Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company Gravity Railroad (D&H Gravity Railroad) was a historic gravity railroad
in the U.S.
state of Pennsylvania
.
It carried coal from Carbondale over the Moosic Mountains
to the D&H Canal
in Honesdale. Construction of the gravity railroad was completed in 1829.
This railroad used separate loaded and light tracks. The trains were unpowered. They ran by gravity to the bottom of a grade, where they were attached to a cable and hauled up a short, steep plane by a stationary steam engine. The loaded tracks had planes pointing in the direction of Honesdale; the light tracks had planes pointing in the direction of Carbondale.
The gravity railroad operated until 1899, when it was broadened to standard gauge and made into an ordinary steam railroad.
Many traces of the tracks remain in the Moosic Mountains. They can still be located on current aerial photographs.
Gravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
It carried coal from Carbondale over the Moosic Mountains
Moosic Mountains
Moosic Mountains is a range in Jefferson Township, Pennsylvania which extends above sea level. Its highest point is Pocono Plateau, ranking 27th highest in Pennsylvania....
to the D&H Canal
Delaware and Hudson Canal
The Delaware and Hudson Canal was the first venture of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which later developed the Delaware and Hudson Railway...
in Honesdale. Construction of the gravity railroad was completed in 1829.
This railroad used separate loaded and light tracks. The trains were unpowered. They ran by gravity to the bottom of a grade, where they were attached to a cable and hauled up a short, steep plane by a stationary steam engine. The loaded tracks had planes pointing in the direction of Honesdale; the light tracks had planes pointing in the direction of Carbondale.
The gravity railroad operated until 1899, when it was broadened to standard gauge and made into an ordinary steam railroad.
Many traces of the tracks remain in the Moosic Mountains. They can still be located on current aerial photographs.