The Lehigh Division is a major freight low grade

rail line Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film *Rails (film), ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini *Rail ( ...

owned and operated by the

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad , sometimes shortened to Reading and Northern Railroad, is a regional railroad in eastern Pennsylvania. With a headquarters in Port Clinton, the RBMN provides freight service on over of track. Its ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

that runs from

Lehighton, Pennsylvania Lehighton () is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Due in part to water power from the Lehigh River, Lehighton was an early center for U.S. industrialization. The Lehigh Valley ...

Dupont, Pennsylvania Dupont is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in the Greater Pittston, Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,536 as of the 2020 census. History The community was incorporated as a borough in 191 ...

; it originally ran from Lehighton to Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Division was formed in 1993 by

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

from the Lehigh Line, officially the former main line of the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

(LVRR) that has absorbed former

Central Railroad of New Jersey Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

(CNJ) main line trackage and former

Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad is a defunct railroad that operated in eastern Pennsylvania during the 19th and 20th centuries. The company was a subsidiary of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company (LC&N). For much of its lifetime, however, it ...

(L&S) main line trackage into its system under Conrail; the Lehigh Line today is owned by the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

and connects to the Lehigh Division at Lehighton. The Lehigh Division currently inherits the Lehigh Line's original trackage and Mountain Cutoff trackage between

and

White Haven, Pennsylvania White Haven is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Lehigh River. The population was 1,163 at the 2020 census. History Establishment White Haven was created in 1824 by indu ...

which includes the right track from Lehighton to

Penn Haven Junction The Lehigh Division is a major freight low grade rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from Lehighton, Pennsylvania to Dupont, Pennsylvania; it originally ran ...

, also known as Old Penn Haven or M&H Junction, in

Lehigh Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania Lehigh Township is a township in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 479 at the time of the 2010 census. History The area of Carbon County, Pennsylvania that is present-day Lehigh Township w ...

and between Laurel Run, Pennsylvania to

, which was from the

and the Lehigh Line's new trackage between White Haven and Laurel Run that was from the former

's main line which dates back to acts of legislature in 1837 under the sponsorship of the Pennsylvania Canal Commission. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, including its trackage and yards, was leased to the

from 1876-1976. The Lehigh Division inherited the Lehigh Line's original trackage between Dupont and Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. The majority of the Lehigh Division runs along the upper or Grand division of the historic

Lehigh Canal The Lehigh Canal is a navigable canal that begins at the mouth of Nesquehoning Creek on the Lehigh River in the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern regions of Pennsylvania. It was built in two sections over a span of 20 years beginning in 1818. Th ...

. Conrail sold the three-year-old Lehigh Division to the

in 1996. During the 2000s, the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern shortened the line from Mehoopany to Dupont, the tracks from Mehoopany to Dupont are still owned by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern, but it is now called the Susquehanna Branch. The Susquehanna Branch inherited original Lehigh Division trackage from Dupont to Mehoopany which is also Lehigh Line original trackage and Lehigh Line Mountain Cutoff trackage. The Norfolk Southern Railway and the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

have

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may c ...

south of Dupont, Pennsylvania on the Lehigh Division. The Lehigh Division is one of the two main branch lines of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern, the other is the Reading Division. The combined operations of the Lehigh Division and the Reading Division is labeled “Reading Blue Mountain and Northern main line”.

History

Background

The Lehigh Division was formed in 1993 by

and it was once part of the Lehigh Line. The Lehigh Line is officially the former main line of the

that has absorbed former

main line trackage and former

main line trackage into its system under Conrail. The Lehigh Line was established in 1855 between

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

and

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, which is the Lehigh Line's original route; the Lehigh Line still has its original route from Easton to Allentown but only retained the majority of its original right of way of its original route which is from Easton to

