Leigh Gorge Rail Trail, History

I will be in Jim Thorpe this weekend camping with Boy Scouts, and on Sunday we are doing a 25 mile Bike ride on the Leigh Gorge Rail Trail.

What is the History of this trail?
What railroad did it used to be?
What fun rail related items might be seen?
What it he active railine that still runs through the area?

Am I crazy to bike 25 miles with 11 teenagers?

Thanks

Here's some info about the trail, including some general
history of the area and trail.

http://www.traillink.com/trail/d--l-tra ... trail.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know if you're crazy to bike 25 miles with 11 teenagers - I guess that depends on how interested they are in biking, and how good they are.

I think it should be a relatively easy ride since the grades for bicycles, should be fairly gentle. It's something I've been considering, but there is the matter of getting my bike there.

Not sure if you are starting in Jim Thorpe and biking half way up gorge to Rockport (12 miles) and returning back to Jim Thorpe; starting in Jim Thorpe and biking 25 miles to White Haven (and taking the bus back); or doing the reverse and taking bus to White Haven and biking back to Jim Thorpe.

First I will refer you to this website, which has a historic map of the original railroads in the gorge and photos and descriptions of the various locations (circa 1910-1980's):
http://www.gingerb.com/cnj_white_haven_ ... _chunk.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now I'll describe what still exists and you can expect to see on your bike ride if starting in Jim Thorpe. The rail trail is the former Central Railroad of New Jersey mainline:

In Jim Thorpe the former CNJ station still exists and is the base for ticket sales/boarding for the Reading and Northern's Lehigh River Gorge Scenic Railway trains. Heading north out of Jim Thorpe, you will pass under existing Route 903 along with construction of the new Route 903 bridge. Thereafter on your left you will pass the remains of the former CNJ Mauch Chunk (as Jim Thorpe was known before 1955) yard, now occupied by tourist passenger coaches and several privately owned cabooses of various anthracite railroad origins. The CNJ turntable is still in place (and operable) along with a corrugated metal engine house constructed by the Carbon & Schuylkill Railroad.

At Nesquehoning Junction you will pass the brick remains of PQ Interlocking tower. You will then cross the Lehigh River on a CNJ Deck bridge, then immediately cross over the Norfolk Southern/Reading and Northern's ex-LV main on a trough truss bridge at Coalport. Coming into Glen Onoko, you will pass an abandoned CNJ tunnel (the south end of which is accessible through a path from the parking lot). You can see the north end of the tunnel as you cross the Lehigh River at Glen Onoko on another CNJ deck bridge (which parallels the adjacent NS/R&N deck bridge).

You will now parallel for several miles the adjacent active NS/R&N mainline, which sets atop a very long stone retaining wall. If you get lucky, you'll catch a freight train (very early morning or late evening) or one of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railways excursion trains. The only structures along this stretch of trail are some solar powered railroad signals. There are some neat rock formations, including an area at Hetchel where a rock outcropping hangs over the railroad right-of-way. There are also some scenic rock overlooks to your right offering vistas of the Lehigh River.

At Penn Haven (now CP Independence) a Norfolk Southern (soon to be Reading & Northern) line to Hazelton branches to the left. You will cross over the R&N mainline, which itself crosses over to the east side of the river on a trough deck bridge. The Penn Haven Planes (an old inclined-plane railroad where cars were hoisted by a stationary steam engine up a steep mountain incline) right-of-way is difficult to make out on the mountain in summer due to all the foliage.

You are still on the west side of the river on the old CNJ right-of-way and will pass some waterfalls and the remains of a water tower. The active Reading & Northern railroad is now on the east bank and is hard to see due to all the foliage, but there is a nice railroad viaduct visible at Drake's Creek, and you can make out the south portal of Rockport Tunnel. At Rockport there are restroom facilities and water available.

The trail north of Rockport has several more waterfalls. There is almost no evidence of the CNJ's Drifton Junction, although some piers from the LV's Hayes Creek Branch bridge remain in the river. At Bridgeport the railroad again crosses over to the west side of the river (and crosses over the rail trail). In the town of White Haven you can find the remains a LV engine house, which has been converted into the town library building and visitors center. Refreshments and restrooms are available along the trail here too. Have a great ride!!!

Possibly the BEST way to experience the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail is via the "Bike Train". Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (partnering with Pocono Mountain Biking) ran an initial pair of bike trains each day on June 7 and 8, 2014. There was a morning and afternoon departure from Jim Thorpe for a 1-hour ride to White Haven. Passengers could bring their own bikes (which were loaded aboard open air passenger cars) or pick up a pre-arranged rental in White Haven. Return to Jim Thorpe was via a self-paced 25 mile bike ride along the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail.

Following the success of the initial runs, the LGSR has added additional bike trains for July, August and September of 2014. Visit their website @ http://www.lgsry.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for more info!

Thanks guys, this will give me something to talk to the boys about,
I believe we are shuttled in Whiethaven, and riding downhill to Jim Thorpe.

