by EasternPAHiker
Newbie here. I have spent a lot of time hiking the remaining LNE rail bed remnants in the Lehigh Valley. I also hike in the area parks a bit, and on hiking through Jacobsburg Park along Sobers Run, the thought occurred "why did they build the Nazareth Branch?" This was the line that branched off "Bender's Link" west of Wind Gap on the lower of the two alignments at Bushkill Junction/Rissmiller, and went south through Jacobsburg along the current PPL line, then SE through Aluta and finally south about 1-1/2 mi west of Nazareth and wyed into the E-W line just east of Tadmor. It appears to have been built in 1901 and abandoned in 1937. It doesn't appear to have a remarkable amount of work (relatively speaking) to construct, based on the portions I have hiked. Several bridges though.
I haven't found evidence of substantial industry along this route, so I was curious as if it could have been a cutoff to avoid traffic on the Bath to Bender's Junction branch. Where it wyed off near Tadmor, the wye would allow westward traffic from Nazareth to travel north without changing direction. I've read various things that indicate this was not heavily used, despite possibly less of a grade than the Bath/Bender's branch. When it was constructed, the trolleys were still expanding and those died off quickly with the advent of automobiles. Passenger service wasn't a priority for the LNE, was it?
If anyone has thoughts to share on why the Nazareth Branch may have been constructed, and how its demise relates to the larger picture in this area, I would be interested. Thanks! Don
I haven't found evidence of substantial industry along this route, so I was curious as if it could have been a cutoff to avoid traffic on the Bath to Bender's Junction branch. Where it wyed off near Tadmor, the wye would allow westward traffic from Nazareth to travel north without changing direction. I've read various things that indicate this was not heavily used, despite possibly less of a grade than the Bath/Bender's branch. When it was constructed, the trolleys were still expanding and those died off quickly with the advent of automobiles. Passenger service wasn't a priority for the LNE, was it?
If anyone has thoughts to share on why the Nazareth Branch may have been constructed, and how its demise relates to the larger picture in this area, I would be interested. Thanks! Don