This summer, I want to take a drive along PA route 61, north of Port Clinton, through Tamaqua, Shamokin, Centrailia, etc. Can anyone suggest what railroad sites/depots I should check out? And any coal sites - such as the St. Nicholas breaker - I should see?

Thanks.

Chris

Others will chime in with more detail, but here's the quick and dirty: Don't get too many hopes up.

Port Clinton, base of operations for the Reading & Northern, is worth looking at, but it's not a museum and they're not obligated to greet you, make time for you, etc. Behave, treat it like a working railroad, and see what you can see while respecting property, "No Trespassing" signs, and common sense.

You're too late for St. Nick--demolished last year. That was indeed the last of the big breakers, after Glen Burn (Shamokin) and Locust Summit.

I don't think I need to mention Minersville and CNJ 113, do I? Ditto Ashland's Pioneer Coal Mine and Steam Lokies?

Centralia is hit or miss. The only time it looks spectacular is when lots of water from rain/snow is being turned to steam. During a dry spell it just looks like some parts of the desert. The "ghost town" aspect has largely been lost because all the buildings are gone save for one church and about four houses, and unless you have the photos of where rowhouses, streets, etc. have been it's not as ethereal or "spooky" as it used to be.

You will also be somewhat hard-pressed to find any relics of railroading of old up there. A lot of the old rights-of-way have been thoroughly obliterated, and what rail lines remain lack much that tell you, for example, where the old engine terminals, etc. (Tamaqua, Gordon, etc.) were.

Pottsville has Yuengling (and their newer, high-tech brewery served by rail around the corner in Port Carbon), and Shamokin has the Covered Bridge Brewhaus.

I've been there a couple of times and if you visit during office hours, it is possible to "sign in" as a visitor which allows you to observe the operations from the eastern (station/office/car park) side of the tracks. You are not allowed to cross any tracks though, which precludes access to the running shed area.

Chris,

Sandy gave some sound advice.

The last decade has been a near disaster for the remaining touchstones of anthracite history, but there is still a bit to see if you know where to look.

What is your main interest? Do you want to see modern operations of what's left, or would you rather go on missions to see the remains of what once was?

Even though all the big breakers are gone now, there are many colliery buildings left throughout all three anthracite fields. They are worth a visit.

Concrete City makes for a fascinating exploration. Coal Castle is worth a visit, as is Jim
Thorpe (even though it was just a coal transportation town).

I find myself spending time in Girardville, Mahanoy City and other coal towns. Despite the economic depression and the rot of drug culture, there's still an unmistakable a-coal vibe.

Definitely do all three tour mines (Ashland, Lansford and Taylor). Each one is different and each has unique features the other two don't.

If you like beer and good food mixed with your anthracite, don't miss Breaker Brewing in Wilkes-Barre. It's in a restored school decorated with scenes from the anthracite era.

How into a-coal are you? There's all sorts of neat stuff for the history buff, like the twisted remains of a LV hopper used to fill a mine breach under the Susquehanna River.

If you can give some specifics about your interest, I think I could easily give suggestions for a 4-5 day tour.

All the best,

Rob Davis

Robertjohn is correct, there is a lot of lost history, or history that still remains but needs local guidance for you to make heads or tails of. If you can plan your trip for early September, you can cruise up to Scranton for Railfest at Steamtown. This puts you in the same vicinity as the Electric City Trolley Museum and the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, both excellent attractions and worth the effort.

Will your family be with you? If so....then a stop at Knoebel's Grove is well worth a visit.
They do have two miniature railroads, an historic wooden roller coaster. Great old Philadelphia Toboggan amusement rides, several carousels with real band organ music. They have a Frick steam traction engine in operation and some of the best park food around. One of the things about the region that I miss most since moving away from the anthracite region.....is Knoebel's Grove.

Keith
P.S. One of the miniature trains is live steam.

Just for clarity, the Taylor mine tour that robertjjohndavis refers to is the same as the Lackawanna Coal Mine tour mentioned by 6-18003. And for a different perspective you might try Eckley Miners Village not far from Tamaqua and the Anthracite Heritage Museum, next door to the Lackawanna Coal Mine tour. Eckley and Anthracite Heritage are operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

All great posts.

I am interested in the history of the area - the coal, and the railroads.

I have found that getting info on the historic coal sites to be more difficult - are there still some old coaleries that can be seen?

And to keep my breakers straight: What was the Blue Coal breaker that could be seen from I-81?

Chris

Huber, I think. Torn down in mid-2014, probably netting less than 100K scrap value.

Huber indeed, home of Blue Coal.

It is a real shame there are no preserved breakers, but, what do you do with it? Huber was trashed, but St. Nick had a chance...

Atleast we have the mine tours.



I collect Anthracite Advertising.. My small collection here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12bridge/ ... 4659236960

There's a nice memorial park at the Huber site and some interesting relics remain. The town is still chock full of interesting architecture, and it's hard to beat the lure of the planes. And there's still active rail line across the coal company lands,

Ashley is worth a visit, but that doesn't change the fact that it is an historic preservation crime scene.


Rob

The Lansford mine tour at the old Lehigh Coal And Navigation #9 mine is fabulous...especially the part where the vertical shaft intersects the drift and they had an underground transfer table to spot cars for either of the two cages.....

www.no9mine.com

Also there is some scattered mine equipment (locomotives, man trips, powder cars) scattered along the road between Lansford and Tamaqua.....you can also see the strippings of the current Lehigh Anthracite on the hill to the north of the mine entrance. Nice collection of mining stuff in their washhouse museum......

And if you get farther west, near Altoona, there is the Seldom Seen Mine tour, just outside of Patton, PA on Rte 36.......a nice bituminous mine tour.....