PRR branch in Pottsville (photos)

Conrail own it yes. Here is the photo's of the cut on it's way out of town , it's really over grown.

looking at the rock cut going out of the St Clair yard head to Frackville,PA




Len.

Here is a quote from RCT&HS member Steve Gilbert about St. Clair Yard.
I copied this from Railfan.net
" Saint Clair was the major coal shipping yard for the Rdg. It had a shop for repair of coal hopper cars (still standing, in use by some other business).
The coal trains were switched there after coming from other yards, such as Cressona, or from Saint Nick over the mountain.
But by the mid to late 1950's (your era to model) coal was no longer "king" and the business was on a downward spiral. The real busy period would be before the Mahanoy Plane was shut down in the 30's, actually before the great depression, when times were good and the Anthracite industry was at its peak.
Saint Clair yard lasted into Conrail, but was not busy by then, since the flood in the 50's damaged the Frackville grade and that business then was routed to Saint Nick, and east or west from there.
Tamaqua yard is still in use today, although 1 main and 3 yard tracks is a far cry from what it was, too."

Here are a few photo's of St clair yard I found on a website from a few years ago.
Len.

here is a pic found on the floor of the office buliding in st clair. it shows the reading sand truck.

That is a cool photo RDGTRANSMUSEUM. What all did you find in the office that day?
My blue prints came from the Car Shop office at Reading Yard. I got my prints from the late Dan Calveresi. I have close to 100 Real Reading prints the oldest is 1905.
I also bought off Ebay a few years back the compleat set of prints for the Camel back # 1187 0-4-0 and prints of an 4-4-0.
I also own a two wheel tool car from 1898. The car came from Fleetwood.

Interesting thing about this print it shows the heatting pipe tunnel. the tunnels are still under the yard in some parts.


Len.

len,i had a station wagon full of paper from that day at st clair,as i look thru stuff ill try to post it . the big blueprints were all over the place,guess the kids had fun. later when i worked for conrail,we had a shanty at oak island full of stuff in the second floor,mostly lv items. getting back to reading, we always wondered who got items from the car shop office,they just kinda tore that thing down one day. where did all the RDG micro film files go? here is another shot from st clair.

print of the yard early 1960's coloring showing how they wanted to sell off parcels.

Found a newspaper type shot showing the yard in dated 1976. If the date penciled on back is correct,the roundhouse is gone by 76. Look at the many cars still stored there at this late date.

this slide was taken in summer 1963 possibly on the last day of the scale operation. it shows hump rider jitney 90921 the brakeman car riders returning ,and next to the filthy shanty the conductor, you can see the drill slip in his hand . a real cool shot indeed.

The workmen speeder is still around, I know a man who has it. the cement base is still there from that shack. I saw it last Friday when I was there.
Getting back to the Micro Film I don't know of it. Danny just had the prints in which I have now. I have prints of the CNJ blue Comets too. a 1905 CNJ gondola with wooden sides, I have the complete set of prints for the station at Hamilton, NJ . all of the Shamokin Division Track drawings. including East Manhoy Jct. when the Wye was still in . the prints are from 1929.
Tamaqua Yard and proposed 6 stall round house and 100' table. I have all of Allentown. All of Philadelphia, Reading Yard, Ect.

Len

Can you tell me exactly where that cement base for the shanty is? I'd like to do a before/after pic. How can I find it???

The 1971 arial (too big to post here, go to PennPilot to see it) shows about 50% of the yard track (where the long rectangle buildings are) gone, but the west part of the yard, south part toward Pottsville, and even the tracks north to Frackville completely intact (at least a few miles north of the yard before the row turns to mud) and literally jammed packed with coal cars. I can only assume by this date most coal companies were out of biz and these were disused coal hoppers that had no where to go and were being stored.

The 1976 newspaper shot above shows almost everything gone but a few tracks still in place to the west side of the yard.

Needless to say between 1971 and 1976 the RDG was on one heck of a real estate selling spree! Guess they were broke.

that 802 train master shot was taken at Erie ave,Phila,Pa.

Here is a slide of 803 at st clair,note the powerhouse in the background, looks like it is shut down. roundhouse is to the right.

Yes the power house was not in use, the stack isn't standing in this photo. Also I was going by what Dan wrote on the back of the photo.
The cement base for the shack is right to the left of the photo I posted with the pick up truck in view. there is a signal battery box there too along with the base.

Do you ever get down to the Pottstown area?

Len.

I found two shots i took at st clair in 1972. note the paper files blowing in the wind in front of the water plug. other is a view inside the roundhouse,from the same day in 72.

The Reading's Frackville Grade took a hit from Tropical Storm Agnes in June '72 and never saw through service again. There was a major washout near Wetherill Jct. where the track just remained suspended for quite some time until it was scrapped. The last use I knew for the line was when the New St. Nicholas Breaker near Minersville was down for annual maintenance and raw coal was routed to St. Nicholas for processing. After the washout when New St. Nick was down the Reading simply routed the raw coal down to Port Clinton and then back up the Little Schuylkill and M&S to the old St. Nick.