along with routine mainline activity would be the railroad
scene at Catasauqua until trucks took away much of the cement business almost
overnight. This greatly contributed to the decline of the anthracite roads.
Very quickly, Catasauqua became a "formerly developed" rail locations
Crane Iron Works,
Catasauqua, Pa. from the West Side (Herbert J. Kleppinger).
This view of the Crane Iron Works is from a postcard taken about 1905. Recently
completed is the girder bridge for the Crane RR. The CNJ tower and the Crane slag
dump branch (in later years to a scrap yard) are seen at left. Roof of LV tower
is at lower right. CNJ main crosses from left to right although is not very
apparent.
Much
of the appeal of the Catasauqua area lies in the realization that it was once a
tremendous place to enjoy the anthracite roads in action. Relatively few railfans visited there in the glory days; the location
offered much of what has come to be held in high esteem by today's enthusiasts,
and if it were the same today, we know the LV and CNJ towermen
would see their share of railfans! There was plenty
of public access to the railroads: overhead bridges, stations, etc. It was one
of the few places where the four-tracked portion of the Lehigh Valley mainline
was visible and apparent. Imagine a late spring evening about 1959, standing by
the old Reading scale house. We caught the Reading road-switcher as we arrived, now we're watching a pair of LNE RS-2's working the
weed-grown yard. The LV's PM pullout from Allentown arrives and spends about
half an hour at Biery yard. LV freight BP2 surprises
us heading east, then we try to make the most of ASA 10 Kodachrome
shooting LV#29 as the light fades. The PM pullout departs after #29 and, as
darkness falls, the LNE is ready to return to Tadmor.
He must wait several minutes for the CNJ Siegfried road drill to go east. Not
too far off, we can hear the distinctive horn of one of the Ironton Baldwins. If we choose to wait in the darkness, we should
see the Cementon drill returning to Biery yard, plus LV #7 and hotshot freight FFW I flying
west, as well as several CNJ eastbounds all before
midnight.
19th Century
The
Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company first investigated using anthracite coal
in iron-making during the mid-1820's. In the late
1830's, the LCN's Erskine Hazard went to Wales to visit iron maker George
Crane. Crane's colleague David Thomas agreed to come to America to try to
construct a good working furnace fired with anthracite. Thomas had explicit
arrangements with Hazard for his work. Building of the furnace began in 1839
and was finished the following year. The combination of Thomas' skill and LCN
financial backing created swift progress in ironmaking
technology. The industry grew at a fantastic pace as larger and improved
furnaces were built through the next decade.
The
first railroad in the locale was a very rudimentary setup established by the
Lehigh Crane Iron Co. probably in the late 1840's. The Lehigh Valley RR,
establishing its mainline between Easton and Mauch Chunk, became in July, 1855 the first of the major
carriers to reach Catasauqua, (The town, which formed around the iron works was
so named in 1853.) Festivities were held on the occasion of the first run into
town. As in recent years, the LV was on the west bank of the river. A bridge
across the Lehigh which had been built by the iron company in
1847 permitted business between the LV and the furnaces, via either the
primitive railroad or "natural" horsepower.
There were several accidents
over the years at the Crane Co. grade crossing of the LV and CNJ. This Lehigh
Valley wreck on the morning of October 3,1893 was one of the more tragic. A
coal extra with LV #543 eastbound struck a Crane Go. locomotive,
killing that engine's fireman. The Crane Co. engine #12,
(visible in the center of the photo) was backing six empties west through the
covered Lehigh river bridge with the signal supposedly in its favor. A
westbound local (with its caboose almost on the crossing) was stopped in front
of the station blocking the views of the opposing trains. The Crane crew
reacted when they saw the steam from the Valley engine. The LV crew reacted
when they saw the empty coal cars tracking through the curve ahead of them! The
543 caught this Crane #12 at the rear driver, knocking it onto the westbound
main, while the 543 went, into the wall. In addition to the death of Crane Co.
fireman, the watchman on duty at the crossing at the time left and committed
suicide. (H.P. Sell/Railways to Yesterday Collection)
A Reading 1-8 at Eberhart Road crossing, September 1938. Boxcars to the left
are in the Lehigh Valley yard. (Kermit Geary, Sr.)
A nice broadside profile
of one of the Ironton's ex-RDG 1-7 2-8-O's seen at work near Hokendauqua on October 23, 1946. (Charles A. Brown)
Catasauqua &
Fogelsville R. R.
The
mills of Catasauqua (and those of the Thomas Iron Co. just upriver at Hokendauqua) got much of their ore from pits in western
Lehigh and eastern Berks counties. It was, moved from mine to furnace by very
long teams of horses and carts, the 19th century equivalent of a unit ore
train! A team waiting at the west end of the iron company bridge would stretch
out towards the small village of Mickleys, creating
an odd parallel to similar later rail activity. The passing of the teams,
especially in wet weather, would nearly destroy the roads. These conditions
encouraged the building of a railroad. Even before the arrival of the LV, the
Crane and Thomas Iron companies together proposed building a railroad to bring
in the ore. There was considerable resistance to this idea - Heard were the
familiar arguments of big business/big profits for, a few against destruction
of the land, inconvenience, possible dangers, etc. for others. The opposition
eventually backed off largely due to the reality of how the ore teams were
damaging the roads, Even so, the initial incorporation on April 5, 1853 was
only for a wooden "plank road". Work on the plank road started; as completed portions were quickly destroyed by the ore teams creating
a still messy and now treacherous roadway, the need for a railroad
became apparent. The charter for the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad was
granted April 20, 1854. The C&F would become the railroad most associated
with Catasauqua for the next few decades.
Work
on the C&F did not start until Spring, 1856. The
LV located their station between its track and the river next to the iron
company bridge (which received a much-needed strengthening in 1857). The
C&F station was directly across the LV main from the LV station. This
arrangement continued even after the LV was four-tracked.
West
Catasauqua was the center of operations for the C&F railroad. A small
barn-like roundhouse and a shop were soon located nearby. There was an
extremely sharp curve, running in back of the C&F station, and turning hard
to the left over the LV to the river bridge; this curve is thought to be part
of the original C&F. (This is the same curve more associated in later years
with the Lehigh & New England. The Reading, which acquired the C&F,
actually owned the sharpest part of the curve, their right-of-way going to the
western edge of the LV main.)
The
iron bridge on the C&F seen from the west end of the bridge. A local landmark for
decades, it was between Guth and Metamora stations
(the latter place today's Trojan powder works). (J. Yurko
Collection)
The
original C&F route was laid out by the Chapman brothers, hence the naming
of the station 8.5 miles west of Catasauqua. This was more or less the end of
track for the original line which opened July 14,
1857. At just about the half-way point on the line, a
large iron bridge spanned the Jordan Creek valley. The bridge was 1165 feet
long and 104 feet above the creek. Considering that the purpose of the railroad
was to haul iron ore and also that it was owned by two iron companies, the
large spidery structure was somewhat of a showpiece. The bridge would create
weight restriction problems in decades to come until the World War I era when
C&F successor Philadelphia & Reading filled over the structure in a
project that took several years to accomplish. (To spot the tree-grown fill
today, go north on Cedar Crest Boulevard from the Route 22 interchange near
Allentown. About a mile and a half beyond is a bridge crossing the Jordan
Creek. The fill is to your left at a 45 degree angle;
you'll see the C&F on an overpass up on the hill ahead of you.)
On
the heels of the C&F, the Ironton Railroad was opened on May 24, 1860 to
mine sites about seven miles from Catasauqua. The Ironton was
backed largely by the Thomas Iron Co. The trackage which connected the
Ironton with the C&F and LV at Catasauqua was for a time known as
the Thomas Railroad.
In
1864, the C&F reached Alburtis to meet the East Penn RR. That same year,
the Lehigh Coal & Navigation received permission to build a railroad from Mauch Chunk to Easton, an expansion of their Lehigh &
Susquehanna RR. The line was completed by 1867. At Catasauqua, it ran between
the river and the LC&N's canal. The railroads during this time were rapidly
developing into our familiar regional anthracite roads. The East Penn RR became
part of the Philadelphia & Reading in 1869 and the long lease of the Lehigh
& Susquehanna to the Central RR of New Jersey began in 1871.
