Reading Bethlehem branch

This weekend, I had to get off I-78 at Hellertown due to a bad road delay, and I took PA-412 south, and onto some back roads, passing Lehigh University. I saw a single track, disused ROW, which I assume was the Reading Bethlehem Branch. My question is this --- at Telford and Souderton, the Reading line is 2 (or 3) tracks wide, so after which town did the Bethlehem branch go down to single track?

The Bethlehem Branch was originally double track for it's entire length from Lansdale to Bethlehem. In it's last years, the ROW was reduced to a single track between Saucon Yard and the ex-LV junction at CP-Bethlehem. Once passenger service stopped and after the signal system was deactivated in 1984, the entire branch was essentially run as a single track railroad with the second track (southbound in most cases) used for storage in several locations. The three track wide segment in Telford was used for helper locomotives in steam days, the center track is now used to interchange cars between CSX and East Penn Railways.

Can anyone tell me where Saucon yard was?

Thanks

lefty, Saucon Yard began just north of the Hellertown I-78 interchange which wzlirr exited at. It extended north, curving to the northwest where it crossed Saucon Creek, and the other end faced west just before the Lynn St. bridge.

From the Saucon Creek overgrade bridge to the Lynn St bridge, it was parallel to the PB&NE RR's Iron Hill Yard. Saucon was closer to the looming hillside which was the "hub" that its tracks curved around; Iron Hill was adjacent to the east/north, closer to Route 412.

wzlirr, when you exited I-78, were you travelling north or south from Hellertown? To the best of my knowledge, the Lehigh Univ. campus is almost entirely found atop & on the slopes of the mountain in South Bethlehem. Based on your description of the state of the right-of-way (I'm not sure I can honestly call the segment north of Quakertown a "railroad" any longer), I wonder if you were actually at or very close to the campus of DeSales Univ. in Centre Valley when you made those observations. The only trackage that close to Lehigh U. would have been the final, northernmost segment of single main track which glennk419 mentioned in South Bethlehem itself, but that has been torn up since approx. January 2005.

This topic is another sharp prod in my backside (:P), proving yet again that I really, *really* need to find a way to somehow speed up my efforts to get my Bethlehem Branch website completed enough so that I can upload at least part of it for viewing. Ya know, before I keel over extreme old age, or not looking both ways when crossing the street? The story of the delays is memorable in itself (stemming from great personal anguish, as well as being one more cause of same). My project is much more complex than just a straightforward gallery of pretty pictures with minimal explanations. I have several thousand photos in this project (both vintage and modern), and the hundreds I've taken in, around & through both Saucon Yard and nearby points to the south would have been helpful right now. Even more so when considering the story that goes along with the images. [-sigh-] I'm trying; I really am.

The portion of Lehigh U that wzlirr spoke of was probably the athletic fields which are right next to Hellertown.

Frank, I would love to see our photos of the Bethlehem Branch. I grew up in the 60's on a farm which is now the Upper Saucon Township Park across the tracks from DeSales (which was Allentown College back then).

I feel that rail line is a part of me and I'm very dismayed at it's current state.

russ

A long time ago, the Bethlehem Branch used to be part of a through route for B&O trains running between Washington DC and Boston MA. Hard to think of the branch in its current state as such an artery, right…?

This is a line only partially owned by SEPTA, never directly operated by them, and about facilities that are only remotely tangential to this forum. This topic seems more suited to the Reading forum.

-asg

I exited I-78 and proceeded South on PA-412, thinking I'd intercept PA-378; I see on Google Maps that I should've gone north to do that, but I went through Hellerton for about 2 miles and turned right at an intersection marked "To Center Valley" and wandered through the beautiful landscape, over the single track ROW and much later, near Reading Ave, under a RR overpass, emerging back onto PA-309 at Passer Rd. It was gorgeous back there, and I hope SEPTA can find a way to re-activate more of this line, although the single track segmrent will be very difficult to do so. So what is the s-l-o-w progress toward reviving Stoney Creek Branch and the Bethlehem line up to Quakertown or Shelley? I also saw on Google maps that three counties intersect near Hellertown -- and coordination should be a difficult challenge. But as more new townhouses are built in the countryside (you should see how little Telford is expanding) and residents relocate from other areas having mass transit, and as 309 backs up even more, I hope to see a revival of this line by Septa (or the heirs of Septa)

