Anthracite haulers: biggest to smallest

Can you rank biggest to smallest of these anthracite coal haulers: RDG, LV, CNJ, LNE, LHR, DL&W, D&H, ERIE.

by total route length, probably:

ERIE, D&H, LV, DL&W, RDG, CNJ, LHR, LNE.

I say: Erie, RDG, D&H, LV, DL&W, CNJ, LNE, LHR.

Do we count all the track rights the D&H came into with conrail? That would tip the scales a bit.

Where's Owen Dubya??

Mike

hmmm, I think Reading was MUCH smaller than the LV and DL&W..
both LV and DL&W ran from NYC to Buffalo, through NJ, PA, and NY states..
The Reading was almost wholly contained in South East Pennsylvania and NJ..
RDG was easily half the size of LV and DL&W.

We also dont know how we are defining "size"..
total route miles? including all branch lines?
or just total length of mainline?

We know Erie is the biggest, no doubts there.
LNE or LHRR is the smallest.

LV and DL&W are pretty much equal.
D&H when? pre conrail or post conrail?
sizes are much different, depending..


Scot

found some stats!
we just need to dig up this info for each railroad!
(just copy and paste this list and add any new info to it)


ERIE - total route miles -
length of mainline -

D&H - total route miles -
length of mainline -

LV - total route miles at peak (1920's) - 1454
length of mainline -

DL&W - total route miles -
length of mainline -

O&W - total route miles -
length of mainline -

RDG - total route miles -
length of mainline -

CNJ - total route miles - 711
length of mainline -

LHR - total route miles -
length of mainline -

LNE - total route miles -
length of mainline -

I meant to rank the railroads by tonnage of anthracite originated on their system.

For some reason I think the RDG was the biggest originator of hard coal.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh. I C.

I thought like Scotty-route length. And I put RDG ahead of Valley as they had something like 1000 miles when they went into Conrail. All over the place. Valley was about 600, for some reason that sounds right, and I remember the DL&W was the shortest route from Buffalo to NY Harbor. I didn't even think of their branches.

LHR was only like what-80 or so miles?? At least at the end. I'm sure the LNE was longer than that.

For tonnage hauled: I really don't know.

Mike

READING COMPANY

"AMERICA'S LARGEST ANTHRACITE CARRIER"

Mike

RDG 1833-1976 RIP

Is the answer for the LV mainline mileage 448?

431 miles for the main line of the LV is what I was always told, and 398 miles for the DL&W if my memory serves me right. I believe these numbers come from the Archer book.

The Reading originated the most tonnage, about half of all that originated by all anthracite carriers combined. Late 1940s about 18 million tons annually. The NYOW was the smallest, last to arrive at the coal fields, first to exit the region. L & HR carried anthracite but it would have received almost all of it from connecting carriers because it doesn't serve the coal fields.