Lehigh Valley Extension on the Raritan Valley Line

[PhilliesPhan2013]

As a current college student in the Lehigh Valley, I hate that the Valley suffers from a deficiency of public transportation. I'm from Philadelphia, so I would love it if SEPTA would reactivate the Bethlehem Branch. At the same cost, I have interests and connections in New York. I wish that there was a viable way to get from Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton to Philly or New York.

During my second semester of college, I read that NJ Transit was considering extending the Raritan Valley Line as far as Phillipsburg, with the possibility of extending into Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton. At the time, I became jubilant at such a plan; however, I have no idea as to whether or not NJT plans to do this extension. Does anyone know if NJT is still trying to expand to at least P-burg? Do they still have their sights set on the Valley?

[bleet]

As a current college student in the Lehigh Valley, I hate that the Valley suffers from a deficiency of public transportation. I'm from Philadelphia, so I would love it if SEPTA would reactivate the Bethlehem Branch. At the same cost, I have interests and connections in New York. I wish that there was a viable way to get from Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton to Philly or New York.

During my second semester of college, I read that NJ Transit was considering extending the Raritan Valley Line as far as Phillipsburg, with the possibility of extending into Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton. At the time, I became jubilant at such a plan; however, I have no idea as to whether or not NJT plans to do this extension. Does anyone know if NJT is still trying to expand to at least P-burg? Do they still have their sights set on the Valley?

Studies have been done by transit agencies in both states. Doesn't appear to be any plan on the NJ side to do it any time soon.

[Push&Pull Master]

http://www.njtpa.org/getattachment/62be ... eport.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NJ Transit held a meeting about this a few years ago and concluded that ridership estimates didn't warrant it's restoration.

[BuddCarToBethlehem]

http://www.njtpa.org/getattachment/62be ... eport.aspx

NJ Transit held a meeting about this a few years ago and concluded that ridership estimates didn't warrant it's restoration.

I wasn't aware of a second report. I've know about this one for some time:

http://www.northamptoncounty.org/northa ... report.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but the 2010 report seems to have unnecessary proposals in order to inflate costs. Such as double tracking the line between the proposed storage facility to Allentown; I would think that a siding or two would be sufficient. So I wouldn't be surprised if they inflated costs in that 2011 report.

Although, now that RJ Corman will soon have no more customers along the old LV freight mainline (http://www.mcall.com/news/local/warrior ... 918.column" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), building a station along that line next to the sewage plant would make more sense since there would be no grade crossings in Allentown. So I suppose a reevaluation of both reports may be warranted. However, I doubt that will happen. While I would love train service to NYC (or Newark at the very least), with a predicted farebox recovery of 22% it's hard to justify the costs. Besides, if you adjust for inflation the capital costs, on table 17, have increased to between $708-$773 million.

[philipmartin]

I appreciate the Morning Call link since I live in the area.
Getting around, there is the ABE airport, and the Trans Bridge and Bieber buses to New York. Before the line was Trans Bridge it was NJ Transit briefly, Public Service and Royal Blue, in my memory.
Building the station next to the sewage treatment plant is a good idea; but better yet, build it in the plant. The former Reading yard office in Manville was near a sewage treatment plant. I don't know how the people there stood it.

[BuddCarToBethlehem]

Building the station next to the sewage treatment plant is a good idea; but better yet, build it in the plant. The former Reading yard office in Manville was near a sewage treatment plant. I don't know how the people there stood it.

Too bad A&B Meats has long since closed. Imagine a station next to the sewage plant and downwind from a slaughterhouse. There would be no need for security cameras in the parking lot or even car alarms. Only a thief with no olfactory sense would lurk around there.

[philipmartin]

"A&B Meats" Arbogast & Bastian. Attractive name.
I was a freight handler for the New York Central in New York City in 1955-56. One of the commodities we handled was raw hides; the skins of animals, tied in neat packages and shipped in box cars. They were juicy, and smelled great. One of the guys told me that after handling raw hides for eight hours one day, the freight handlers got on the 42nd St. crosstown streetcar, and everyone else on the car moved to the other end.

[CNJ Fan 4evr]

See other old threads. This subject has been beaten to death ad nauseum. Common sense no longer works in society and especially beuracracy.

[philipmartin]

Here are two shots of the Jersey Central's station in Allentown, PA, as it looks today; and a shot of the night club across the street from it. A real straight-lace place. Check your guns at the door.
I couldn't get the Lehigh Valley's station; that's long gone.

[philipmartin]

While we're on the Raritan Valley, I came up to High Bridge [my error. I meant Annandale] just now, after the rush hour trains had gone, to catch the 9:22am east, expecting to find the small parking lot full. But, to my pleasure, it's only three quarters full- I've got a space. The spaces are numbered, same as a pay lot, but it's still free.

[Ken W2KB]

While we're on the Raritan Valley, I came up to High Bridge just now, after the rush hour trains, to catch the 9:22am east, expecting to find the small parking lot full. But, to my pleasure, it's only three quarters full- I've got a space. The spaces are numbered, same as a pay lot, but it's still free.

The High Bridge rail parking lot spaces were not numbered last week. Did the paint look fresh? I think Annandale's (Clinton) lot was numbered after the recent renovation.

[philipmartin]

The High Bridge rail parking lot spaces were not numbered last week. Did the paint look fresh? I think Annandale's (Clinton) lot was numbered after the recent renovation.

(I got the station name wrong in the post above. It's Annandale.)
They did structural work on the Annandale lot maybe a year ago, and and lined and painted the parking spaces at that time. They are still in the process of putting in new houses in that area. There are 99 spaces and a drop off space. There might have been twenty empty spaces when I caught 5170 at 9:22am today.
I woke up at Dunellen on 5170, and my car was well filled, and staid well filled right into New York. But it's only a six car train. NJ Transit had a man going through the train taking a passenger count.
The ties on both tracks at Annandale look as though they were new when I was new, in 1935. They are splintered. The track next to the parking area has Pandrol tie plates on the outer rail and another type of patent tie plate on the inner rail.

This probably has been reported elsewhere but there is a dead line on either side of Cranford station. East of the station there are sixteen MUs, many with the pantographs off. The rails and even a few insulators for pantographs are still on some cars, but with the pants gone. West of the station there are about 19 MUs and one coach, and about seven road diesels. If the diesels are for sale, I'll buy one, take it home and play engineer.

[amtrakowitz]

Here are two shots of the Jersey Central's station in Allentown, PA, as it looks today; and a shot of the night club across the street from it. A real straight-lace place. Check your guns at the door.
I couldn't get the Lehigh Valley's station; that's long gone.

The LVRR station's platform is still there IIRC, with a single track adjacent. The ROW going to the old main line heading north and west has been paved over by American Parkway, though, as has the CNJ ROW towards Scranton through that part of town. Still possibly useful as a terminal station for trains from the east.

"A&B Meats" Arbogast & Bastian. Attractive name.
I was a freight handler for the New York Central in New York City in 1955-56. One of the commodities we handled was raw hides; the skins of animals, tied in neat packages and shipped in box cars. They were juicy, and smelled great. One of the guys told me that after handling raw hides for eight hours one day, the freight handlers got on the 42nd St. crosstown streetcar, and everyone else on the car moved to the other end.

Must have been quite a while on the job, that NYC fellow you spoke with. The TARS/TATS streetcar operations were fully converted to bus operation by 1948 after all.

[philipmartin]

Must have been quite a while on the job, that NYC fellow you spoke with. The TARS/TATS streetcar operations were fully converted to bus operation by 1948 after all.

The guy told me that story in 1955 or '56, when I was a freight handler. I only handled raw hides on one occasion. The west end of that crosstown was on the Hudson River where the NYC had a terminal for its Weehawken ferries. New York freight handlers covered Weehawken and North Bergen too.
I remember seeing some open side street cars on the 42nd St. crosstown when I was a kid, and wish that I had ridden one; but the cost was prohibitive- 5¢. The street cars on uptown Broadway stopped at each block; the busses at every other block, twice as fast. I had to get from 96th St. to school on 121st St. and usually was late, so I preferred busses.
Here's a shot of that convertible 42nd St. crosstown trolley that I never rode, eastbound at 5th Avenue. From the Bill Volkmer Collection.

Thank you for the information on the tracks in Allentown. I was looking for the old LV right of way on the west bank of the Jordan Creek, but couldn't spot it. There are girders across the creek there, at right angles to both stations, that looked as though they could have carried railroad tracks, but I couldn't figure them out.
For more information elsewhere on RR.NET see http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 69&t=79560" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;