wzlirr wrote:I exited I-78 and proceeded South on PA-412, thinking I'd intercept PA-378; I see on Google Maps that I should've gone north to do that, but I went through Hellerton for about 2 miles and turned right at an intersection marked "To Center Valley" and wandered through the beautiful landscape, over the single track ROW and much later, near Reading Ave, under a RR overpass, emerging back onto PA-309 at Passer Rd. It was gorgeous back there, and I hope SEPTA can find a way to re-activate more of this line, although the single track segmrent will be very difficult to do so. So what is the s-l-o-w progress toward reviving Stoney Creek Branch and the Bethlehem line up to Quakertown or Shelley? I also saw on Google maps that three counties intersect near Hellertown -- and coordination should be a difficult challenge. But as more new townhouses are built in the countryside (you should see how little Telford is expanding) and residents relocate from other areas having mass transit, and as 309 backs up even more, I hope to see a revival of this line by Septa (or the heirs of Septa)

I am quite familiar with the exact location that you are referring to. The massive amount of vegetation that has reclaimed the line may make it look otherwise but that is definitely still a two track railroad in that area.

The reactivation of passenger service to Shelly is actually being spearheaded by the counties, not SEPTA. Despite the fact that they still own the line, SEPTA has no interest or funding to rehabilitate the line or run trains. If and when this comes to be, it could very well be a public / private operation.

The massive amount of vegetation that has reclaimed the line may make it look otherwise but that is definitely still a two track railroad in that area.

A few months ago I was looking for the old Coopersburg station, and for the most part you could hardly tell a railroad used to be there.

SEPTA has no interest or funding to rehabilitate the line or run trains

Interest no.
Money for funding it is there, they just choose to spend it elsewhere.
And we all know SEPTA does not want to run its existing 'railroad' let alone expand it.

I agree, "SEPTA has no interest . . ." and I hope that Bucks, Montgomery, Lehigh and Northhampton Counties can merge their efforts into a contract agency with authority to contract with Septa and revive this line. In NY, we have several cross-jurisdictional contracts (MetroNorth West of Hudson is run by NJ Transit), and look at AMTRAK's contracts to run VRE. I believe the counties don't wanna be subsumed into Septa, as they believe funding will go to the City zone rather than the counties. Contracting is the way to go! Septa has the staff to run a railroad so use them.
And when I used to take Bieber Bus line to Wescosville, it was crowded with ex-Norkers who now live in Reading, Kutztown and the townhouses at the junction of I-78 and 309. We're moving out there, we are used to mass transit --- now let's start getting this line back in order!

On a vacation a year and a half ago I found the Hatfield, Souderton, Telford, Sellersville and Perkasie stations. They were well kept and (except for Telford) put to other uses as businesses. The Souderton station is now a restaurant. Those businesses would have to be compensated if SEPTA revived service and wanted to use those stations, no?

motor

nrkrupp wrote:The portion of Lehigh U that wzlirr spoke of was probably the athletic fields which are right next to Hellertown.

Frank, I would love to see our photos of the Bethlehem Branch. I grew up in the 60's on a farm which is now the Upper Saucon Township Park across the tracks from DeSales (which was Allentown College back then).

I feel that rail line is a part of me and I'm very dismayed at it's current state.

russ

nrkrupp, please send me a Private Message. I'd like to discuss the Branch with you, outside of this forum. Click the little "pm" button beneath the text of this message to do so. Thanks!

motor wrote:On a vacation a year and a half ago I found the Hatfield, Souderton, Telford, Sellersville and Perkasie stations. They were well kept and (except for Telford) put to other uses as businesses. The Souderton station is now a restaurant. Those businesses would have to be compensated if SEPTA revived service and wanted to use those stations, no?

motor

To the best of my knowledge, those stations are all still owned by Septa and on long term leases to the occupants. There's probably a clause in those leases about waiting room space if and when passenger service returns to the line.

Its mind boggling that SEPTA went out of their way to purchase the line in the early 80s and 90s only to let it sit and rot. From what I've read, SEPTA's ownership has helped contribute to the line's decline into its current condition because Conrail had no incentive to maintain a line they didn't own. Conrail would actually detour trains on longer routes to avoid having to use the line. If it wasnt for EPRY the line would be another Newtown basket case.

Does SEPTA still use the line to train engineers? I know they did in years past.