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

. The Lehigh Line is historically called the Lehigh Valley Mainline and it is now owned by the

and before that Conrail. The Central Railroad of New Jersey, which leased the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, and Lehigh Valley Railroad began to work together in 1965 to eliminate redundant trackage in the area. This end up being the first step towards the reconfiguration of the Lehigh Line with former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line trackage. The Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad were taken over by Conrail and Conrail merged what was left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line into the Lehigh Line to replace original Lehigh Line trackage in the area. Under Conrail, the Lehigh Division inherited the Lehigh Line's original trackage between

and

which includes the right track from Lehighton to

, also known as Old Penn Haven or M&H Junction, in

which was from the

, the Lehigh Line's Mountain Cutoff trackage between Laurel Run, Pennsylvania to

Duryea, Pennsylvania Duryea is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, south of Scranton. The Susquehanna River marks Duryea's western boundary and the Lackawanna River flows through Duryea. It was incorporated as a bo ...

, which was also from the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Lehigh Line's new trackage between White Haven and Laurel Run that was from the former

's main line which dates back to acts of legislature in 1837 under the sponsorship of the Pennsylvania Canal Commission. Conrail sold the three-year-old Lehigh Division to the

in 1996. During the 2000s, the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad shortened the line from Mehoopany to Dupont. The Lehigh Division's tracks from Mehoopany to Dupont were separated from the Lehigh Division and became a new rail line called the Susquehanna Branch. The Susquehanna Branch inherited original Lehigh Division trackage from Dupont to Mehoopany which is also Lehigh Line original trackage and Mountain Cutoff trackage and it is still owned by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad. Today, the Norfolk Southern Railway, which owns the Lehigh Line, and the

has

on the Lehigh Division south of

Former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line original trackage

The Lehigh Division's

trackage which was represented as Lehigh Line original trackage at one time began with the

Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company The Beaver Meadow Railroad & Coal Company (BMRC) was chartered April 7, 1830, to build a railroad from the mines near Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania, beyond Broad Mountain along Beaver Creek to Penn Haven and along the Lehigh River through present- ...

and the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad and later included Lehigh Valley Railroad built trackage. From

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Jim Thorpe (known as East and West Mauch Chunk until 1954) is a borough in and the county seat of Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is historically known as the burial site of Native Ameri ...

Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania Beaver Meadows is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 897 at the 2020 U.S. census. Geography Beaver Meadows is located in northwestern Carbon County at (40.9284 ...

, the Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company opened its line in 1836 and it was a double tracked line. The Beaver Meadow was taken over by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the line from Jim Thorpe to

became part of the Lehigh Line; the line from Penn Haven Junction to Beaver Meadows became a branch line and today it is called the Ashmore Secondary, now owned by

. The Lehigh Division inherited the right track from Jim Thorpe to Penn Haven Junction from the Lehigh Line which included the Lehigh Valley Railroad built right track from Jim Thorpe to

. The Lehigh Division inherited the right track from Lehighton to Jim Thorpe from the Lehigh Line including the right track from Jim Thorpe to Penn Haven Junction; the right track was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and opened in 1855.Black Diamonds to Tidewater: A Brief Historical Perspective
/ref> From Penn Haven Junction to

, the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad opened its line in the early 1860s. The Lehigh Valley Railroad acquired the Penn Haven and White Haven in 1864 and was merged into the Lehigh Line. The Lehigh Division inherited the Penn Haven Junction to White Haven trackage from Lehigh Line. From Laurel Run, Pennsylvania to

, the line was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in November 1888 and it was called the Mountain Cut-Off. The Mountain Cut-Off was absorbed into the Lehigh Line to replace its old trackage from Solomons Gap to Duryea during

. The Mountain Cut-Off was actually built between Solomons Gap, Pennsylvania to

. The Cut-Off from Solomons Gap to Laurel Run was abandoned and from Dupont to Duryea, this part of the Cut-Off is now part of the Susquehanna Branch; the Cut-Off part from Dupont to Duryea was part of the Lehigh Division at one time but the Lehigh Division's trackage from Dupont to Mehoopany, Pennsylvania was separated from the Lehigh Division and became the Susquehanna Branch which includes the Cut-Off from Dupont to Duryea. The tracks passed Dupont to Mehoopany which was once part of the Lehigh Division and before that the Lehigh Line, is now the current day Susquehanna Branch. After a short piece between Duryea and Pittston Junction in

Pittston, Pennsylvania Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city lies in the Wyoming Valley on the east side of the Susquehanna River and on the south side of the Lackawanna River. It is approximately midway between Wilkes-Barre, Pen ...