The
anthracite furnaces of the Lehigh Valley thrived, but by the mid-1880's they
were very rapidly losing ground to the bituminous- and coke-fired furnaces of
the Pittsburgh area. Responses were made with the result of many furnaces
closing, the Crane and Thomas facilities remaining as small operations for some
years into the twentieth century, and the Bethlehem Iron Co. becoming the giant
Bethlehem Steel. Both good and bad times were experienced at Catasauqua during
the latter years of the nineteenth century. The first cement mill in the area
was built at Coplay in 1871. The Crane Co. expanded its plant railroad, which
eventually included a narrow gauge line running along the CNJ next to the river
to a slag bank south of town (where Route 22 now crosses the river). Both the
CNJ and LV had small flag stop type stations at the lower (southern or eastern)
ends of the twin towns. The P&R influence was felt through the C&F and
CNJ; for a time the P&R maintained an express office in the heart of town.
This was some years before they gained the Crane Co.'s controlling interest in
the C&F in November, 1890. In 1892, the CNJ built
a short branch from just below Race Street, running east and slightly northward
along the Catasauqua Creek. This was to reach several industries, the most
important being the Davies & Thomas foundries.
A
humorous incident occurred as a result of a heavy snowstorm on February 12-13,
1899. The Lehigh Valley was using a rotary plow for snow removal. As it passed
Catasauqua, it produced a stream of snow so severe that it broke two windows on
the C&F passenger train parked next to the LV main! The stream was stopped
before any further damage resulted. When the rotary returned, the stream was,
of, course, headed in the opposite direction, into the river.
The LV's new Catasauqua
depot is nearing completion, as demolition of the old station continues. Part
of the old building is still open for business in this circa early 1907 scene. (Collection
of Clinton T. Andrews)
A good
look at the Lehigh Valley's Catasauqua depot and the town across the river. (
J. Yurko collection)
A
postcard view of the same image as above.
(J. Koehler collection)
The CNJ station shared
similar features with others on the Lehigh and Susquehanna Division. (J. Yurko collection.)
Early 20th Century
The
early years of the twentieth century brought several physical and operational
changes to the area. And once established, the railroad plant at Catasauqua
would change very little until the post World War 11 decline of the anthracite
roads. Streetcar service to Allentown had begun back in 1892 causing a drop in
local passenger business for the LV and CNJ. One area where the LV had an
advantage was its convenience to iron workers who had
lost their jobs as the local mills declined and were now commuting to the
Bethlehem Iron Works. In April, 1899 the LV announced
plans for a new interlocking plant at Catasauqua. Work on the plant and ÒCQÓ
tower began in November, 1899 and was complete in
early March, 1900. This classic railroad structure would end up being familiar
to several generations of local residents. It had 36 levers when originally
built.
In 1899, the Crane Iron Co. received a
new corporate identification as the Empire Steel & Iron Co., the name Crane
Iron Co. however remained in common use until the furnaces closed. In December,
1904, they rostered seven steam engines, four
standard- and three narrow-gauge. At this time they
built a new through plate girder bridge across the
Lehigh river (a new small bridge over the canal had been installed the previous
spring). This was to replace a covered bridge which
had replaced the 1840-era structure after it was destroyed by a flood in 1862.
The covered bridge was becoming obsolete as larger and heavier equipment was
developed. While the old bridges could accommodate pedestrians and horses, the
new bridge was "railroad only". This is the same bridge
which was used by the Lehigh & New England until 1961, and is still
in place in 1986.
Until
a road bridge could be built near the now railroad bridge to serve the heart of
town, the LV and the iron company ran a small shuttle train. The LV provided a
combine car; locomotives were either LV or Crane Co. LV 0-6-0 #926 is known to
have been used on this train. The shuttle ran from early December,
1904 until mid-September, 1906, from the closing of the old bridge until the
opening of the new Pine Street road bridge. The girder bridge was built on the
piers of the covered bridge a section at a time. The bridge would be closed a
few days to do a section, then open several days, etc.
For a couple of days around Christmas, 1904 while the bridge was closed, a sleigh took passengers to the LV station via the
Race Street bridge at the lower end of town. To us this is a very romantic
scenario, but at the time it was remarked to be a large inconvenience.
In
May, 1904, the LV had begun conducting freight
business on the east side of the river on Crane Co, sidings near Front and
Bridge Streets. In mid-December, 1904, they opened a freight office at this
location, concurrent with the building of the new river bridge.
On December 23, 1905, a wreck severely damaged the station over on the main
line. In 1906-07, the LV built a new station on the main (completed in May,
1907) and continued the arrangement on the east side.
Various
track expansions went on during 1900-1914. Small projects known about include
LV side track work in 1904 and RDG yard tracks in
1910. The Iron Co. formally incorporated their trackage
as the Crane RR in 1905. The Ironton added a new line from the west with yard trackage about 1907. During 1910, two major physical
changes were under way. The Crane RR dug a tunnel in town east of their plant,
while the LV was four-tracking its mainline.
The
735-foot tunnel was ostensibly built to access a new slag dump
site east of town. Rumors circulating at the time suggested that this
was simply not a good enough reason for such a project. One story had the
Delaware Lackawanna & Western involved behind the scenes, preparing to
enter town from the east. Work began in March, 1910
and was completed in autumn. The tunnel was actually dug out forming a cut, a concrete arched liner was put in place then filled
over. The Lehigh & New England would acquire the tunnel in 1914. With the
town high school almost directly above, students could detect the rumbling of
trains beneath!
The
evening LNE turnaround emerging from the west end of the Catasauqua tunnel. The house above is on
Second St. (Dave Augsburger)
Looking east on the LV
mainline towards Allentown from CQ tower. (Charlie Bealer)
The levers and diagram
board at CQ tower. (Charlie Bealer)
The view looking west
out of CQ tower about 1940, just prior to the station being torn down. There is
much to be enjoyed in this rare picture. The Reading coal dock is seen above
the combine. Note the old street gate still in place. (Ken Beeler
Collection)
In
late June, 1910, the LV put into service all four tracks of its new mainline as
far as lower Catasauqua (near the Race Street bridge). This section just
completed saw a relocation of the line at Fullerton (just below Catty). It had
previously run close to present-day Lehigh Avenue, now it made a broad arc
following the river. In 1890, the LV had built its "Jordan Loop"
through Allentown and established a tower at Dutch Gap where the loop rejoined
the original route, calling the place Gap Jct. By early July,
1910, this tower was closed and operators were moved to temporary quarters at the
Johnson Steel Works at lower Catasauqua. They were to remain here until the new
line was opened to Water Street, Hokendauqua. The new
Catasauqua station had been designed to include a tower, and it was thought
that this would now be used. The right-of-way work on the section from lower
Catty to Cementon went on from spring, 1910 right
into the following year. At some point, the LV decided to continue using recently-built ÒCQÓ tower. It was moved closer to the river,
and the four-track line was opened as far as Cementon
in spring, 1911. Biery yard was put in at about this
time as part of the overall upgrading project. It was built on the site of the
Thomas Iron Co. cinder dump and was unusual in being directly perpendicular to
the main line.
After
its tunnel project, the Crane Co. built a double-track line to North Catasauqua
to interchange with the CNJ near their milepost 93. This would relieve
congestion at the small CNJ yard along their main between Race Street and the
Crane Co. grade crossing. In March, 1911 a spur was built from near the east
end of the tunnel to the Davis & Thomas works, This was by now a thriving
plant which had received notoriety for the manufacture of large iron castings
used in lining subway tunnels, as well as the PRR projects around New York
City. Previously, the branch from the CNJ had been the only railroad into the
plant. The Crane RR spur now permitted access to the LV and RDG.
By
1914, the cement industry in the area was very firmly established. There were
ten cement mills in operation on the Ironton RR; the recent yard projects on
the west side were all done to accommodate the cement business.
In
1914 the Lehigh & New England became the final anthracite road to arrive at
Catasauqua. They built west from near Bath and acquired the Crane railroad.
Once again, the "Old Company" played a role in the industrial
development of the town. The LCN investigated building a canal port at Catty.
It was a circuitous route from the Panther Valley to Catty via the LNE, and not
much was ever heard of the plan. It was advantageous for both the Empire Co. to
unload the railroad as they retrenched, and for the LNE to pick it up for the
many industries served and for the interchanges. Ironically, the LNE ended up
having more private sidings to industries in town than any of the other
railroads. They ran an inspection special to town on March 23, 1914, arriving
at about 4:30 PM. It consisted of end cab 2-8-0 #15, a coach, and a business
car. Presumably around this time the Lehigh Valley RR lost their east side
freight office. A new LNE freight station was built at Front & Pine Streets
in 1916, and in 1917 a signal system for the tunnel was put in place. The Crane
RR engine house was used for a time; it remained after its railroad days and
stands even today, modified into a small factory.
The Years Pass By
As
was mentioned earlier, the Philadelphia & Reading in the mid-teens began to
fill over the large iron bridge on the C&F. Ash and other industrial wastes
used for the fill would often smolder like an underground mine fire; it would,
in fact, bum into the mid-30's. Part of the old C&F roundhouse and shop
buildings would stand at least through 1925. Sometime around 1930 the Reading
built a large modem concrete coal dock near the LV main.
In
the twenties, time ran out for the remnants of the Crane Iron Works. The
operation had been moderately successful with improvements and reductions to facilities
made over the years as necessary to keep the furnaces going. By the late
twenties, the owners considered the market for iron insufficient to continue,
and the works vanished during the early years of the Depression.
On
June 30, 193 3, the LV discontinued the agency at Catasauqua station. By
mid-summer, 1938, the building was all but abandoned; the waiting room was open
but no trains stopped regularly. The interior was dismantled in summer, 1941
and the building was torn down September 29th through October 31st that same
year.
On
March 9, 1942, LV train BJ4 with engine 5100 derailed nine cars at Catty. The
train was on #4 track and derailed about 7:00 PM. All four tracks were blocked
but only for a short time. Number 2 track was cleared an hour after the spill.
Most of the wreck was cleaned up by the next day. This was the most notable
accident to occur in the area in recent times.
LNE #206 gets a drink
from the enclosed Reading water tank at West Catasauqua on October 20,1936. In
the latter years of steam, the 206 and 207 were the only locomotives to go
directly to the Reading yard as they were equipped with blind center drivers to
take the sharp curve at the LVRR crossing. (Rod Dirkes)
An
outstanding view of railroading at West Catasauqua during the quiet afternoon
of May 21, 1949.
New LNE ALCO switchers carefully drill in the curve as LV section men go about
their work. The LNE crew had better be careful if they find a gondola a bit
longer than those seen here. (Donald W. Furler)
LNE 0-6-0#207 sits just
west of Eberhart's crossing in the Reading yard on
October 23,1946. The engine faces east, preparing for the return trip to Tadmor. Ironton RR connection tracks are seen at right.
(Charles A. Brown)
Looking east from the
east end of the LNE bridge across the Lehigh River.
The branch curves just to the left of the small girder bridge in the middle of
the picture (it actually is on part of the same bridge). The track to the right
leads to a scrapyard down near Race St. Note the switch stand on the bridge. (Dave
Augsburger)
An LVT trolley climbs up
the very unique Race St. bridge at the lower end of
town. Very impressive is the four track Lehigh Valley
main line. At extreme left is the CNJ Race St. crossing with the top of the
gate tower visible. View is about the late forties. (H. P. Sells –
Hallway to Yesterday)
A semaphore blade drops
with the passing of a one-car train in the late afternoon of October 26,1946.
This is almost certainly the Cementon Drill heading
west with the priority being to Switch the mill before picking up. To the left,
across the river is the Jersey Central station. (Donald W. Furler)
A T3 class LV 4-8-4
brings 91 cars west on Sept. 14 1946. Note the activity down closer to the LNE crossing.
Track in lower right corner is west leg of Biery yd.
wye, owned and used mostly by the Ironton. (Robert Collins)
A view of the Lehigh
& New England girder bridge and LV tower from the
Catasauqua side as the waters of the May 23, 1942 flood begin to recede.
Despite the debris, the bridge was not severely damaged. (Collection of
Russell W. Yeakel)
The Weeds Begin To Grow
The
years following World War II saw several interesting changes at Catasauqua, and
then, almost overnight, the rapid decline of the area.
The
LV moved Biery yard office from inside the wye near
the main line to up into the yard itself on September 30, 1947. Cementon interlocking, remote-controlled from Catasauqua
tower, went into service June 28, 1949. Tracks 3 and 4 were now abandoned from Cementon to Treichlers with Treichlers tower abandoned June 29, 1949.
Diesels
were replacing steam engines during this time on the anthracite roads.
Fortunately, the dates of the first LNE diesels at West Catasauqua (through the
curve) were noted and preserved. The first was S2 #612 on March 30, 1949. The
first LNE RS-2, #651, showed up soon after on April 1st. ALCO FA's had already
been seen across the river, but they could not come over to the Reading because
of the curve. 0-6-0 #207, which was regularly assigned to the Catasauqua
branch, was sold to a company in Dallas, Texas and would end up going to the
Illinois Railway Museum.
A
telephone line was finally connected between the LNE and the Lehigh Valley
tower on April 25, 1951. It is doubtful that the LNE had a line into the CNJ
tower also before this time.
Sunday
morning, March 9, 1952 saw the dropping and removal of the span of the Pine
Street highway bridge over the LV main. The bridge had been declared unsafe for
traffic back in 1948. The design of the new bridge for the location and its
approaches on the west side necessitated the removal of the Reading station. At
this date, the station possibly could have been torn down for good. Instead it
was moved to over along the Reading yard next to Water Street. By this time the
station was the agency for the entire, Ironton RR which
still had plenty of business. Nineteen fifty-two also saw the end of the
freight agency across the river at the Jersey Central station. Passenger
business formally ended in 1948; it is thought that trains occasionally would
stop until passenger service west of Allentown ended. The CNJ depot was
dismantled around late 1955/early 1956.
Next stop Lehighton: LV
#9, "The Black Diamond" speeding past the interchange yards at West
Catasauqua. CO interlocking tower is at right. (Kermit Geary, Sr.)
Train #28, "The
John Wilkes" rounds the curve out of Hokendauqua
approaching Catasauqua interlocking on March 28, 1957. (Mike Ringo)
The
RS's return to the main branch from the scrapyard, passing behind the CNJ's
interlocking tower in 1961.
(Dave Augsburger)
The
morning turnaround job from Tadmor in the midst of
switching on May 19,1960. Building at rightwasthe
Crane RR enginehouse. Spurtrailing
off to lower left leads to FullerCo. plant which was built on the sight of the Crane Iron Works.
Reading yard and interchanges are to right of hillside in background. (Randolph
Kulp)
LNE
RS-2's drill out the LV lower yard as an eastbound with PA's approaches. Track in between the
engines is the LV leads into Biery yard. (Dave Augsburger)
The Reading's Catasauqua
station as it appeared after being moved in the early fifties. Photo taken in
June 1961. (Tom Biery)
The Cementon
drill arriving at Biery yard in the late afternoon
about 1965. The train is curving through the east leg of the wye (#6 lead). Not
all the cars are brought in as the routine is to set
up the train at Biery yard for working the mill at Cementon. First car of train is on the bridge over Water
St. (Mike Bodnar)
By
spring of 1958, time and technology were knocking on the door at 'CQ' tower. A
new silver interlocking bungalow was placed just east of the tower. Effective
April 16, 1958, Catasauqua tower was abandoned. The signals
and switches were now controlled by the operator at Union Street in Allentown.
Number 3 track (closest to the river) was abandoned west of the interlocking.
