Barber Branch in Allentown,Pa.

Does any railroad operate the former LV Barber branch in Allentown? Is this part of Corman's defunct trackage? Haven't seen anything in years on that line.

Naw, they never turned a wheel on it, that I ever heard. And it was pulled up in 2000 or 2001, that I'm sure of. The City of Allentown was protesting the official abandonment, either they wanted the track to remain, or they wanted the ROW for a trail. I don't know for sure, and it seems like everyone and their bro wants old RR beds for some sort of trail. So, I hope that at least helps.

Mike

Oh, I thought the track was still there. I guess they finally ripped it up now. Was this Corman's trackage or NS?

It was Corman's at the time.

Say, are those Reading Speedlettering gondolas still over at the Fuller Plant? They were on a siding off the branch (or they were on it), at least till a few years ago. Just wondering.

Mike

Yep, those FMn class flat cars (they started life as gondolas, and were cut down) are still there. A number of the older, shorter cars were cut up about the time the track was torn up. By the way, trackage at the F.L. Smidth plant (formerly Traylor Engineering & Manufacturing) was NOT torn up, but isn't in the greatest of shape. They still have a GE ex-US Army 45 tonner to shuffle the flat cars around. The cars cut up include a few ex-PRR cars apparently used by Baldwin Lima Hamilton, and a few ex-CNJ "3 board" gondolas made into flat cars, some with CRRofPA cast into the Andrews style trucks. I haven't seen the ex-Lehigh Valley piggyback flat, either.

Hmmm... Traylor was it? I thought Fuller sounded wrong when I wrote that, but that was all I could think of.

It's nice to know of CNJ equipment after it's cut up, that way nothing can be done about it. Nothing personal, just that I had no idea half of that stuff was back there, and now it's gone, after surviving all of these years.

That's all for now. I gotta go cry and switch hobbies. Buses sound exciting.

Mike

The CNJ cars I was referring to are just like one in the CNJ/LV color guide by Morning Sun, that's pictured with a "critter". There was also a 40' gondola with DL&W trucks. The side stakes holding the boards to make the flat a gon were cut off at the deck. They would have had to be re-fabricated and riveted. Lots of people knew about those and the RDG flats, so I'm kinda mystified by your angst.
I know a supervisor at the plant, and they would have been available to anyone who could TRUCK them out. But, I and some others asked around, and NOBODY seemed interested. All of the scrapped cars were in rather rough shape, by the way, but the trucks were neat. The name of the plant was originally Traylor Engineering & Manufacturing, which was somehow later sold to Fuller Co., which was (is?) a division of GATX!
WHEW! I understand Smidth is a UK outfit, although nothing is being built there now.

Who did you have in mind to save those cars?

That's a good question. I didn't have anyone in mind. I'm not one of the powers-that-be.

Your effort was more than anyone else gave (apparently), so thank you for that. I just don't like to see opportunities go by. My angst was more of a short term case of 'foot in mouth' disease. I've been seeing a lot of waste and stupidity (not RR related), lately, and either it's new, or I'm just coming to recognize it for what it is. Either way, I'm inclined to shoot ma mouth off at times. Still learning.

Too bad we'll never see GATX maintaining it's lease fleet in Allentown!

Thanks for setting me straight.

Mike