The Panther Creek Railroad had its origins in 1849. The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company ( LC&N) constructed it between Lansford, PA and the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad operating as the Little Schuylkill Railroad in Tamaqua, PA. LC&N believed a direct route to take Panther Valley coal to eastern markets and a tunnel connecting Lansford to Hauto would open up possibilities with the Nesquehoning Valley Railroad. It also allowed the LC&N to cease coal shipments to the

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 ...

on the

Summit Hill & Mauch Chunk Railroad The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, also known as the Mauch Chunk and Summit Railroad and occasionally shortened to Mauch Chunk Railway, was a coal-hauling railroad in the mountains of Pennsylvania that was built in 1827 and operated until 1932 ...

, operating since 1827.

Origins

In 1849, LC&N constructed the six-mile long Panther Creek Railroad from Lansford to Tamaqua. This connected the rich Panther Valley coal mines in Coaldale and Lansford to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad at Tamaqua and provided additional access to the Philadelphia market. In 1871, developers saw the possibilities of a tunnel connecting Lansford to Hauto which would open up connections with the Nesquehoning Valley Railroad and the mines in Nesquehoning. Eventually, an eastern branch was built from Lansford to Summit Hill, PA. The tunnel was a joint venture by the

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) and landlord LC&N shortly after the LC&N board of directors decided to opt-out of the rail transportation industry and leased the railroads it owned or controlled under the

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 ...

to the CNJ. The tunnel (called the Hauto Tunnel) would be advantageous for several reasons: #to cut substantial mileage off of the trip to the Lehigh Canal terminal in Mauch Chunk, #to shorten the distance to other

anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a lustre (mineralogy)#Submetallic lustre, submetallic lustre. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy densit ...

coalfields in the

Panther Creek Valley Panther Creek Valley was historically the site of mining towns in eastern Pennsylvania. Since 1992, the Panther Creek Valley Foundation has managed the Number Nine Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford, Pennsylvania. Geologically, Panther Creek Valle ...

and others west of Tamaqua, #to drain water from the higher elevation mines and #to allow the CNJ to cease coal shipments to the Lehigh Canal via the Summit Hill & Mauch Chunk Railroad. Eventually CNJ sold off the latter asset as a common carrier and tourist railway. Work on the 1.1-mile, single-track Hauto Tunnel began in early 1871 and the two tunnel headings met on September 15. The first train passed through on February 1, 1872.

Successor Railroads

The Panther Creek Railroad was operated as a branch line of the CNJ. In 1901 the Reading Railroad gained control of the CNJ. The tunnel was last used in 1969 and abandoned. The LC&N (then back in the rail transport business) gained control of the

Lehigh and New England Railroad The Lehigh and New England Railroad was a Class I railroad located in Northeastern United States that acted as a bridge line. It was the second notable U.S. railroad to file for abandonment in its entirety after the New York, Ontario and Weste ...

(L&NE) in 1904. In 1912 a new L&NE extension opened, splitting from the main line at Danielsville, Pennsylvania and running west to Tamaqua to directly serve the LC&N. In October 1913, LC&N transferred its leasehold interest in the Tunnel to Panther Creek Railroad Company by deed which contained a provision that “in the event of abandonment, the right-of-way shall revert to Lehigh Coal.” On December 14, 1913, the L&NE acquired the balance of the Panther Creek Railroad, running east from Tamaqua to Summit Hill, and with a connection to the Hauto Tunnel for access to Nesquehoning obtained in 1915. The L&NE made the route between Hauto and Maybrook, NY its main line. L&NE decided to end its railroad operations in late 1961. The rapid decline of the anthracite coal business was seen on the horizon led to the decision to cease operations. A few of its routes were spared when the nearby CNJ acquired, among others, its old line to Tamaqua (the old Panther Creek Railroad). This ex-L&NE trackage was operated under a subsidiary known as the Lehigh & New England Railway (not Railroad). The resulting Lehigh & New England Railway operated from 1961 until it was acquired in 1976 by ConRail.Walter Kraus, "Real Demise Of Rail Line Trailed Coal's Decline," August 24, 1989, Allentown Morning Call It is now used by the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad from Tamaqua to Lansford.

References

{{Reflist Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Transportation in Carbon County, Pennsylvania