Old Number 4 would remain from Catasauqua to Hokendauqua
as a siding until about June, 1963. As of April 18,
1958 the very traditional scene of mail being thrown from a speeding LV
passenger train was gone as well. The neglected tower would remain for only two
more years. It went up in intense fire late in the evening of May 7, 1960.
A
year earlier on May 8, 1959, the Reading operated a special school trip to
Hershey from Catasauqua. About 550 youngsters experienced their first and, most
likely, last train trip. With the space age at hand, it was nice that these
children got a little taste of their grandparents' 'C&F'.
The
end of the Lehigh & New England in October, 1961
gave a green light to the track removal gangs. The marvelous little CNJ tower,
a. rickety "time machine", went quickly. The last side
track remaining from the old Crane interchange yard came up. The Reading
over the next few years tore up virtually all of their
yard. By luck the station survived; it was sold in 1963 to the new Wanamaker
Kempton & Southern tourist operation. It is their gift shop today at
Kempton. The LNE tunnel was slowly buried, the west end of the tunnel today is
quite unrecognizable. Their branch was partially ripped up but was soon
acquired by the CNJ (it had not been included in the original 1961 CNJ/LNE
deal) to about a mile east of town to access a new industrial park. It would
provide a respectable amount of business through the sixties and seventies.
The
Lehigh Valley began to really hack away at its main line. On November 2 8,
1961, Number 1 track through Allentown to Gap Jct. was abandoned with former #1
connected to #2 track 1100 feet east of Union Street interlocking becoming the
Allentown Secondary track to Catasauqua. A realignment
occurred at Gap Jct. which resulted in old #1 track becoming the eastbound
main, Gap Jct. to Catty, and old #4 the new westbound main between the same
points. Old #1 was connected to #4 eastward at Gap Jct. effective December 5,
1961 and #3 was connected to old #4 westward from Gap Jct. effective December
6, 1961 (see Diagram #1). Also on December 6th, #3 track from Catasauqua to Gap
Jct. was abandoned. Removal of this track began almost immediately and was
continued after winter in 1962. West of Catasauqua, old #1 and #2 were still
the mains. No crossovers at Catty were changed. This all resulted in a bizarre
condition whereby a double track main line was perpetuated, yet opposing trains
could not pass at the same time at Catasauqua interlocking (see Diagram #2).
Looking out of 'CQ'
tower shortly after it was closed as an interlocking station, we see some of
the results of the first set of revisions made at Catasauqua. The drill is
actually running opposite on what is still the #2 main. Four tracks are still
in use east of the interlocking. Rods rust away in the weeds at lower left. (Neil
Shankweiler)
This
setup lasted only a few years with the late sixties seeing the last bits of
surgery. About 1969 the westbound main (old #4 or new #1) was removed from east
of the interlocking to Gap Jct. On September 12th that year, a Penn Central
officials' trip using RS-3 #218, a LV coach, business car 353, and the PC
business car "Queen Mary" visited facilities in the area, including Biery yard. More changes occurred after this special. As of
November 12, 1969, Catasauqua interlocking was now controlled from Easton tower
instead of Union Street, Allentown. Around this time, the Allentown Secondary
was abandoned from Gap Jct. east to the switch with the Allentown West End
branch. A switch was put in to reach the track just west of Gap Jct. This was
only a temporary measure and the entire secondary as far as Catasauqua was
abandoned by mid-1970. Double track remained from Catasauqua to Cementon into Conrail.
The
Jersey Central main line continued to be double-track at Catasauqua throughout
the sixties. Early in the decade, the Davies & Thomas branch was taken up.
The November, 1965 coordination with the LV now saw diamond-logoed engines
running up and down both sides of the Lehigh. And, as is fairly well known, the
LV acquired the CNJ main line in Pennsylvania in 1972.
By
the mid seventies and the arrival of Conrail, the town still saw a fair amount
of trains passing by daily. Those on the west side "real" LV main
often would still be flying at 50 MPH or better. The Ironton cement business
was down but still there, the LV and RDG taking care of what was left on a very
few remaining weed-grown yard tracks. Already the days of Catasauqua being a
major interchange and shipping point seemed to be further in the past than they
really were.
A youngster closely
observes an eastbound LV symbol freight coming under the Pine St. bridge. Compare this picture taken about 1964 with others
and you can see how quickly it beca_me difficult to
pick out the exact location of the sharp Reading curve after it was taken up.
(Mike Ringo)
A superb
picture showing the LNE evening job working east across the ILV mainline. Train is not actually
leaving town; pulling across was necessary because of yard work. The LNE crew
has made a call to the operator at Union St. tower in Allentown for permission
to cross. By this summer, 1961 scene, the ILV mainline at the crossing is down
to two tracks.
The east end of the
Reading yard is out of service in summer 1962. While these tracks will slowly be
taken up, the Reading continued to maintain its Ironton interchange. Business
was handled by the C&F local out of East Penn and also at around this time
by another C&F job which ran out of Reading. (Tom Biery)
Part Two
Freight Operations In
Later Years
Let's take a
closer look at some trains and operations practices around Catasauqua. We
emphasize the later years because of the lack of available older material
(although some details were found and are mentioned).
Jersey Central freight AC3
approaches Race St. crossing with 105 cars on February 17,1962. In the early
sixties, you could count on AC3 showing at Catasauqua between 3:30 and 4:15 PM.
And on many days it appeared right at or just about 3:40 PM. The units seen
here were also typical power. Most common was a four-unit F3AB and two-, four-
or six-axle ALCO road switcher lash up. Neil Shankweiler
JERSEY
CENTRAL: In the late
fifties and well into the sixties, the Northampton Drill and Siegfried Road
Drill did what little work remained to be done at Catty. The Northampton Drill
almost always had either the 1011 and 1012 (EMD SW
I's; a Baldwin VO 600, # 1043, is also known to have been used) which were kept
at Bethlehem specifically for this job and the Allentown Terminal Drill. The small
engines were needed because of the restricted CNJ Coplay Branch bridge over to the Ironton. The Davies & Thomas Branch
was also restricted and the Northampton Drill would go on this spur as needed,
along with serving Sheftel at North Catty. This job in
the early sixties would pass Catasauqua about 5:00 PM, crawling up the main
with about 30 cars at 10 MPH! The Siegfried Road Drill went west around
2:30-3:00 PM and returned mid to late evening. Coming cast, they would
occasionally set of or pick up a gondola at the scrap-yard siding just west of
Race Street crossing.
The severe
Lehigh river flood of May, 1942 caused a problem for
the CNJ since part of the aforementioned bridge at Coplay to the Ironton was
destroyed. For a few years afterward, the CNI made its Ironton connection via
the LNE bridge and Reading yard at Catasauqua. A bobtail 0-6-0 camelback was
modified to negotiate the curve. The late LV operator, Charlie Bealer, recalled that "there was no system to the
thing" referring to when CNI crews came across the LNE bridge. On one
occasion there was a Mexican standoff when a CNJ man decided to come over when
the signals were set for a LNE eastbound. The two crews stared at each other
for a while until the CNJ relented and backed into the clear. The final date
for the CNJ detour was December 15, 1945.
The north side of the
antique CNJ interlocking tower, early 1961.
SW-1 #1011 With southbound local freight about to cross the L&NE at
Catasauqua, Pa., Aug, 13,1967. Neil Shankweiler
LEHIGH
& NEW ENGLAND: After
taking over the Crane RR, the LNE did work around Catasauqua using the ex-Crane
Co. engines, storing them at their old engine-house. This practice ceased after
some years with most Catasauqua work eventually being done by jobs out of Tadmor. In the early forties there were two regular Tadmor-to-Catasauqua turnaround crews, a morning job
normally called about 6:30 AM, and an evening job called around 6:00 PM. Both
of these crews as a rule would make two round-trips from Tadmor
to Catasauqua. The 0-6-0-'s #206 and #207 were exclusive engines for these runs
as they had blind center drivers to take the sharp curve into the Reading yard.
