LNE bridges

[Tadman]

Just curious - LNE crossed the Delaware at Columbia, NJ. Is the LNE's bridge the one that appears north of town on this map?
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v ... &encType=1

[pumpers]

No, that fancy bridge is the former Delaware Lackawanna and Western (later Erie Lacakawanna) main line. That bridge is a relatively new section of the mainline built around 1910 called the "cutoff". There are proposals around to get the line going again for passenger service from NJ to the Poconos in PA or even to Scranton. The topic has a thread with over 150! pages over on the NJ transit forum: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=1580

The LNE bridge was just north of Columbia St. in the center of Columbia I think. In the photo link you sent, you can sort of make out what looks like it might be a remaining bridge pier on the NJ side just next to the river. Probably some reader here knows if it really is anything or just a spec of dust on the photo.
JS

[Bethlehem Jct.]

The Lehigh & New England's bridge was further south, in the borough of Portland. The tracks went right through town to the river and crossed over the pre Lackawnna Cutoff DL&W Mainline.
Here's a Bing "Bird's Eye" image:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v ... &encType=1

You can see the former ROW between two properties. Starting at 1st St and Delaware Dr. and counting the houses south, the ROW runs between the 2nd and 3rd properties facing Delaware Dr. You can even make out the bases of the former bridge piers in the river.

[wis bang]

I remember riding up Rt 611 going to our camp in the Poconos. The bridge was a steel truss on concrete piers that crossed over the highway b/4 heading over the river. After the LNE shutdown, I remember seeing someone driving [probably teenagers] an early 50's car over the bridge from the NJ side as we were going under the bridge. I think the rails were being pulled at that time. The bridge was removed a short time later.

[Kevinhooa]

The middle piers for that bridge were removed but you can just barely see the base of a pier on the western side just below the surface of the water. The abutments are still there on either side and can be accessed by the pedestrian bridge that goes from Columbia, NJ to Portland, PA. The huge Lehigh Gap bridge suffered the same fate and only the abutments remain for that bridge as well. There are however a ton of smaller bridges along the main including the one sizable truss bridge over the Paulinskill just a stones throw away from the old Delaware River bridge site.

Kevin