OK, I found my references, I was wrong. It is all LVRR from over 100 years ago, except for a few sidings. Coming up from the Lehigh River and Weatherly, the LV forked somewhere around Ashmore a few miles east of Hazleton and made a loop around Hazleton. What is now NS comes in from the east, goes west along the south side of town , then turns north (section 234 on the map), and then west again near Valmont (section 919 on the map). I don't know exactly where Locust junction is (see the map) but it must be on the south/west side of Hazleton, perhaps where the R&B line south towards McAdoo splits off. If you keep going west a few miles on line 919 off the map, at Tomhicken the ownership turned into PRR, which then went up to Wilkes Barre. PRR through trains going north to Wilkes Barre used this 234/919 section of track back in the day (they got on the LV shortly after Frackville around New Boston.)
Back at Ashmore, the other fork of the LV went north, and then turned west through the coal fields just north of Hazleton. ON the map this is section 236. This then joined this the southern loop northwest of Hazleton - right where 234, 919, and 236 come together. I don't know whether the northern or the southern section of the loop was built first. The R&N operates this northern section from Ashmore until about 3 miles east of the area shown on this map - there is about a 2 mile section between the R&N section and the Valmont section that is abandoned.
The LV also had a spur from this area going southeast down to near the northwest corner of North Broad and Broad Streets in Hazleton. That is 238 on the map. It was reached from 236 by the connector 237 shown. I don't know how far back this spur goes - this part might be less than 100 years. The northern part of 238, I don't know if it was just a tail track for the move to/from North Broad and Hazleton, or if it went any significant distance.
Part of this section (maybe part of 238) might have been operated later by a local streetcar line for a while, which might have been why I was confused. Or I was just plain mixed up.
I don't know why 238 doesn't directly tie into 234. Could be the grade, but I doubt it.
JS
EDIT: I'm now fairly sure section 238 was built as part of the Wilkes Barre and Hazleton Railway streetcar line, constructed ~1903 (well after the LV lines 919, 234, 236) and abandoned around 1930. After abandonment the section from near the junction shown on the map down into Hazleton was then operated locally by the LV I think.
http://www.mtn-top-hs.org/images/W-B%20 ... %20Map.jpg Note Oak Bur Jct. on the bottom left, with connector 237 already there.