They would come down the branch tender first, the engine in front of the train
but facing east. The 207 had arrived in 1936 after several ex-Crane engines
were scrapped, and it was the last steam engine bought new by the LNE. While
the 200's were the only LNE steam engines to come over to West Catty, other LNE
engines did come as far as the yard on the Catasauqua side. Before covering
this, we'll look at the normal routine of the turnarounds as they arrived and
did their work.
The 653 and 651
negotiate the curve on July 8,1960. The diamond (down to two tracks) required frequent
inspection and maintenance. LNE trains were restricted to 10 MPH through the
curve though apparently crews would often take the curve a little faster. Neil
Shankweiler
The LNE had a
car inspector's building on the east side near the Pine Street bridge. Shortly before a train was due, the LNE car knocker
would set up switches for the train and stop at the CNJ tower, LV tower, and
RDG station announcing a job's impending arrival. This could
be done by hollering up at a window, banging on a tower door and shouting a
quick car count, whatever just as long as the tower men knew a train was close.
Standing under the Pine
St. bridge, we are at the very east end of the Reading
yard. The LNE man has hold of several LV compressed air canister "bottle
cars", a familiar sight in the area. The string of
cement hoppers over on former LV #4 main indicate business may be good
(or perhaps the opposite) with the cars being stored. July 23, 1958. Randolph
Kulp
No doubt many of us
would enjoy going back and spending sometime examining the brand new LNE#614 at
West Catasauqua. This is the crossing in the Reading yard (Water St.) looking
towards Hokendauqua. Note the lack of exhaust stack
on the 614. Kermit Geary, Sr.
When the
train appeared out of the Catasauqua tunnel, he would pull up to Front Street
and call (blow his whistle) for the signal from the CNJ tower-man. This signal
to cross the CNJ was visible from where he stopped. If a train was short
enough, he could come directly to the signal. More typically though, he would
be stopped to clear Front Street, it was a routine sight to see a LNE westbound
waiting there. He would have to wait for both the CNJ and LV mains to be clear.
In this steam-era routine there was no telephone; to let a train across, the
CNJ and IV tower-men would communicate using hand signals during the day or a
lantern or flashlight at night.
A thundershower is close
by the W. Catasauqua yard as the evening turnaround crew drills out a couple of
cars for the local industries served by the LNE. Dave Augsburger
The C&O covered
hopper in the top photo is spotted at the Rockhill
materials facility in Catasauqua, as the RS2's keep hold of a CNJ gondola for
the scrap-yard down along the river.
Dave Augsburger
Having left the covered hopper
(seen to the right of the caboose), the crew will move west a very short
distance to the CNJ tower where they will go down the short branch to the
scrap-yard. Caboose will be left up on the main branch near the CNJ. Dave Augsburger
There's much of interest
in this view looking west at the CNJ interlocking. The RS's are pushing a
gondola down the branch to the scrap-yard backing off the Lehigh river bridge. Canal bridge on which
the photographer stands carries road and railroad with sidewalk attached. The
CNJ tower shows it has been modified over the years. Dave Augsburger
Looking southeast, the
LNE crew has picked up their caboose and is returning to the Reading yard in W.
Catasauqua. Dave Augsburger
The evening turnaround
slowly crosses the railroads and waterways heading back to Tadmor.
By the summer of 1961, the train normally was leaving town before dark. Dave Augsburger
There was a
pattern as to how the LNE handled its interchange business. Each crew's first
westbound trip was to bring in most of the connections to the RDG and LV. The
trains were blocked with Reading cars first and Valley cars second. Pulling in
at West Catty, the Readings were delivered, then the
crew would back the IV connections into the LV "lower" yard.
Available cars were taken from both railroads. In steam days the LNE could go
into the LV's Biery yard. It was also common for the
LNE to "foul" the LV main at the curve as a yard move was made. The
crews would then return to their yard on the Catasauqua side. This yard was the
old Crane RR connection to the CNJ at North Catasauqua, running about a half
mile along side the Lehigh canal. In the forties, the yard was about three or
four tracks wide. Here cars for industries were drilled out. The crews took
cars to Tadmor and returned to Catasauqua with a
shorter train. Cars received at West Catasauqua from the Reading were normally
taken by the final eastbound trip of both crews. This was especially true of
the PM crew which received cars from Reading symbol
freight HCA2. The LNE crew would go up to Mickleys at
the west end of the Reading yard to tack their caboose on to the large Reading
connection.
A trio of LNE RS2s moves
through the Reading yard crossing Water St. on May 19,1960. View looks west.
Floodlight lower in LV's Biery yard is just visible
above the 657's cab. Randolph Kulp
Bituminous
coal for the cement mills was routed over the Reading to West Catasauqua to be
passed on to the LNE. Quite understandably, there was a limit as to how much
tonnage the regular jobs (pulled by 0-6-0's) could handle. In the forties (and
certainly earlier) there were eastbound coal extras operated over the LNE
Catasauqua branch. These trains brought locomotives other than the 206 or 207
into Catty.
The assembly
of these trains was a bit of an achievement. The coal normally came in from the
Reading during the night. The morning LNE job would take about 15-20 hoppers at
a time from the Reading to the LNE yard across the river at Catasauqua. The
0-6-0 on the local would shove the hoppers as far west in the yard as possible,
return across the CNJ and LV mains, and repeat the move about three or four
times until all of the coal was over in the LNE yard. Soon from the east would
come another LNE crew to take the coal out of town.
Engines brought in for these coal extras included the large 151-154 series
2-8-0 camelbacks, the big 300-series ALCO 2-8-0's and even the
Baldwin 2-10-0's. The decapods were probably not used too often since the curve
along Front Street in town, while not as bad as the Reading curve across the
river, was sharp enough to create problems. The local's 0-6-0 could assist in
putting the train together. Staying at the hind end almost at the CNJ main in
North Catty, the 0-6-0 would occasionally push the departing coal train up to
Front Street, or all the way to Tadmor. It is likely
that an additional yard engine was brought in on occasion to help assemble the
coal train (the 111, an 0-8-0 carnelback was in town
April 1, 1945) especially if either the 206 or 207 was
in the shop.
When diesels
came, the ALCO FA's made appearances on the coal trains. Examples,
February 13, 1949 706/752/709; November 14, 1949 703/707/708*.
The crew which had these trains around this time was likely to be the midday
crew out of Pen Argyl, which, union agreement shows,
could go to Martins Creek or Catasauqua. These "extra" coal trains
probably disappeared from the branch during the early fifties.
*Note: Such examples of engine assignments,
taken from company or employee records, are about seventy percent accurate. It
has been proven that the sequence listed on a block sheet or in a time book can
be scrambled, backwards or otherwise different from what really occurred.
Returning to
the activities of the two regular local jobs, the dates for first appearances
of other types of LNE diesels were listed earlier. Pairs of S-2's were
occasionally seen in the early fifties. Trios of RS2's were more common during
this time too, but much less so towards the end of operations. Three RS's were
likely to be used when coal was heavy. Pairs of RS-2's were by far the most
common regular power on the turnarounds through the fifties until the end.
The LNE RS's
worked up towards Mickleys with their caboose as the
crew did in earlier years. A LNE clerk from their Catasauqua station would come
over to the Reading station to collect waybills. Both AM
and PM jobs ran through October, 1961, the morning job was apparently, in later
years, a midmorning call. Personal observations by several people indicate the
LNE trains (at least the last eastbound PM trip) were substantial during much
of the fifties. Towards the end, if Catty business was light, the crews would
make only one trip to Catasauqua, and do work elsewhere such as drilling
National Cement. A slight modification in interchange business with the LV
likely occurred in the late fifties: as the LNE de-emphasized the west end of
its main line, cars formerly received from the LV at Lizard Creek were probably
now routed via Catty.
Excellent
service was rendered by the Lehigh & New England right through October, 1961 despite their desire to quit. Even the odd
sight of two RS-2's and a caboose pushing a gondola down behind the CNJ tower a
half mile to the town scrap-yard could still be watched and enjoyed. After
abandonment the LNE was most noticeably missed.
