CONRAIL
This page will cover the area in and around the Lehigh Valley, starting at Easton, PA and working west to Allentown, PA. There were numerous railroads operating in this area in years gone by, but everything fell into Conrail on April 1, 1976.
6026 crosses the old Jersey Central bridge over the Delaware River from
Phillipsburg, NJ into Easton, PA. The old Lehigh Valley bridge just to the
right was closed due to structural problems and Conrail shifted the main over to
the parallel CNJ bridge. 2-11-90.
Turning around to look west, I am standing on what was the former Lehigh Valley
main. The bridge in the distance is the former Jersey Central main in
Easton. The train is on the new track placed to swing from the former CNJ
bridge over the Delaware River back over to the LV main.
1920 leads the local from Washington, NJ back to Allentown. This view
looks east and I am standing on the remains of the CNJ mainline.
Just about the same location only looking west. The train is using the
track leading to the old westbound CNJ main track to cross the river
bridge. The new Conrail main over the river was the old CNJ eastbound main
track.
GP38 8109 leads a westbound passing the remains of the LV passenger station
platforms.
5086 leads a westbound piggy-back train.
Just beyond the river bridge lies the former Lehigh Valley passenger station for
Easton. Conrail removed the canopy for clearance purposes. This
train is heading east on what was once the westbound LV main.
Both of these trains are westbound passing the tower at Easton. Easton
tower was closed when Conrail consolidated their dispatching at
Harrisburg. What was once a favorite railfan hangout was torn down a few
years ago.
GP38 8168 with two switchers work hard to move symbol freight ENSE east.
10-29-89.
Another eastbound shown here passing the site of the LV dining car department
building and the branch for the now abandoned Easton and Northern branch.
After ducking under the Easton & Northern branch bridge the tracks pass the
very old Easton roundhouse. It housed the Conrail maintenance crews.
Big 6008 rolls Mail-9 around the curve passing the roundhouse in 1992.
Westbound 6136 passes the area of the famed chained bridge west of Easton.
A westbound passes the site of the old Richards yard.
Former Penn Central GP38 7992 leads two former Reading U30C's heading east at
the west end of Richards yard in Nov.1976.
GP40 3279 heads west at Readington, PA.
Two eastbounds at the rather impressive sounding location of Steel City,
PA. Actually nothing more than a few houses along the railroad and the
Lehigh River.
SD40 6404 waits for a signal at South Bethlehem. The Bethlehem Steel plant
was still hanging in on this 1980 date. Despite its massive size, the
plant is largely gone today.
Working alongside the main, some Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England
switchers work the mill. An impressive name for the steel plant railroad.
A set of power passes the site of the Bethlehem passenger station and the
Hill-to-Hill bridge.
GP40 3287 leads an eastbound out of Allentown yard and across the river over to
the LV side. For those not familiar with the area, the LV was on the south
side of the river (geographically ) and the CNJ was on the north side. The
large yard at Allentown was a CNJ facility. The LV had a yard on their
side and Conrail rebuilt it into a piggyback terminal. The Reading came up
from Philadelphia via Quarkertown from the south and they had a large yard
adjacent to the Bethlehem Steel plant in South Bethlehem. The point where
the Reading and LV met is where the passenger station is located ( yes, it is
still there ). The Reading crossed the LV and then the river to reach the
CNJ. A connector was built around 1965 to allow LV trains access to the
CNJ Allentown yard in order to eliminate some excess trackage. Under
Conrail, the LV main came in from Easton and any train not needing to stop at
Allentown used the LV side to reach C.P. BURN ( more on there later ).
Trains heading for Allentown used that connector to cross the river to enter the
yard. The CNJ main from Phillipsburg, NJ to Bethlehem had been abandoned
back in 1972.
A pair of SD35's have come over from the Bethlehem engine terminal to assist a
heavy ore train to the Bethlehem Steel plant. This location is under the
Hill-to-Hill bridge and below the former Lehigh Valley Railroad office building.
A
train enroute to the steel plant passes through the South Bethlehem area on the
old Reading line. The two GP35's are from the Reading (3656) and the
Pennsylvania. First photo courtesy of Gary Madden.
New SD50 6790 brings an ore train ( or tries to ) in Saucon yard. It
stalled right here under the Lynn Ave. overpass.
A pair of shiny new GE units head into the yard to pick up a train.
SD40 6361work hard to pull a train out of the yard on what was the westbound
main.
Here is the same area in September of 2005. The steel plant is all but
shutdown and the yard is nothing but a storage yard. The main line has
been pulled up. What a shame.
This train is at what is the end of the active track at Hellertown. This
was the Reading North Penn line to Philadelphia via Quakertown and
Lansdale. Passenger service ended in 1982. Conrail elected not to
use it due to the commuter trains below Lansdale. To view this line in
Reading days while
it was still active, click
here.
"JU" tower was a CNJ tower located where the bridge bringing the
Reading over from South Bethlehem met the CNJ main. Also, a Lehigh and New
England branch came in from the north here. There was a modest interchange
yard here at one time for the L&NE. Today the yard area is occupied by
condominiums and the tower is long gone. The GP38 train is westbound
coming in from Oak Island while the four GP30's are heading east probably to the
steel plant.
Back in May 1976, several former Erie-Lackawanna SD45's were assigned to the
"Star", a Harrisburg-Bethlehem Steel train operated by the
Reading. Since Conrail shutdown the EL main as a through route, these
units found new assignments. 3638 is in the Bi-Centennial colors.
SD40 6412 is westbound enroute into Allentown yard.
Another westbound has two GP9's in the consist.
"STEEL" tower was about 1/2 mile west of JU and controlled the very
east end of the yard including tracks leading into the engine terminal. It
is no longer standing despite its modern look.
Two eastbound trains wait at the east end of the yard.
Three SD45's sit at the Bethlehem engine terminal in 1976.
A few views of units in the terminal from the late 1970's to early 80's.
9998 is a rebuilt Alco RS3. It had an engine from a retired E8 put in to
replace the Alco 244 engine. A few units were done, but they didn't last
very long.
Switchers parked on the turntable fan for the weekend.
This former New York Central ( no dynamic brakes ) GP35 may not have survived
this accident.
A few odds and ends.
A Cotton Belt/SP SD45 pays a visit.
Units generally assigned to the yard were parked near the entrance to the
terminal.
By October 1990, all diesels were serviced at Harrisburg or elsewhere and
Bethlehem was closed. Other than the newer office building, everything
else was
demolished. Today maintenance equipment is stored in this area.
There are six tracks that run along the river between Bethlehem and the east end
of the Allentown yard. Most are yard leads or leads for the hump, while
the track closest to the river is the run through track.
Views of the hump area.
A road runs along the edge of the yard providing a good view. 
An old PRR combine by the car shops.
Here is a view almost never seen. At about 1000' up from a Cessna leaving
the airport. A close friend of my father is a retired American Airlines
pilot and has his own plane. A trip to the area for a train show allowed
this opportunity.
After the Bethlehem engine terminal closed, all diesels were simply parked along
the west end of the yard near the new yard office. Both NS and CSX units
visited on a regular basis long before the Conrail takeover date.
Jumping back several years to 1977, a set of former Penn Central units arrives
at the west end of the yard off the former Reading main.
This view taken in 1979 shows the new re-alignment of the west end of the
yard. With more emphasis on trains to/from Reading vs. the old Lehigh
Valley (nee-CNJ) main, one can see the more direct track alignment here looking
west toward Reading. R tower is living on very borrowed time.