I believe this topic has been discussed before, but there are articles on the Morning Call archive describing the events of the Minsi Trail Branch's demise. Basically, Just Born wanted to continue rail service, but Conrail balked at the cost of maintenance due to an alleged drainage swale that continually washed out and undermined the track in the area and along the Freemansburg Industrial Track, which was the former CNJ main line. There were several petitions to save the line, and Just Born went so far as to attempt to create their own common carrier switching railroad and offered to cover the costs of track repairs, but ultimately Conrail abandoned the line in 1984. As in many other examples, especially throughout the Lehigh Valley area, this was basically Conrail saying "we don't want to go out of our way to serve you". If people think today's Class 1 railroads are anti loose car handling, Conrail was already doing it back in the 1980s. The nearby Lehigh Valley Easton & Northern Branch is another local example. Several customers petitioned to keep rail service, but in the end Conrail won after claiming too many costly repairs and other excuses.