READING
COMPANY: An item in the
May 25, 1907 edition of the Catasauqua Dispatch, the weekly town newspaper,
gives a bit of insight into C&F operations at that time. Four regular
trains were mentioned: a "mixed", a "local", and two
Catasauqua-Reading freights. Traffic on the branch had recently increased.
Based on other information, the 1-7 class 2-8-0's were likely the engines most
frequently seen.
Reading geep and caboose drift across Water St. as the LNE heads
for the curve and river bridge. Look closely just to the left of 613, you can
see an eastbound signal on the CNJ main across the river. The date is July
15,1961. Dave Augsburger
Data on the
Reading around Catasauqua for the next few decades is scarce. It is known that
by the forties there was a daily (except Sunday) Rutherford to Catasauqua (and
return) train which we'll cover shortly, plus a daily
(except Sunday) Catasauqua to Philadelphia (Port Richmond) freight. This latter
train (symbol CAP-2) started March 10, 1941. Its consist was mostly cement and
it was put on mainly to insure delivery of cement to new docks under
construction at the Philadelphia Navy yard. The train started out of East Penn
at Allentown, running west to Alburtis, then back east on the branch to
Catasauqua, finally leaving west from there late in the evening. Counterpart
symbol PCA- 1 was due to arrive at Catty around dawn, with the engine later
tying up at East Penn. It appears that this train was at times routed directly
to Allentown over the Perkiomen Branch. For unknown
reasons, CAP-2/PCA-1 were discontinued for a short
time in April, 1941. A brief item in the Allentown newspaper told that the
Harrisburg train was running heavier, often with a pusher. The Port Richmond
trains were reinstated in early May, 1941 and
disappeared for good by about 1943.
The most
important Reading train into Catasauqua in later years were the Rutherford to
Catasauqua and return symbols HCA-2/ CAH-5. "The Cat" was the
nickname for this train, it was a commonly-used
nickname among employees (just like the Bethlehem Star, Gettysburg Digger, etc). At one time, both the eastbound and westbound runs
would leave around midnight, arriving Catasauqua or Rutherford a little before
or after sunup.
The HCA-2
would tie up at East Penn just like PCA- 1, this
practice was later changed with the engine off HCA-2 laying over all day at the
Ironton's engine-house in Hokendauqua waiting for
that evening's CAH-5. By the end of the forties, an important change had
occurred with HCA-2 leaving Rutherford in the late afternoon arriving at Catty
around 10:30 PM. The crew would go on rest for a few hours, then turn on CAH-5
whose schedule was basically unchanged.
The Cats were
good sized trains, running about sixty cars. The
Reading used large steam engines on them (including T-1's). Around 1945-6, the
I-10sa class 2-8-0's were the regular engines used.
Doubleheaders were also seen such as:
Jan.
11, 1946 HCA-2
3010, 2046 (2-10-2,
2-8-0)
Mar. 1, 1946 HCA-2
3017, 2010 (2-10-2,
2-8-0)
May 31, 1946 HCA-2
2048, 2022 (2-8-0,
2-8-0)
After
dieselization, all types of Reading first generation road units ended up on the job
at one time or another.
Reading Co. data shows their intention to assign a set of ALCO A-B-A units to
the job about 1949. Because of HCA-2/CAH-5 operating regularly over the C&F
branch at night, photos of RDG road power at Catasauqua are hard to come by.
Extra freights (mainly coal) could be operated, these
would be the photographers' only chance.
It is
regrettable that Reading activity here could not have been better photographed.
The Reading's West Catasauqua yard was somewhat of a visual highlight of the
local rail scene. The entire yard area was a little over a mile in length from the
LVRR main line to the state highway overpass at Mickleys.
Looking at the yard, one realized the extent of interchange business with the
Ironton and Lehigh & New England. Space was always at a premium. Even as
late as 1960, looking across the cemetery from Route 145 at Mickleys
one would see strings of freight cars sitting west of Eberhart's
crossing. From up in Fairview cemetery above the relocated freight station,
short strings of LNE cement cars, IV "bottle" cars, etc., were seen
packed closely together in the middle of the yard beyond Water Street. There is
no attempt to be deliberately morbid in describing these vantage points. Rather
they're to be seen as relatable locations to help understand how the yard
appeared in the absence of photographs.
Reading Baldwin #533,
the only diesel to carry the "CATA'(Catasauqua
Engine House) designation on her pilot, heads a local freight southbound on the
C&F Branch near Walberts, Pa. August 8, 1958.
Neil Shankweiler
When HCA-2
arrived at Mickleys, he would call the yardmaster at
Catasauqua station for instructions. Reading operator J.W. Hulsman,
Sr. filled in at Catty on occasion in the fifties; we are most grateful to him
for providing much of the following on the yarding of
this train. Essentially, it was difficult to assemble the westbound train and
have it ready for the crew when they came in with HCA-2.
The Reading
stored and serviced their West Catasauqua yard switcher over in Hokendauqua at the Ironton engine-house. Baldwin AS-16 #533
was the regular unit throughout the fifties; it was the only unit with 'CATA'
assignment lettering. No other diesels were assigned at Catty; when the 533 was out for work, another AS-16 often took its place.
The yard crew
came on duty late in the afternoon. As connections were received, through or
online cuts were carefully assembled, keeping in mind enough room had to be
left for HCA-2 to yard his train. Conditions changed from night to night. When
the LNE man would leave, it would add room. On the other hand, the LNE would
usually wait for HCA-2. This meant that HCA-2 might have to be broken up to
take care of the LNE. On many occasions, HCA-2 had to be taken apart anyway to
fully assemble CAH-5. When the Rutherford crew came in, they would turn their
engines (if necessary) on the Ironton RR wye west of Eberhard
Road and park them up towards Mickleys. They would
take rest, anywhere from two to four hours, while the yard crew continued to
work. The yard crew would take care of the caboose; the road crew would make
the necessary doubles and go west. Since there was a grade
leaving town, the yard crew sometimes would give CAH-5 a kick out of
town. The grade dropped off near Walberts; it was
another climb almost at the end of the branch up into Alburtis. Once in a while
an actual helper crew was called. Normally, when a westbound had trouble, he'd
cut his train at Walberts, take half to Chapmans, then return for the
balance.
Besides the
Harrisburg train, East Penn to Catasauqua turnarounds (EPCAT) were operated.
These were also night trains, called at East Penn around 11:00 PM. In the late
fifties they would run three or four nights a week as needed. The regular late
morning C&F local out of East Penn could also come into Catasauqua. This
was the job which worked the branch, most of its work
being at the large Lehigh Portland cement plant out at Fogelsville. Back in the
late forties, 1-9sc 2-8-0's were used on the local, often the same engine for
days in a row. Dieselization brought GP7's and RS-3's.
A rare occurrence on the C&F: a 91-car unit
coal train, powered by C424 #5206 and GP7's #634, 612, 625, arrives at Mickleys, Pa. just west of Catasauqua) bound for the Copley
Cement Co. March 21, 1965. Neil Shankweiler
The Reading
dropped HCA-2/CAH-5 and the second shift yard drill in the early sixties with
the withdrawal of the LNE and the loss of cement business to trucks. By the mid
sixties, unit coal trains for the Ironton had appeared. These trains ran as a
HCAX with a unit train number such as "UT 1300" also assigned.
Through the sixties and seventies, they ran with all types of Reading second generation power. Examples (all eastbounds):
Sept.
9, 1968 5306,3615,5301
C-630,
GP30, C-630
Oct.