, the Susquehanna Branch returns from the Mountain Cut-Off piece that was once part of both the Lehigh Division and the Lehigh Line to the old part of the Lehigh Line which was also part of the Lehigh Division at one time from Pittston Junction to Mehoopany, opened in 1868 as part of the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad.

Former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line new trackage

The Lehigh Division's

to Laurel Run, Pennsylvania trackage which was represented as Lehigh Line new trackage at one time was built by the

. This Lehigh and Susquehanna trackage is combined trackage from what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's first rail line, White Haven to Solomon Gap and what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's backtrack rail line from Solomon Gap to Laurel Run. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad opened its first rail line in 1843 from White Haven to

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

; the White Haven to Solomon Gap segment is what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's first rail line, now part of the Lehigh Division and originally part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna main line and then the Lehigh Line. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad opened the backtrack from Solomon Gap to

Ashley, Pennsylvania Ashley is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre. The population was 2,588 at the 2020 census. History Ashley was first settled in 1830. Forty years later, in 1870 ...

in 1867; the Solomon Gap to Laurel Run segment is what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's Back-Track, now part of the Lehigh Division and originally part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna main line and then the Lehigh Line.Black Diamonds to Tidewater: CNJ Back-Track
/ref>

Trackage

Background

The Lehigh Division runs from Packerton Yard interchange with the

's Lehigh Line in

, the southern terminus just south of

, and the

Lehigh Gorge Lehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania. The park encompasses a gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County t ...

to an interchange with the

Sunbury Line The Sunbury line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's fifth longest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street railway station, Fl ...

and the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Susquehanna Branch in

, the northern terminus. From the Certain Teed Corporation plant in

Mountain Top, Pennsylvania Mountain Top is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, its population was 10,982. Mountain Top is ...

to CPR/NS junction in

, the line is double tracked. Throughout the line's route, the Lehigh Division travels along the

Lehigh River The Lehigh River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward ...

and shares a small portion of its right of way with the Norfolk Southern Railway Lehigh Line which it was originally part of. The Lehigh Division is one of the two primary main branch lines of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern, the other is the Reading Division. The Lehigh Division doesn't connect with the Reading Division, but Reading Blue Mountain and Northern operations on both the Lehigh Division and the Reading Division including the

Nesquehoning Junction connector track and the Susquehanna Branch's Dupont to

Duryea Yard Duryea YardAlthoug2017 RBM&N System Mapnames Duryea yard as such, in July 2013 a newly hung sign (See photo at right.) indicates RBM&N had renamed Duryea Yard as "Muller yard." (formerly Coxton Yard, sometimes Pittston Junction, or West Pittston ...

, near

) trackage, which was once part of the Lehigh Division, is labeled “Reading Blue Mountain and Northern main line”.

Former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line original trackage between Lehighton and White Haven

Lehighton to Penn Haven Junction

Along the line's route, between Packerton Yard in Lehighton and

, also known as Old Penn Haven or M&H Junction) in

, the Lehigh Division shares the right of way with the

's Lehigh Line; both the Lehigh Division and the Lehigh Line using the same right of way travel along both banks of the

from Lehighton, passing through Packerton Junction on the left bank, where R&N's Reading Division connects to the Lehigh Line only, and then the

also on the left bank to Lehigh Township. The reason why the Lehigh Division shares the same right of way with the Lehigh Line, is because the Lehigh Division was once part of the Lehigh Line. The Lehigh Line is the former main line of the

that has absorbed a portion of the

main line to replace some of its obsolete trackage, and the Lehigh Line was allowed to continue as the former main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Penn Haven Junction to White Haven

