Lehigh Division
Encyclopedia
The Lehigh Division is a rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
.
The line runs from Packerton
north to Mehoopany along former Lehigh Valley Railroad
and Central Railroad of New Jersey
lines. At its south end, it connects to the R&N's Reading Division
and the Norfolk Southern Railway
's Lehigh Line; its north end is at the beginning of the NS Lehigh Secondary.
The Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway
have trackage rights
south of Dupont
.
, the Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company opened a line in 1836. The portion from Packerton to Jim Thorpe was opened by the Lehigh Valley Railroad
in 1855, and the line from Penn Haven to White Haven, where the current line switches from the old LV to the old L&S, was opened by the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad in the early 1860s.
The L&S opened the "Back-Track" from Solomon Gap to Ashley
in 1867, including the present Lehigh Division from Solomon Gap to Laurel Run
/Oliver Mills. From Oliver Mills to Duryea
, the line was built by 1900 as the LV's Mountain Cut-Off. After a short piece between Duryea and Pittston Junction (near Pittston), the Lehigh Division returns to the old Lehigh Valley Railroad main line from Pittston Junction to Mehoopany, opened in 1868 as part of the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey
(which leased the L&S) and Lehigh Valley Railroad began to work together in 1965 to eliminate redundant trackage. Both companies were taken over by Conrail in 1976, and Conrail sold the Packerton-Mehoopany line to the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in 1996.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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...
.
The line runs from Packerton
Packerton, Pennsylvania
Packerton, Pennsylvania is a village located in Mahoning Township, Carbon County on the Lehigh River and U.S. Highway 209 between Jim Thorpe and Lehighton. It uses the Lehighton zip code of 18235....
north to Mehoopany along former Lehigh Valley Railroad
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
and Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
lines. At its south end, it connects to the R&N's Reading Division
Reading Division
The Reading Division is a rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Reading north and east to Packerton along former Reading Company and Central Railroad of New Jersey lines...
and the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
's Lehigh Line; its north end is at the beginning of the NS Lehigh Secondary.
The Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
have trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
south of Dupont
Dupont, Pennsylvania
Dupont is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania which neighbors the city of Wilkes-Barre. The population was 2,719 at the 2000 census. Dupont name was originally called Smithville after its first group of settlers. It was a small Polish town where most of the jobs...
.
History
The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad opened in 1843 from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre, including the current line from White Haven to Solomon Gap. From Jim Thorpe to Beaver MeadowsBeaver Meadows, Pennsylvania
Beaver Meadows is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 968 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Beaver Meadows is located at ....
, the Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company opened a line in 1836. The portion from Packerton to Jim Thorpe was opened by the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
in 1855, and the line from Penn Haven to White Haven, where the current line switches from the old LV to the old L&S, was opened by the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad in the early 1860s.
The L&S opened the "Back-Track" from Solomon Gap to Ashley
Ashley, Pennsylvania
Ashley is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, one mile from Wilkes Barre. It was a productive coal-mining area at the start of the twentieth century. Population in 1900, 4,046; in 1910, 5,601; and in 1940, 6,371...
in 1867, including the present Lehigh Division from Solomon Gap to Laurel Run
Laurel Run, Pennsylvania
Laurel Run is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 723 at the 2000 census.Laurel Run is the site of a mine fire which started in 1915...
/Oliver Mills. From Oliver Mills to Duryea
Duryea, Pennsylvania
Duryea is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA, nine miles south of Scranton on the Lackawanna River. Duryea was incorporated as a borough in 1891. Coal mining and the manufacture of silk were the chief industries in the early years of its existence. The...
, the line was built by 1900 as the LV's Mountain Cut-Off. After a short piece between Duryea and Pittston Junction (near Pittston), the Lehigh Division returns to the old Lehigh Valley Railroad main line from Pittston Junction to Mehoopany, opened in 1868 as part of the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
(which leased the L&S) and Lehigh Valley Railroad began to work together in 1965 to eliminate redundant trackage. Both companies were taken over by Conrail in 1976, and Conrail sold the Packerton-Mehoopany line to the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in 1996.