Rail line from Weatherly, PA

Just noticed a 'new' rail line I've never seen before while cruising live.com
If you travel from M&H Jct up the Hazelton branch you pass thru Weatherly, PA. Just a smidge north of Weatherly, there was a line that ran from the Hazleton branch ne to the CNJ main to Tannery, PA. I'm going to assume this was CNJ and was abandoned in 1965 along with the CNJ main. Can anyone clarrify?

I believe that was the LV's Hayes Creek Branch or the CNJ's Drifton Branch. The Hayes Creek Branch allowed coal trains that destined for northern points on the mainline to avoid having to come down to Penn Haven Jct only to travel north on the mainline. The Hayes Creek Branch actually crossed over the CNJ mainline via a viaduct and connected to the northbound track of the mainline below Tannery.

Sounds like LV Hayes Creek to me.

The CNJ Sandy Run branch ran almost due west, up Sandy Run Creek and then through Owl's Hole to Eckley and beyond. Didn't get as far south as Weatherly

The LV Hayes Creek went west from the Lehigh River along Sandy Run just over a mile, and then turned south west, going along the south side of Buck Mountain (through the village of Buck Mountain itself at its base on the south side) and then more or less west to Ashmore and then Hazleton. 1-2 miles southwest of Buck Mountain village there was a cutoff down to the Weatherly-Ashmore/Halzelton lline, which is probably what you saw. These lines all show either as abandoned or still active on the topos at mapper.acme.com

Some pictures of the junction with the main at gingerb.com, look in the CNJ section.

One other option: at one point before the current line through Weatherly to M&H junction there were planes (Penn Haven Planes) to go from ridge just west of the Lehigh River down the river. On the topo you can see where the ROW was from just north of Weatherly to the top of the planes, more or less, as old dotted lines or trails or dirt roads -- in a few spots you can see some cuts clearly on the topos.
Gingerb has a good description at http://gingerb.com/cnj_white_haven_to_mauch_chunk.htm

JS

JS

After some more investigating, it was, in fact, the Hayes Creek Branch of the LVRR. You can still see the 3 large birdge pillars in the lehigh river where it crossed.

Anyone know when it was abandoned?

Looks as if the branch was just a go-around so trains didn't have to stay on the LVRR mainline down to M&H Jct to get to Hazleton. It left the LV main then went in a SW direction directly to Hazleton.

Incredible to see the amount of trackage in the area. Must have revolved around coal biz. Today the only thing we have left is the single track LV main.

pumpers wrote:Sounds like LV Hayes Creek to me.
The CNJ Sandy Run branch ran almost due west, up Sandy Run Creek and then through Owl's Hole to Eckley and beyond. Didn't get as far south as Weatherly....
JS

I just stumbled on this old thread and my old post. The CNJ branch I described above leaving the CNJ main along the Lehigh River and heading west was generally referred to as the Drifton Branch, not the Sandy Run branch (even though it did run along Sandy Run Creek for a ways). THere may be one or two exceptions... The Sandy Run Branch itself was a few miles north, beginning at Pond Creek as a branch off of the Upper Lehigh Branch (which itself headed west from the main just south of WHite Haven, more or less parallel to the Drifton Branch) and then heading 2-3 miles south to mines at Sandy Run. (The Upper Leigh branch is sometimes referred to as the CNJ (or L&S) Nescopec branch. ) All are fairly early lines (1875 or sooner). JS

Though I've never even been north of Allentown, P.A., I am very interested in all those short-lines, branches, divisions, ect. and with observation on Google Earth, you can plainly see that the LV Hayes Creek Br. diverges off the Mainline and inclines to prepare for the swing over the Mainline, Lehigh River and CNJ Mainline. From there, it meanders through wooded areas, crossing over a brook (one stanchion visible, bridge gone) and appears to have connected with LV's line from Penn Haven Jct.

Another R.O.W. appears heading the other way after the Hayes Creek Br. merges with the Penn Haven line. I am not sure, but this other R.O.W. might be CNJ's Drifton Br.

I have not studied what lines went west of Mauch Chunk and White Haven, but I do have some general knowledge. What I'm very interested in is when the Lehigh River Hayes Creek Br. Bridge was dismantled. My guess could be between 1954-1966. I hope someone can find more data about this.