The Reading Tech continue to manage their collection in a manner that provides a shining example to all... see this post from Railroad.net....--------------------Hey all,Just writing to inform you of something new with Railtours down here in Jim Thorpe. Yes we're still around, not running right now, just doing what we can to stay busy (and have fun).We made a trade with the Reading Co. Technical and Historical Society and have added two new pieces of equipment to our roster, while losing five to the Tech. We got a Baldwin DS 4-4 750 (originally Warner Sand & Gravel 14) and a Reading Company (then D&H, CP, and RDG Tech) 50-foot boxcar, which is already in Thorpe. For those pieces of rolling stock we gave Tech our Blueliner #9110 (last one out of the Philly trainshed in '84), our three wooden bunk cars (last Reading usage was on various wreck trains) and our P&R milk car frame, which has been hiding in da woods for the past few years (decades???, hehe..)We've had a crew down in Temple on the BM&R doing work on the Baldwin for the past few weekends. Just getting the journals, combos, and brakes ready for the trip up to Thorpe. The #9110 left Thorpe for good when the Reading and Northern took the Tech's Alco and photo freight back home from the LGSRy Railfan Weekend.That's about all for now. Stay tuned!! WinkMicah_________________telephone, telegraph, and tell a railroader-S.E. Miller

Is it operable or will it be?

According to the Rail Tours web site it is being made operable as we speak.I heard a very VERY tantalizing rumor about where they want to run it, but I will not spread it here as I have no "official" comment to go by, but if it is true it would resotre passenger trains to one of my all time favorite portion of anthracite region railroad lines... are you guessing yet, Mr. Heater? Stay tuned. Rob

Rob, I googled up railtours and got the site for the old "rail tours" operated by George Hart.. can you provide the proper URL? Thanks.

I believe what Rob is talking about is in fact George Hart's "old" Rail Tours Inc. There is a little blurb in the equipment section of the site about them acquiring the Warner Sand unit from RCT&HS.their website is www.railtours-inc.comKevin

Indeed, it is the same group. George lost the Jim Thorpe contract, but he didn't go out of business. Interesting twist, eh?Rob

Hopefully, this is true. My sources have told me that Carbon County and the Lackawanna R&LHS Chapter are close to a deal that will set a deadline for removing most (if not all) of the equipment from Jim Thorpe

The article below confirms something is up. Hopefully, the track and turntable will remain in Jim Thorpe. If you connect the dots with the folks involved, you can see where that steel might end up.Of the four remaining anthracite railroad turntables in NEPA at the start of the 1990's, only the CNJ turntable in Jim Thorpe is in its original location, 1 has been scrapped and two have been removed but not reinstalled.--------------------RR negotiations Site in Thorpe remains in questionhttp://www.tnonline.com/apps/pb ... 09280057By KAREN CIMMS kcimms@tnonline.comNegotiations over the ownership of a length of railroad and associated equipment in Jim Thorpe will get a boost next month when representatives of the county meet with owners of the mile-long rail spur.On Tuesday, Michael Garfield, solicitor for the Carbon County Railroad Commission, informed commission members that a meeting has been tentatively set for Oct. 18 with representatives of the Lackawanna Chapter of the Railway Historical Society. The line and other appurtenances had belonged to George Hart, owner of Rail Tours, but a couple years ago, Hart conveyed them to the historical society. Property under the rail line belongs to Carbon County.Hart, who operated a tourist passenger service out of Jim Thorpe for many years under an agreement with C&S Railroad, the company that manages the county's shortline railroad, was replaced at the end of last year by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern. RBM&N owner Andy Muller acquired a 50 percent share of C&S in 2003.RBM&N created a new line to operate passenger service in Jim Thorpe, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. LGSRY began operating in May.When the county first learned the lines were no longer property of Hart, it expressed an interest in ownership. The historical society initially offered to sell the line to the county for $250,000, a price the county believed was overly inflated. If no deal was made, the society threatened to tear out the line. Other offers were made by the historical society that included the county leasing the lines, or the historical society leasing the land, but no agreement was ever reached.The line in question does not affect passenger service, and was used to board passengers and store rail cars.When discussing the upcoming meeting, Garfield said of the county and the historical society, "We're apart, but not miles apart."Garfield will represent the railroad commission at the meeting. County administrator Randall Smith will represent the commissioners. Jim Zurn, president of C&S, and Wayne Michel, executive vice president, RBM&N, are also expected to be in attendance. Garfield said Ken Miller, president of the railway historical society, will represent that organization's interests

Robert, Your a bit off on the information of roundtables. In Philadelphia on the Ex. B&O now CSX at East Side yard there is a 100` table still in uses. Also don`t for get EBT , Steamtown and in Colesville, Pa. is a table from the former Belafont Central RR not in service. Theres also the table at Liewstown,Pa. along the middle Division of the former PRR now NS. Len.

A note on SV's comment: Rob Davis specified Anthracite Road turntables in his original post, not Pennsylvania turntables in general. The others you mention are not Anthracite Road artifacts or locations. To my understanding Rob's summary was thus accurate.

Right Eric, I was speaking of anthracite roads in PA. Of the ones SV mentioned, only Steamtown's table is on an anthracite road, and that is a replica, not an original.In fact, if one were to list all of the turntables left (or recently destroyed) from the anthracite roads in PA, NY and NJ, it might look this (corrections welcome!)...PACNJ Bethelehem - scrapped in the 1990'sRDG Saucon - removed for use at RCT&HS museum in HamburgLNE Pen Argyl - removed this year for StrasburgCNJ Jim Thorpe - in placeNYErie Port Jervis - in place, restored to operation in the 1990'sDL&W Conklin - still there????D&H Binghamton - scrapped in the 1990'sNJ NYS&W Little Ferry - status is????Any more? If not, it looks like Jim Thorpe and Port Jervis are the only intact, original location anthracite road tables left.Rob

When I went through Conklin there is a turntable there but it is not by the old roundhouse. I don't know if this is the original bridge or a new one built for the CP.

Binghamton-D&H- Scrapped 1990s.DL&W- in place, not in useCPR/D&H- NEW, in useUtica, NY-DL&W- in place, not in use, was sort of partially restored but never made operableLittle Ferry, NJ-NYS&W- in use by CSX and NYS&WWho owned the now departed CNJ table?Joshua

Which deaprted CNJ table? I am only aware of one CNJ table left, in place at Jim Thorpe.

I think that we are missing the forest for the trees by focusing on the turntable. The real significance of the yard at Jim Thorpe is that it remains largely intact from the point at which it was last used by the CNJ. In addition to the tracks, several smaller buildings remain on the site and there is good potential to do archaeological excavations on the sites of the larger buildings. The turntable is important because it is within this larger context. How many Class 1 railroad yards are in the hands of preservationists and remain substantially unchanged from their last railroad use? Tom Cornillie