Hello All

Put up another little piece on abandoned railroad equipment, this time from along the Ironton Rail-Trail in Coplay (Whitehall) PA. You've got a complete wooden boxcar, derilict combine and even a steam pump down there. Neat stuff!

Take a look at www.geocities.com/scrantontrains and check the Forgotten Scranton section.

Dave Crosby

Frogotten Scranton visits the Ironton
bing@epix.net

Dave,

Nice work on the Ironton piece.

During one of my rambles I found an old feed dealer with a red wooden boxcar that had been put up on stones and was part of the building. I believe it was near Egypt and not directly on the Ironton.

I have been back to find it twice and have struck out both times. Does it ring a bell?

It's not the same car in your pics, but quite similar.

The official trail website is great and includes pics of the Ironton in service.

Rob



Ironton Trail
rdavis@rypn.org

Rob

The boxcar you are talking about is gone. If you crosses the bridge from 21st street in Northampton and crossed the LVRR then made a right about 2 blocks on the right. I do not know what happened to it but I looked for it about 2 years ago and it was gone.


jmack@enter.net

Dave,

The piece of machinery is indeed a "steam lizard". It is a duplex steam pump, viewed from the pump end. The suction (bottom pipe) and discharge (top pipe) are still in place, the steam line to the engine end and the boiler that once powered it must have been scrapped.

It may be a Worthington, although I am far from certain about it. (Guessing a steam pump is a Worthington is like guessing a steam locomotive is built by Baldwin; you often have a 50/50 chance of being right. :) ) It resembles the Worthington duplex pump used to wash logs at Long Leaf just prior to entering the mill (photo below).

It may have been used to supply water for the steam locomotives, or it may have been a fire pump. I just don't know. It is a great find, thank you very much.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a



Steam Lizards

james1@pernet.net

Hey Rob, James

Rob, I saw the car, or similar a car, several months ago. It was very recently sided and is up on cinder blocks. If you weren't specifically looking right at it, you'd never notice it, but it was there in Nov. I'll have to check with my agents to be sure its still there

James, thanks for the background. The concrete building it was in looked more like a foundation, so its anyone's guess, but I've had that shot for a few months and was thinking you could give me more info.

Thanks!

Dave Crosby



bing@epix.net

How is that bridge part of the CNJ? Where did the CNJ cross The Ironton?
I used to live in Whitehall and as far as I remember, the CNJ stayed on the east side of the Lehigh River as far as Coplay and Egypt was concerned.

Rob,

That "boxcar" is still in place, as recently as yesterday when I drove by. It is actually not in Coplay but at the southern end of Egypt, Whitehall Township, and is along South Church Street, where the Ironton RR crossed the roadway. The red steel sheathing was put on maybe 5-8 years ago. It had peaked roof added quite some time ago and sits on concrete block pillars. If you travel approximately one-half mile south on S. Church Street, you come to a parking area for the Whitehall Parkway and the location of an Ironton RR Caboose that has been under restoration for a number of years. That car has an interesting background.

Much of the Ironton route into the Village of Ironton has been made into a trail and is actually referred to as the Ironton Rail-Trail. When Conrail decided to finally abandoned the IRR, it was offered to the adjacent municipalities. Fortunately, Whitehall Township saw the benefits of creating a trail that spans the width of the Township and, in a move of shocking commom sense, purchased all the remaining property from CR, including the portions outside of the Township boundaries. Then, has had been previously agreed by North Whitehall Township and the Borough of Coplay, each municipality retained title to whatever property was encompassed within it's borders.

The combine at Egypt Junction, almost directly under SR 0145, has been derelict for many years. I understand that some of the air brake equipment was removed from the underside more than 30 years ago for preservation.

Also, some people confuse the Catasauqua former LVRR box car as an Ironton car. That car had been used as storage adjacent to the former L&NE RR Catasauqua Freight Station for years and was recently (2 months ago) scrapped by the owner of the property. It seems the property is possible being sold and the buyers wanted it "cleaned up" so the sellers brought in a scrapper who cut up any remaining railroad items.

Rob

The CNJ had a small yard in Northampton, probably to interchange with the Northampton and Bath RR, off of the river side of that yard they crossed the Lehigh river and also the Lehigh Valley railroad and connected with the Ironton RR. The bridge over the LVRR was raised on wooden blocks to provide additional clearance after the CNJ stopped using the bridge. As far as I know both bridges still exist to this day.
Live map view
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... &encType=1

Steve,

The CNJ crossed (actually still does) the Lehigh River at Coplay. The bridge is a deck-truss bridge and is very old. The bridge runs from Northampton and begins under the Coplay-Northampton bridge. It runs to the southwest, crossing the River, LVRR main, and IRR trackage thru the Borough of Coplay. The track curves to the south and made an interchange with the IRR opposite the old Thomas Iron Works in the Village of Hokendauqua, now Whitehall Township. I'm pretty sure this route was constructed to allow anthracite to be shipped into Thomas as the alignment makes that possible. I'm not certain when that bridge was last used but CNJ timetables from the mid-1960's have weight limits imposed on what could actually use the structure. I also know that the rails are still on the timbers and on the Coplay approach embankment.

I'd bet some of the internet mapping sites would show that bridge.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the update. The LVRR boxcar in Catty was, as I remember, quite intact, but needed to be trucked out. Too bad....

Rob

Is that what that bridge was? I used to see it all the time from the street, but never knew whose it was, let alone never felt brave enough to trespass on someones back yard to get a good look at it!? Thanks for cluing me in. I always wanted to walk The Ironton Trail but sadly never did being in DE now, I won't have that chance again. I do know where the combine is; I would go to Sheetz just up the street from there every few days or so.
Somewhere, I do have a picture of the LV and Ironton Interchance, or at least whats left of it. If I find it, I'll post it. Again thanks for the update on that bridge.
Now if someone could tell me where the Catty Tunnel started and ended, I'd be really happy...

Now if someone could tell me where the Catty Tunnel started and ended, I'd be really happy...[/quote]

The L&NE Catasauqua Tunnel was constructed in 1910. The western terminus of the tunnel was located about 325 feet east of Front Street, just north of Wood Street and west of 2nd Street. It ran, appropriately, under Tunnel Street, which is parallel to Wood Street and about 100 feet north. It ran east, under Limestone Street and Howertown Road, where it curved slightly to the south. The eastern terminus of the tunnel was a couple of hundred feet east of Howertown Road, in the area of the newly constructed drug store at the corner of American Street and Wood Street. The tracks were elevated to cross the Catasauqua Creek on a bridge, curved slightly to the south and then to the northeast toward 14th Street.

From comments made to me by people who live in the area, the tunnel is still in place as it was a "cut and cover' tunnel where the route was entirely excavated, then the tunnel "lining" was constructed and then backfilled. I have seen photos of the construction to verify this construction method.

Hope that answers at least part of your question.

Rob

I'm a bit surpised in all of this discussion, that the preservation of the wooden double sheathed Ironton Railroad boxcar has apparently never been brought up. According to the photograph, the car still rides on its trucks, which means it most certainly still has its underframe, and thus it seems that the car might be a candidate for restoration. Might such a car not fit in well with other equipment for future "vintage freight" operations over the Strasburg? Or at some other location out east?

Les

Rob's right on the money. If you look, the west end is very easy to spot. The east end takes a little more time. I found the east end only after bringing vintage pictures with me. Both portals are covered, but there is plenty of evidence around to spot them.

Rob

Les,

Are you referring to a Detroit, Toledo & Ironton double sheathed boxcar?

Rob