Also going Whitewater rafting on Saturday.

Various Boy Scouts of America hand books about bicycling mention that a 50 mile, 10 hour bike tour is quite feasible and leisurely. In fact, some rest stops and sightseeing are necessary to get it up to 10 hours, as 5 miles per hour is slow for teenaged cyclists! I did it with my Boy Scout Troop 227 when I was that age, Overbrook in Philadelphia, Pa. to Valley Forge Park and return.

History of the trail... to make a long story short...

The CNJ and LVRR paralleled each other thru the Lehigh gorge. The CNJ was flat broke by the 1960s and in 1972 ended its Penna operations. The CNJ track was removed and the trail is built ontop of where that track was. The end.

I found pics my father took in 1982 of a CR train going over the bridge in Glen Onoko. The CNJ was gone but the rails on the CNJ side of the bridge were still there. I don't know why they left the rails in just on the bridge. There were also wooden beams in the shape of an "X" over the CNJ bridge.

I plan on scouting out the Gorge this week. I want to film some action on the old LV and CNJ. There are parking areas for cars at Glen Onoko, Tannery ,and White Haven-according to the website. Can you rent a bike in Thorpe ? I'd rather do that as I am not in good enough shape to pedal 25 miles. Besides, Id have my camera bag hanging from my shoulder. I plan on making multiple trips up there so I don't have to try to cram it all in one visit. My 2014 railfanning/video projects are the largest undertaking I have attempted since probably 2004.

CNJ Fan 4evr wrote:I plan on scouting out the Gorge this week. I want to film some action on the old LV and CNJ. There are parking areas for cars at Glen Onoko, Tannery ,and White Haven-according to the website. Can you rent a bike in Thorpe ? I'd rather do that as I am not in good enough shape to pedal 25 miles. Besides, Id have my camera bag hanging from my shoulder. I plan on making multiple trips up there so I don't have to try to cram it all in one visit. My 2014 railfanning/video projects are the largest undertaking I have attempted since probably 2004.

You can rent bikes in either Jim Thorpe or White Haven. You can rent hourly, rental & shuttle, or shuttle-only. Got to poconobiking.com for more info. One neat option is to rent in Jim Thorpe and take a shuttle to Rockport, where you can ride south (downhill... yeah!) to Jim Thorpe, 15 miles directly paralleling active track almost the entire way. I'd suggest a backpack for your camera gear rather than a camera bag... your neck and shoulder will thank you! (Trust me on this from experience)! Also, be sure to bring water/snackbars and stay hydrated.

If you follow the excursion schedules, you can bag a northbound train crossing the Lehigh River at Nesquehoning Junction or at Coalport, then pedal up to Glen Onoko and catch the southbound return at the other Lehigh River crossing. Or you can pedal to Hetchel and catch a northbound, then pedal south to catch the southbound return along the "wall" (the long stone retaining wall). Unless you are a coked-up Lance Armstrong, there is no such thing as "chasing" in the gorge...it's all set-up and then move on and wait for the next train.

Good luck, and post some stills!

So we did our camping trip this weekend.

Rafted on Saturday, two Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway trains passed us on the river, engineer blew the horn all 4 times, which was nice. Great time Rafting!

Sunday, we took the shuttle from Jim Thorpe to White haven and rode the 25 miles back, nice ride but LONG, Very Long for an old man like me. The boys loved it!!!
Of course on Sunday no trains passed while on the bike trail, one left town as we pulled in!

Questions:
In Jim Thorpe, NS is on the East side of the river, and the RBM&N ( Lehigh Scenic Gorge Railway) is on the West side?
In the history section of the RBM&N Website, it talks about in 2003 restoring two bridges, are they the two bridges over the Leigh River just north of Jim Thorpe, that we rode over on the bikes?
Before these bridges were restored, did the RBM&N go up through the gorge?
In Penn Haven, CP Independence, there was a sign that said something like, in 2003 we connected to the world, what did that mean.
Who owns the track north of Penn Haven to White Haven and beyond, NS or RBM&N?
In Glen Okno, there was a sign that said, Shortcut ahead, gave miles to Taylor, Sunbury and others, and said tell your boss. I assume this was the RBM&N trying to get NS trains to use their track?

I'll take a shot.

ricebrianrice wrote: Questions:
In Jim Thorpe, NS is on the East side of the river, and the RBM&N ( Lehigh Scenic Gorge Railway) is on the West side?

yes on the west side. On the east, there are 2 tracks, I THINK one is NS and one is RBM&N. So RBM&N can get to the yard in Packerton (Lehighton?) just south of Jim Thorpe on their own, where they interchange with NS. (I am not 100% sure about RBM&N owning one of those 2 tracks - someone correct or confirm please.)

In the history section of the RBM&N Website, it talks about in 2003 restoring two bridges, are they the two bridges over the Leigh River just north of Jim Thorpe, that we rode over on the bikes?
Before these bridges were restored, did the RBM&N go up through the gorge?

Yes, I think that is it. There is one bridge over the river and another over the ex LV track (now 1 NS and 1 RBMN as above].