5, 1968 3613,3621,3601,3643
GP30,
GP35, GP30, GP35
June
23, 1969 7602,5304
SD-45,
C-630
June
29, 1971 5212,
3606, 3626 HCAX C-430,
GP30, GP35
July
10, 1971 3606,
5303, 5305, HCAX GP30, C-630,
C-630
Looking east at a portion of the Reading yard in
about June, 1961. The roof of the RDG freight station
is to the right. A pair of LV PAÕs works a cut of cars in the distance out of
the LV lower yard. Shanty for the RDG scale is seen just in 'front' of the
ALCOs. The old C&F roundhouse stood over to the left of the RDG GPIT The public street across this part of the yard was one long
bumpy grade crossing often avoided by local residents. Hardly visible in this
picture, its location is marked by the pole mast above the 613 and the high
pole at the east end of the RDG station. Dave Augsburger
Even Conrail operated
unit coal trains over the branch for a time after their takeover. To drill out
a coal train, the C&F crew would have a larger four-axle for a day or so
along with their GP7 or RS-3. During these years the C&F was normally a
two-shift operation; the Ironton work was normally done in the evening. Through
the seventies until Conrail, the C&F local would appear at Catty as often
as the Ironton business warranted.
LEHIGH
VALLEY: Between the iron
furnaces and the cement mills, the Catasauqua area provided much business over
the years for the LV. It appears there were always side
tracks of some sort for locally generated business and the C&F
interchange. However, they didn't keep or service locomotives at the location,
at least in recent times. Even back around the turn of the century the local
industrial switching runs came out of Allentown. At some point a regular
Catasauqua drill was designated, with the engine always coming from Allentown.
LV symbol JM1 is about
to hit the LNE diamond at West Catasauqua at midday on July 8,1960. Train is
crossing from 3to 1 through the interlocking. The rock outcrop, diamond, and
EMD and ALCO engines add up for some great noise. Neil Shankweiler
The LV's main
interchange involvement at Catasauqua in recent decades was the receipt of eastward headed cement from the Ironton RR. After the turn
of the century cement traffic grew to the point where yard tracks parallel to
the main could no longer handle the business, and the Biery
Farm yard was laid out a short distance away from the main. Short yard tracks
along the main line were retained. This was the very small four-track stub-end
"lower yard" near the Reading coaling tower.
Because of its location and the Ironton's presence, Biery
yard has been erroneously identified over the years as the "Ironton's
yard". In fact, the only Ironton track was the one running along the
northern perimeter of the yard. The Ironton did have a LCL transfer platform
(with siding) for many years at the yard's northwest corner.
The jobs which
regularly worked at Biery yard from the late thirties
through the late fifties were the Catasauqua drill, symbol freight HJ2, Easton/Lehighs and the Cementon drill. A
Fullerton drill is known to have existed in the late thirties and possibly
during years before, but certainly gone after the war (it is known the
Catasauqua drill did Fullerton work). Mack Trucks of Allentown took over a
plant at Fullerton for a short time around World War 11; it required much
switching as was typical of all factories and mills then. The engines commonly
used on the drills at that time were the L51/2 class 0-8-0's.
An LNE crew waits under
the Pine St. bridge for the LV to finish a move. Track
work in the yards had seen few changes since installation in the early
twentieth century. Dave Augsburger
The Lehigh
Valley's cement train was symbol HJ2 (Hokendauqua-Jersey
City) which actually started out of Lehighton. In
recent decades there wasn't a corresponding westbound symbol. HJ2 would leave Biery yard with 50-60 cars received from the Ironton, the
LV Cementon pullout, and the LNE (few Readings). The
train went east from around 10:00 PM to 12:30 AM (except Sunday). During the
war years a second section could run. He would stop for late business
at Cernenton, and also at Biery
yard; going east with a train of around 30 cars. Locomotives were
usually 2-8-2's, though not all the time:
Feb.
3, 1941 1st
HJ2 448 2-8-2
Feb.
5, 1941 1st
HJ2 2024 4-6-2
Feb.10,1941 1st
HJ2 4054 210-2
Mar.
13, 1941 1st
HJ2 482 2-8-2
2nd
HJ2 457 2-8-2
Mar.
6, 1946 1st
HJ2 5001 4-8-2
Many tracks
at Biery yard were off limits to larger steam
engines. Number 12 track in the middle of the yard was
considered the thoroughfare track and was not restricted. It is clear that up
through the late fifties much cement was produced along the Ironton every
workday with two symbol freights (RDG CAH-5, IV FU2) taking it away; also remember
some went to the CNJ at Coplay.
An Easton-Lehigh turn
passes the Lower yard at West Catasauqua in the early sixties behind a pair of
FA2s. Note that the westbound semaphore blades are pointed while the eastbound
ones have straight ends. Kermit Geary, Sr.
LV RS2s pickup at the lower yard on July 20,1957
Since this is a Saturday this could be the Cementon drill, it could also be an Easton/Lehigh picking
up. Out-of-service Reading scale house is at right. Base for new eastbound
signal is in place seen between the 212's trucks. Randolph Kulp
The LV
discontinued H12 about 1958. In describing the activities of the Easton/Lehighs and the Cementon drill,
the 1960's are emphasized, though both jobs had been running for years.
The Easton/Lehighs were the locals operated between and out of
Lehighton and Easton. Prior to the late fifties these trains usually stopped at
Biery yard. Up to that time there was normally a
daily east- and west-bound run. A 2:30 PM boarded Lehigh often followed
passenger train #26 out of Lehighton. After around 1960, these trains didn't
necessarily run each way every day and would stop occasionally.
Catching the last rays
of sunshine, a pair of "snowbirds" heads east past
the site of the former LV Catasauqua yard office which was in the brush
to the left. The track paralleling the train on this side is the Ironton
Railroad; crossing it are overlapping legs of the two wyes. Dave Augsburger
In the
sixties, and certainly before, a fascinating practice was the pickup of empty
covered hoppers at Biery yard for salt loading in New
York state. Destinations included Ludlowville and
Cayuga, also Retsof on the Genesee & Wyoming via
P&L Junction. Symbol freights would also take these cars. Examples:
Nov. 17, 1963 Extra West (611,602) 16 car
pickup (I Buffalo, 15 LV covered hoppers for salt) Out of Catasauqua 9:19 AM
Nov. 19, 1963 Return of SJ2 (401, 304,
529, 520) 16 car pickup (14 W covered hoppers for salt, 2 C&O boxcars) Out
of Catasauqua 3:07 PM
Dec. 14, 1963 Extra Lehigh West (602,
613) 29 car pickup (29 IV covered hoppers for Cayuga, salt) 12:15 AM
Jan. 14, 1964 JBI (540, 533, 539, 530) 19
car pickup (19 12V covered hoppers for Retsof, salt)
Out of Catasauqua 5:45 PM
Nov. 2, 1965 Easton/Lehigh (584, 594) 7
covered hoppers for salt loading picked up from #26 track 3:45 PM (This was
also one of the final appearances of ALCO FA's in the area.)
Before
describing the Cementon drill, we'll mention several
other noteworthy details and train movements to provide a better chronological
perspective. The Catasauqua drill was abolished in the early sixties, it was
most likely an extra drill before being completely eliminated. The final day
for a yardmaster on duty at Biery yard was December
11, 1964. Certain tracks in the yard were specifically designated as
interchange tracks. The AM and PM pullouts from East Penn yard at Allentown
would quite often visit to collect cars set off by an
eastbound symbol freight. These cars would be placed by a through
freight on either main or yard tracks. The pullouts would grab these setoffs
and take them to East Penn or Bethlehem, etc. Why were cars for these
destinations set off at Catasauqua? Perhaps there were no tracks open at the
actual destinations as the eastbound approached. Or the freight may have been
inconveniently (or incorrectly) blocked for a quick setoff. As an example, a
long eastbound with East Penn cars would have to make a cut at Gap Jct. (if
not, crossings at Allentown would be blocked) go down to East Penn, set off and
return to his train. Such a time-consuming move could be made some times, other
times it was better to utilize the pullouts. The pullouts also could pick up or
set off Ironton cars.
Many meets occurred on
the LV main at West Catasauqua aftert he revisions
made in late 1961. Three C420's are an the move west,
the eastbound to the left will soon have the signal. Dave Augsburger
Still another
job for them was turning piggyback flats on the wye at Biery
yard. The arrangement of the ramp at Allentown for a time in the sixties
required that certain trailers had to be turned. The East Penn pullouts were
abolished November 1, 1965 when the LV/CNJ/RDG coordination went into effect.
