The site of the plane apparently has a marker.

http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=31481

I am planning a mid-winter exploration through there this winter.

Send me a PM with an email, if you'd care to join us on the annual "Deadrail" sojourn normally held in March, (longer days, less risk of snow and completed rules classes)
and consists of like-minded folks interested in locating railroad history.

It appears likely that this area will be the subject of this years excursion, which is a coffee and FRS radio fueled march, sort of like a chase caravan seeking ghosts.

Other RYPN posters are involved, mostly, but not exclusively connected to the Northeastern PA area. It amazing how the little snippets that people know aboutvarious things quilt a complete story and how much ground you can cover from 7AM to 7PM

Here's some information about the Mahanoy Plane from a Railway & Locomotive Historical Society publications:

"In 1880, capacity of the Mahanoy Plane was 10,000 tons daily, or two million tons annually, at a cost one-fifth of that of locomotive power over similar grades. Rebuilt in 1910, the plane was 2466 feet long, with a rise of 22 feet in one hundred. Seven loaded cars rose at 20 miles per hour, as ten or twelve empties descended by the 22'' steel cable 2900 feet long. Hourly capacity was 700 tons. Though its use was discontinued in 1932, and a coal vein across its lower quarter was open-stripped, its top and bottom connections removed before 1946, and six-inch diameter trees grew between its eight rails, the plane was not scrapped until early 1952. At this time the P. & R. rebuilt the recently purchased P. R. R. Shenandoah line from Frackville eastward into the Mahanoy Valley and employed Diesel power to route coal via the old M. & B. M. to St. Clair Yards on the older Mill Creek & Mine Hill R. R."

I've been pondering this one a bit, and am thinking the 1913 Baldwin history garbled the facts a little. I'll suggest that instead of "Mahanoy Plane", it should have said "Mahanoy City Branch" which is a few miles to the east. The "modern" track chart for the Lehigh Valley RR's Mahanoy City Branch shows it having grades of 2.46% and 2.2% for almost the entire 2.5 miles from Mahanoy City to the patch town of Park Place where it joined the "main" (i.e. the LV branch to Mt. Carmel). 2.46% is equivalent to 130-feet per mile, so this is pretty close to the Baldwin statement of 133-ft per mile. Also, this steep grade was AGAINST the direction of the loads, so it would have been a good candidate for heftier motive power.

The LV Mahanoy City Branch has been abandoned a long time, and much of the area strip mined and reclaimed, so there may not be much r/o/w left. Park Place Road roughly follows the route. Nearby, there are a few remnants of the LV's Mt. Carmel Branch r/o/w, including some stone arches, so the area is worth some exploring, provided you've got some good maps of what used to be there.

-- Rick Bates

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated.