Full Version: abandoned railways around Ashley PA.
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Yesterday Toptrain and I were out walking along the former Ashley Planes and CNJ backtrack. Here are a few pics from our trip.

This is one of the concrete abutments that housed the winches that hauled the cars up the plane.[attachment=17319]
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Some cribbing built out of the side of the roadbed, There are a few spots like this, just not sure what they are for.[attachment=17318]

The planes passed over a bridge here that has now been removed.
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Walking down the inclined plane that was once used to drag railcars up the steep grade of Solomon's gap. There is a lot of this coral like rock piled up. It's odd to see this at over 2,000 feet above sea level, the freight cars must have passed inches away from them. Now trees cover almost all of the old ROW, as it was closed just after the second world war.[attachment=17324]
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There are pits like this in several places along the way where a special truck used to pull the cars up the grade could pass under the waiting cuts of cars.[attachment=17323]

Here is a spot where the planes passed under RT309. The original bridge has been removed and replaced with a new one, but you can still see some of the old stone work off to either side of it. A public road now uses the former ROW.[attachment=17322]

Some more of the concrete works that once housed the machinery that drove the planes.[attachment=17320]
Next to the planes is part of the former CNJ ROW. It is now used by the Reading Blue mountain and Northern. No trains were running that day, it would have been nice to see a few. Just above in a few spots this is another grade, possibly the former LV. [attachment=17329]

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After our trip up and down the planes we headed over to the near by CNJ backtrack that was used to get around the planes. The Central had rebuilt a group of heavy Mikado's with extra weight and special breaking equipment to handle trains over the steep grades that were part of this way out of Ashley. For over 100 years the planes were the only way out of this mountainous area. The CNJ had contemplated getting some modern Challengers and Northerns for this section of rail, but the advent of Dynamic braking proved to be the better way to go.
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Here is a spot that was used in a CNJ produced movie called The Big Little Railroad that follows a coal train from the Huber breaker in Ashley to the coal piers in Jersey city.
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You can find chunks of anthracite coal all along the way here. I have the tip of my size 10 shoe in this shot for scale.[attachment=17325]
At the bottom of the back track near the breaker there are a few signs of the old days of railroading like this.[attachment=17334]

Where the Breaker once stood till about a week ago, there is a memorial to the workers of the anthracite mines.[attachment=17333]
It shows the breaker complex as it once was, now only the boiler house stands, next to a pile of scrap that was the main breaker building.
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This old mine car was removed from the breaker before it was torn down and now sets next to the memorial.[attachment=17330]
Very nice trip E-paw. It is almost like I was there.
POP !
Oh , but yet you were,,,,, See I have the photographic proof.[attachment=17379]
e-paw Wrote:At the bottom of the back track near the breaker there are a few signs of the old days of railroading like this.
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I see that there's also one of those buildings that modelrailroaders come up with to fill that awkward space.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, the Bear. Smile
e-paw Wrote:Oh , but yet you were,,,,, See I have the photographic proof.[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

My Boy ! I might have forgotten. That is one handsome guy. Got that cool look.
pop
Can't walk anywhere in my part of Colorado without tripping over both remains of past railroads, abandoned lines, and active rails. When I drive to town I'm following an old rail grade part of the way. Another reason why I love this place so much.