The Easton/ Lehighs acquired the job of turning the
pigs.
While most of
the coal for the cement mills at Coplay and Egypt on the Ironton came via the
Reading, some was delivered by the LV (coming off the PRR at Wilkes-Barre).
This was done by symbol freights setting off and details of at least two unit
trains are known:
Oct. 19, 1965 (example) SJ8 (560, 527,
517, 572) Set off 22 coal for IRR on #28 track 8:00 AM
Mar. 9, 1966 unit train (301, 305, 304)
Set off 105 coal on tracks 2, 26, 28 1:00 PM. The empties
were picked up by train JB1 the three following days;
March 10th, 24 cars;
the 11th, 49 cars; and the 12th, 29 cars.
Mar. 22, 1966 unit train (300, 303, 561,
510) 100 coal on 2, 26, and 28. Empties were again
picked up; Mar. 24th, Xtra Lehigh (631, 630) from #26
track; Mar. 25th, Easton/Lehigh (213, 218) from #28 track.
Note how the
Ironton worked quickly in getting the coal to the mills and the empty hoppers
back to the LV. It is not known how many of these unit trains ran; there
probably weren't many since the Reading had the lion's share of the business.
Virtually all of this rare information on LV operations in the sixties came
from LV employee Mike Bednar. As youngsters, Mike and
his two brothers found that Biery yard made a good
playground.
Finally, the Cementon drill (or Cementon
pullout-symbols EB5/BE6) is thej ob
most closely involved with Biery yard in later years.
Three miles west of Catasauqua is the village of Cementon.
The Whitehall Cement plant located here was the only mill in the region
actually on the LV main. Cementon mills required a
great amount of attention from the railroads which
served them. Delivering coal and receiving cement sounds simple enough, but
consider what is involved.
Hoppers from
the B&O, P&LE, etc. which brought in bituminous coal had to be started
on their way back to their home road as quickly as possible. Enough empty
cement hoppers had to be provided at a plant to accommodate production. There
were other raw materials delivered and by-products picked up. And there were
only so many tracks available to do the work. There was plenty to keep a crew
assigned and busy.
The Cementon drill had in earlier years operated out of
Allentown but by the sixties it was running out of Easton. Previously a late
morning call, it now went on duty in mid-afternoon, arriving at Biery yard about 5:00 PM. The normal routine was to set up
the train for the mill at Biery yard, go to Cementon, spend two to three hours working the mill (and
taking lunch), return to Biery yard for Ironton cars,
then go east, usually between 10:00 PM and midnight. In the sixties the drill
also did Fullerton work which required running the
Allentown Secondary. Industries there were Sandura
(linoleum products) Levine's (rag warehouse) and Fullerton Supply (building
materials). Fullerton work was mostly done on the eastbound trip; if it was
necessary to do the west end of the Sandura plant,
this work was done going west.
There were
variations to this routine. Often, the drill would go straight to Cementon as the plant might need
switching in a hurry. If it was getting late at Cementon,
Ironton or Fullerton cars could be left there for the next day's drill as no
stop would be made going east. Occasionally, the drill would have pigs to turn
on the wye at Biery yard. Sometimes a side trip from Biery yard was made to do the west end of Sandura. It would also work at Coplay on occasion. The
operation of the Cementon drill was so closely tied
to the mill that usually if the mill was off, the job wouldn't work. This
applied also to the Ironton and their mills. When business was slow, the drill
would spot empties and sometimes have to remove them a few days later as they
were not needed.
In the mid
sixties the job had a single EMD or Baldwin switcher. However, on a Saturday,
it often ran with a pair of ALCO RS's which were used
on weekdays on jobs into New Jersey. Some of the Easton engines regularly seen
on the Cementon drill in die mid sixties include the
126, 145, 186, 250, 266, and 289.
Through the
sixties and into the seventies, the cement business was slowly but surely
tapering off. Trackage at Biery
yard was steadily taken out of service and ripped out. In the early seventies,
the Cementon drill operated out of Lehighton for a
short time. The job went at about the time Packerton
yard at Lehighton was closed (1973). Work to be done at Cementon
or Biery yard was now performed by an East Penn local which was gradually inheriting all the work once done
by numerous iobs out of Allentown.
(A detailed and
entertaining history of Anthracite Iron-Making in the Lehigh Valley, written by
Craig Bartholomew, appears in the 1978 Proceedings of the Lehigh County
Historical Society. It was a reference for this feature and highly
recommended.)
The 400's and their
train (most likely Apollo 213) are on the move at Catasauqua interlocking.
Switches into Biery yard and to the Reading are
visible along the lead track at left. Dave Augsburger
Acknowledgements
I would like
to humbly thank several people for sharing their knowledge, historical
materials, and photographs which collectively makes up
a great portion of this article. Tim Dugan, an ARHS member whom I have not met,
provided the Society some years ago with the excellent Reading Co. diagram which clearly shows the track arrangement in the
area. The late Charlie Bealer kindly gave
reminiscences and data on all four railroads, information I believe could not
have been provided by anyone else. His son Ken also helped immeasurably with
data and photographs. Mike Bodnar kept extensive
personal records on Biery yard and the Cementon drill in the sixties; I greatly appreciate having
access to these notes. Mike's boyhood and teenage years were quite literally
intertwined with the yard and the drill. James Hulsman,
Sr. unlocked many of the secrets of the Reading side at Catasauqua. Thanks also
to Dave Augsburger for being on the scene so
frequently and his generosity in loaning pictures and to everyone else who
granted permission to use their photographs. Also thanks to Randy Kulp and Russ Yeakel for
encouragement and support.
Bibliography
The Allentown
Morning Call (microfilm at Allentown Public Library).
Archer,
Robert F. Lehigh Valley Railroad
Bartholomew, Craig L.
"Anthracite Iron Making and Industrial Growth in the Lehigh Valley,"
Proceedings of the Lehigh County Historical Society Vol. 32.
Bartholomew,
Craig L. "Anthracite Iron" Proceedings of the Canal History and
Technology Symposium, Vol. 3.
Buchala, Gregory A., and Diebert
Frederick, "King Coal, the L&NE Story"
Railpace Newsmagazine, September, October, and
December 1982.
The
Catasauqua Dispatch (microfilm at Lehigh County Historical Society)
Kulp, Randolph L. (editor) History of Lehigh
& New England Railroad Company
Kulp, Randolph L. (editor) History of Lehigh
Valley Transit Company
Kulp, Randolph L. (editor) Railroads in the
Lehigh River Valley
Lambert,
James F., and Reinhard, Henry J. A History of
Catasauqua in Lehigh County Pennsylvania.
Lehigh &
New England Railroad Company - Incidents Book.
Mathews, Alfred and Hungerford, Austin N.
History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Roberts,
Charles R., et al. History of Lehigh County.
Discussions
with Charlie Bealer, Ken Bealer,
Mike Bednar, Floyd Dech,
Winfield Held, and JW. HuIsman, Sr.
Mid morning of Oct. 15,
1963 finds the first trick Ironton crew just about ready to depart Biery yard. They will go up through Hokendauqua
to Coplay on their track which followed the LV main.
The horns on the two Ironton Baldwins would often be
heard out in the distance all over the Whitehall township area north of
Allentown. Randolph Kulp
CNJ -
Industries at Catasauqua Served By Private Siding Circa 1918
Catasauqua
Boiler Works
Davies &
Thomas foundry
Lund & Foeth, silk mill
Mauser & Cressman,
flour mill
Dan Milson,
coal yard and building products
Wahneta Silk Co.
LNE -
Industries at Catasauqua Served by Private Siding Circa 1930
Catasauqua
Coal & Ice Co.
Davies &
Thomas foundry
Duquesne Slag
Products
Empire Steel
& Iron Co.
Lehigh Valley
Ice Co.
Phoenix
Manufacturing Co., horsehoes & calks
John A.
Williams, brass foundry
F.W. Wint, caskets and other wood products
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