Trackage north of St Clair Yard to Frackville

When did the RDG abandon and remove the track that went north from St Clair to Frackville? I think I read that the line got washed out and with the coal mines closing they just abandoned it. I looked at the historic arials from the 1930s-1960s and it was 4 tracks right thru the center of Frackville in a ditch. The city streets went over the tracks on bridges. Tons of coal hoppers parked everywhere.

Today you can still see the row - it's mostly a grass field thru the center of town. The streets are still elevated but the ditch is filled in. A lot of building on the row too and the I-81 interchange has obliterated it. Amazing to see the amount of rail infrastructure that was there at one time.

Another thing I just noticed comparing arial images... the present day Rt 61 actually is built ontop of the old RDG row in St Clair. In the 1958 images the highway actually went thru St Clair city streets (2nd St I think) and drivers had to go thru town northward then the highway picked up again just north of town. Today Rt 61 avoids town and is ontop of the old RDG row.

The ROW is basically obliterated now in St Clair but you can clearly see it picking up again just behind the strip mall in front of Home Depot/Walmart. It looks like a trail that starts behind the strip mall in their parking lot.

funny thing bout that home depot/wal-mart strip mall, it used to be a strip mine! i'm sure it was a reading customer, too. maybe they'll open a strip club in there?

One fun fact. On the modern driveway from the highway to Depot and Walmart, less than 100 yards from the highway on the right side there is small road going on a bridge going over the bend in the creek (a road to nowhere, it looks like). I am fairly sure this bridge is actually the Reading RR bridge over the creek on its line up to Frackville! http://binged.it/1vp11SF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (The PRR was on the other (west) side of the highway.)

The demise of the St. Clair/Frackville trackage was discussed in great detail a few years ago here: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... r&start=60" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; A lot of fascinating history there.
From that thread, the Reading RR started selling off parts of its yard on the south side of St.Clair in the late 1960's already. Then in 1972 Hurricane Agnes washed out Wetherill Junction on the way to Frackville, and that was the end for anything north of St. Clair. All the tracks in St Clair and up to Frackville were pulled up by Conrail (or maybe the Reading estate that didn't go into Conrail) by the late 1970's. But see that thread for the exact details.

What I don't know (and someone here probably does) is when the PRR branch from Pottsville past St. Clair up to Wetherill junction ended. I would guess earlier and that they might have used the Reading to get to Wetherill Jct and then to Frackville and to connect to their (or LV's?) line to New Boston, but don't know for sure.

As noted, the highway was moved to cover part of the Reading RoW, but that was a bit south of the Target/Walmart driveway.
JS

PRR line was abandoned north of Potts in 1968. There is nothing left. Rows not really decernable. Not even a tie or spike.

carajul wrote:PRR line was abandoned north of Potts in 1968. There is nothing left. Rows not really decernable. Not even a tie or spike.

After 1968 did the PRR still go to New Boston , Morea, Newton Jct to meet the LV, etc by using the Reading to get to Wetherill Jct, or did they pull the plug on the Morea/New Boston/Newton Jct. area too. I would assume they pulled the plug on all of it... JS