In Penn Haven, CP Independence, there was a sign that said something like, in 2003 we connected to the world, what did that mean
Who owns the track north of Penn Haven to White Haven and beyond, NS or RBM&N?

RBM&N owns the track from CP independence north to the Wilkes Barre -Scranton area, and beyond (along the east branch of the Susquehanna River up to around Mehoopany.) They can interchange with others in the WB area. I believe before 2003, RMBN trains from the western part of the system , for example coming up from Reading through Port Clinton and then over through Hometown and along the Nesquehoning river to Jim Thorpe, could not get to the tracks north of CP independence, without going past the station in West Jim THorpe down to the yard in Lehighton, and then back up along the other side of the river. This involved going on NS tracks for one of 3 reasons - I am not sure which:
a. They would have had to enter the NS yard before leaving on the RBMN track which then crossed over to the east side of the river and went through east Jim THorpe
b. I was wrong in the first point about one of the tracks on the east side of the river between East Jim THorpe and Lehighton belonging to RBMN
c. Maybe before 2003, there was only one track north of the restored bridges in river valley up to CP Indepence and it belonged to NS
In any case it would not have been possible to run the passenger excursions as they run now (going north from west Jim Thorpe station to cross the bridges and then get right on RBMN tracks going north. TODAY one of the 2 tracks north of the restored bridges is RBMN, (the east one I think), so RBMN can get from the passenger station in west Jim Thorpe, or from one half of their system to the other, by using the bridge and not having to deal with NS at all.

In Glen Okno, there was a sign that said, Shortcut ahead, gave miles to Taylor, Sunbury and others, and said tell your boss. I assume this was the RBM&N trying to get NS trains to use their track

Yes. Suppose a train from Binghamton is coming down through Scranton heading to Allentown or NJ. An NS routing would take it along the eastern branch of the Susquehanna to the Sunbury area (actually on Canadian Pacific) then down along the river to the Harrisburg area on NS and then east back through Reading and then Allentown and NJ along the NS mainline. It is much shorter if they just go from the WB-Scranton area right to Allentown using the RBM&N down to the Lehighton Yard I mentioned and then getting on NS down to Allentown. I think there are 4 trains per day (2 NS and 2 CP, although it might only be one pair) that do this, to go from the Binghamton area (and New England before that?) to Allentown/NJ.

I'll also add, the way the restored bridges are oriented, if a train is coming from Reading/Port CLinton, it would have to reverse to go over the bridges and head north in the gorge. I believe "Phase II" of the RBMN plan is to build another bridge so that trains heading east along the Nesquehoning River can go north in the gorge without reversing. Then their system would be better connected and perhaps there would be others wanting to run through traffic from WIlkes Barre-Scranton to Reading, for example.
JS

Great answers,

So if RBM&N owns north of Penn Haven to Wilksbarre, and West to Hazelton, why does NS own up to Penn haven, or even south of Jim Thorpe to Lehighton?

Thanks

ricebrianrice wrote:So if RBM&N owns north of Penn Haven to Wilksbarre, and West to Hazelton, why does NS own up to Penn haven, or even south of Jim Thorpe to Lehighton?

From Penn Haven junction to Hazleton, and up to all the industrial parks up there, is owned by NS (not RBMN). THey have had a daily round trip to/from Hazleton, perhaps from/to their Allentown yard. So they can go the whole way on NS. It is quite a bit of traffic.
That said, RBMN is in the process of taking over servicing the Hazleton industry parks. Not sure why NS is giving it up. I don't know where RBMN will be interchanging the cars with NS - for example at Lehighton, or if RBMN might run all the way to Allentown on NS rights, and so forth. Someone here must know the new plan
JS

pumpers wrote:I'll take a shot.

ricebrianrice wrote: Questions:
In Jim Thorpe, NS is on the East side of the river, and the RBM&N ( Lehigh Scenic Gorge Railway) is on the West side?

yes on the west side. On the east, there are 2 tracks, I THINK one is NS and one is RBM&N. So RBM&N can get to the yard in Packerton (Lehighton?) just south of Jim Thorpe on their own, where they interchange with NS. (I am not 100% sure about RBM&N owning one of those 2 tracks - someone correct or confirm please.)

I did some poking around. RBM&N does indeed own the old LV main track 1 from Packerton Yard (it's called Packerton yard, not Lehighton) up to CP independence (the easternmost of the 2 tracks, used for the former LV westbound direction). NS owns track 2, the west track (former eastbound direction) up to the same area (they call it M&H junction), where it then diverges to continue up to Ashmore and Hazelton (as the Ashmore Secondary). Track 1 was apparently out of service in the Conrail days and then eventually sold to RBM&N by Conrail.

And to get from the Jim THorpe branch (RBMN on west side of the river) to their Track 1 down in Packerton, you do have to use the NS Track 2 (the Jim Thorpe branch ties into Track 2 at Packerton Junction, just downriver from where Tracks 1 and 2 cross the river).
JS