Past Penn Haven Junction, only the Lehigh Division continues as the Lehigh Line stops at Penn Haven Junction; the Lehigh Line did continue past Penn Haven Junction at one time but the tracks past the junction is now represented as the Lehigh Division. Past Penn Haven Junction, the Lehigh Division crosses the

, which crosses the river twice with the Lehigh Line before that, and continues on the right bank of the river until it gets to

. At White Haven, the Lehigh Division joins with its former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S) trackage that was once part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line and the Lehigh Line ; when the L&S main line trackage was part of the Lehigh Line, it was represented as the Lehigh Line's new trackage.

Former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (main line) trackage/former Lehigh Line new trackage between White Haven and Laurel Run

Past White Haven, the Lehigh Division continues on those former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad trackage, which was once part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line and the Lehigh Line, until it gets to Laurel Run. Between White Haven and Laurel Run, the Lehigh Division travels the long climb up along the middle elevations of

Penobscot Knob Penobscot Knob, also Penobscot Mountain, is a summit that is located in the western fringe of the Poconos nearest to Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. The Solomon Gap pass below it contains an important multi-modal transportation corridor. History ...

, which looms above the yard, passing through

while climbing up the Penobscot Knob's middle elevations; the Lehigh Division descends after the long climb of Penobscot Knob's middle elevations to Laurel Run, where the line joins with its former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line original trackage.

Former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line Mountain Cutoff trackage between Laurel Run and Dupont

Past Laurel Run, Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Division uses its former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line Mountain Cutoff trackage to its end point at CPR/NS junction just west of 207 Coolidge Street in

. From Laurel Run, the Lehigh Division continues the descent after the long climb of Penobscot Knob's middle elevations before Laurel Run.

Previous Lehigh Division trackage, the Susquehanna Branch

The Lehigh Division used to continue past

all the way to Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. However, the railroad separated the tracks past Dupont from the Lehigh Division and designated those tracks as a new rail line called the Susquehanna Branch. The Susquehanna Branch is not just former Lehigh Division original trackage, it is also former Lehigh Line original trackage and former Lehigh Line Mountain Cutoff trackage, all built by the

. At Dupont, the line's south end on the Susquehanna Branch, descending traffic can switch northeast to the Taylor Yard in

Taylor, Pennsylvania Taylor is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Scranton on the Lackawanna River. It was founded in 1790 by Cornelius Atherton. Silk manufacturing and coal mining were once practiced in the borough. Most ...

(CPR), or cross west beyond

I-81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...

and US 11 to traverse the descent from Dupont,

Avoca, Pennsylvania Avoca is a borough within the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Wilkes Barre and southwest of Scranton. The population was 2,501 at the time of the 2020 census. Wilkes-Barre/Sc ...

below the Airport and I-81 and alongside the steep descent along Railroad Street in

through the

near

along, then up river on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad/Lehigh Line trackage to Mehoopany about half-way to

Sayre, Pennsylvania Sayre is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is the principal city in the Sayre, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. It lies southeast of Elmira, New York, and southwest of Bin ...

. At Mehoopany, the line's northern end, the Susquehanna Branch, interchanges with the

Lehigh Secondary, its beginning, which runs from Mehoopany to Sayre and it is also former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line original trackage. The Lehigh Secondary is leased to the Lehigh Railway and it connects to the Norfolk Southern Railway

Southern Tier Line The Southern Tier Line is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. states of New York and Pennsylvania. The line was built by the Erie Railroad and its predecessors and runs from Buffalo, New York, to Suff ...

at the Sayre Yard in Sayre. The Southern Tier Line helps bring trains to freight stops in the

New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

and to the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

References

{{Reflist Central Railroad of New Jersey Central Railroad of New Jersey lines Lehigh Valley Railroad Lehigh Valley Railroad lines Rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania