I've looked all over and I can't find a map of the NYS&W, showing it going to Wilkes-Barre. The Erie map at http://www.erielackhs.org/Erie/ErieSmallMap.html is too new. Can anyone help?
Technically the Susquehanna never went to Wilkes-Barre. The Wilkes-Barre and Eastern was formed in 1892 to build from Stroudsburg to Wilkes-Barre. It was leased to the Susquehanna while under construction. The Susquehanna leased to the ERIE in 1898. The WB&E ran from a connection with the NYSW at Stroudsburg to Suscon (short for Susquehanna Connection) near located in present-day Dupont (PA). From Suscon the WB&E made it way to Plains, north of Wilkes-Barre. The WB&E never made it to Wilkes-Barre proper but instead crossed the Susquehanna river north of the W-B border into Kingston The "Wilkes-Barre" station of the WB&E was located near present day Nesbitt Park near the Market Street bridge. The line continued a short distance into what is now Kirby Park to service a primative coal mine operation.
Prior to to construction of the WB&E, the NYSW connected with DL&W at Gravel Place two miles northwest of East Stroudsburg in order capture some coal traffic from the Scranton area. The NYSW actually owned several breakers in the Scranton area as well the trackage that connected these breakers to other railroads such as the O&W, DL&W and the Erie. From Suscon, a lined owned by the Susquehanna went north to Scranton and utilized trackage rights to gather coal traffic which went South (East) to Stroudsburg and eventually to Jersey City.
This arrangement lasted until 1917 when the Erie rebuilt its leased line Erie and Wyoming Valley to allow heavier trains and the WB&E's role as a feeder to the Susquehann and the Erie was greatly diminished. The remaining online coal and ice traffic wasn't enough to sustain the roller coaster operations of the line and the WB&E was shut down in the early thirties as a result of the Susquehanna gaining its independence from the Erie after the Erie filed for Bankruptcy.
Parts of the WB&E were operated by the Erie and the CNJ which is why you may not be able to pick them out on latter-day maps.
