Quakertown and Eastern Railroad

[Milesius]

Does anybody have pictures, maps, diagrams, rosters, and time tables of the Quakertown and Eastern Railroad? It went from Quakertown to South Reigelsville next to the river.

[Franklin Gowen]

Milesius, I have an article about it in an old railfan-oriented book. I'll try to find it. I remember that the article was rather short...not much information was known about the Q&E. The line was a pretty obscure operation, and not very long-lived.

[Milesius]

That would be great. The only think I know is that the railroad use to come to the NJ/PA border to transfer coal and some cargo across the river by a cable line and a ferry to the PRR BEL DEL. Some of the roadbed is easy to find west of Riegelsville to Durham on 212. I know they use to store a engine at the Hellertown/Lower Bethlehem Roundhouse where I-78 goes over the Reading/CR right-a-way. I was told about this guy from the Model Railroad shop in Quakertown PA that who wants to make a book about it and has photos and information

[nrkrupp]

You can also see the ROW in the village of Pleasant Valley. If you look from Rt 212 behind what used to be a mill (which is now an apartment building) you can see the ROW. The ROW also crosses Pullen Station Road in Richland Township. Where the road makes an "S" turn the ROW crossed there.

[Aa3rt]

Actually, we had a short discussion on the Q&E about six months ago. Check this thread: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26401

[Milesius]

I just read a book on Porter Steam Engines too, 0-4-0T. They did have one of those it looks like.

Thanks!!!

[Trails to Rails]

There is a Chapter about the Q & E, (AKA The Ouakertown & Bethlehem RR) in the book "Railroads in the Lehigh River Valley" edited by Randolph L. Kulp and published by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the NRHS. I'm NOT positive if it is still available but a search on Google revealed used copies out there.

BTW you can still sort of see the ROW branching off to the right at the junction with the former Reading Bethlehem Branch about 50 yards north of the Quakertown Station.

[Franklin Gowen]

Milesius,

The book in the discussion which Trails to Rails referred to and which Aa3rt linked to is the same one I have. That discussion covers all of the highlights of the shortline's brief history.

[nrkrupp]

Using local live you can follow the ROW. Here's a link that takes you to where it crosses Beck Road in Richland Township.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&c ... ne=3960929

[repairinfo]

Hi:
I recently purchased a loco bell that came from the Q and E many years ago. Along with the bell came many pages of info about the RR.
I will did them out and see their original sources.

Will do so shortly.

Want a real looco bell??
r

[Bank Tower]

Here's an article from the Phila Inquirer 1915 about the sale of the railroad

Quakertowbn&Delaware Sold 1915.jpg

[obsessed railfan]

The article is brimming with optimism about many potential rail customers in this sparsely populated area, but looking back today, it is clear that Buckland's purchase of the railroad was basically just a vehicle for his National Slag Company operations. His company started a large slag crushing operation at Durham Furnace with plans to ship the crushed slag by rail. And I believe he also owned the sand & gravel operation in Riegelsville which started operations not long after he acquired the railroad, also shipping by rail. So by this time, the Q&B (renamed Quakertown & Bethlehem under Buckland) was basically his slag and gravel company's railroad, I'd be very surprised if large quantities of anything else were hauled by rail during his ownership. After all of the slag piles were gone, the Riegelsville operations started using dump trucks and that was the end for this railroad.