While reading some old issues of Railfan magazine, I came across an article that mentions an early USRA plan for Conrail included plans for a through freight line between Allentown and Selkirk Yard (Albany) which was to utilize the Lehigh & Hudson River and a rehabilitation of the Penn Central's (NYC's) Walkill Valley Branch between Kingston and Campbell Hall, with a new connection built to the L&HR. There is also mention of a proposal to rehabilitate the Poughkeepsie Bridge and resume service from Maybrook/Campbell Hall to southern New England via Danbury.
Obviously, this never came to fruition, but my question is why? The article mentions the granting of trackage rights to the D&H from Binghamton to Allentown via Wilkes-Barre, which would have duplicated the proposed L&HR+NYC route, but was this the reason it never came to be? Or were there other reasons, like the labor problems that kept the Chessie from absorbing parts of the EL? Was there not enough traffic to warrant the route? Or did it simply come down to money that needed to be spent on other parts of the fledgling new system?
Obviously, this never came to fruition, but my question is why? The article mentions the granting of trackage rights to the D&H from Binghamton to Allentown via Wilkes-Barre, which would have duplicated the proposed L&HR+NYC route, but was this the reason it never came to be? Or were there other reasons, like the labor problems that kept the Chessie from absorbing parts of the EL? Was there not enough traffic to warrant the route? Or did it simply come down to money that needed to be spent on other parts of the fledgling new system?