Some Lehigh Valley Transit Pictures

[daveklepper]

A sequence lof an ex-Cincinnati % Lake Erie Libert Bell car coming off Trout Creek Trestle onto St. John Street, catching up to a (probably South Bethlahem) local car to proce3ed to 8th Steet and then to the 8th & Hamilton on-street station.

The large building on the left in the first photo is, still current, Good Shepherd Home, a distinguished rehabilitation facility.  (Richard Allman)

[daveklepper]

With important help and advice from Richard Allman, two photos  in the previos posting have been improved and the posting so edited.

After the above photos were taken, apparently I had time to go to St. John and 8th Street and photograph 1021 as it was heading to Fairview  Carhouse for the usual betyweenp-trip cleanind and the looping to face the right way for the trip back to 69th Street, Philadelphia.  This was after it discharged its passengers at 6th & Hamilton and then rsn throgh the trailing crossdover there.

And here is an ex-Stuebenville car on the Fairview Line:

Back to the Allentown - Bethlahem via South Bethlahem Line, 922  on New Street at 3rd Street,  Bethlahem, rear view, car heading north on its west-to-east trip.

[daveklepper]

Starting two postings earlier, Richard Allman providesc the following, more complete, captions.   Photo 7 is missing, but will be revived from an earlier posting today.

1. Allentown-bound 1000 series Liberty Bell Limited at west end of trestle over Trout Creek and East Penn branch of Reading at 5^th and St. John Street in Allentown. The buildings on the left are the Good Shepherd Home, now a major rehabi

2. Allentown entrance. Same 1000-series car climbing west on St. John Street. On the left is what was main entrance to Good Shepherd Home. On the right, a porch with a white railing is visible. This was the home of longtime LVT motorman Orville Kulp, and his son, Randolph L. “Randy” Kulp, a longtime leader in the Lehigh Valley Chapter of NRHS, author of the Chapter’s booklets on LVT and its cars, a skilled photographer, and all-around good guy. That stretch of St. John Street was known as Motormen’s Row, because so many of the LVT operators lived there, including Orville Kulp, Charlie Houser, Elwood McElroy, and others. The trackage was used by the Philadelphia Division (Liberty Bell), the South Bethlehem via Fountain Hill line, diverged at Aineyville Juncton, and the Emmaus Division, that left the line at Emmaus Junction, which was the official beginning of the Philadelphia Division. 

 

3. Likely the same Allentown bound 1000 series Liberty Bell Limited from the rear, running north on S. 8^th Street toward Hamilton Street, about to cross the Meyers Bridge, aka S. 8^th Street Bridge, and following a 900-series local car. Most likely on the Fairview-17^th and Hamilton run-previous the Gordon Street line cut back in early 1940’s. Not just a shop movement into service, because that could have followed a Liberty Bell run. David likely got the earlier view, then ran across S. 8^th Street to catch this one. The tracks were in the curb lane.

 

4. This is likely the same car on St. John Street at S. 8^th Street, about to turn right onto S. 8^th Street and the Albertus Meyers Bridge-build for LVT toward the Allentown Terminal at 8^th and Hamilton Streets. I suspect that David in his youth, caught the first 2 views and then ran up St. John Street, camera in hand, and got this view. The car was likely waiting for a Fairview-17^th & Hamilton car to head inbound, so it would not be delayed behind a Liberty Bell car discharging its passengers, The building on the right is the Jefferson Elementary School. Since a bunch of the operators were fans, they might have accommodated David in letting him get into position for his pho

 

5. Back move. A 1000 series Liberty Bell Limited arriving at Fairview car house, either to be turned around for the return run over the line to Norristown and Philadelphia, or to be stored overnight. Turning from Parkway either into the loop or yard-I think the loop, no high-stakes bet.

 

6. One of the ex-Steubenville, East Liverpool, and Beaver Valley cars-LVT 430 series-used in local service on the Liberty Bell line-pretty sure that it is at Fairview, and judging by the shadows, facing north. That said, it could be Souderton Car house, though photos in my collection suggest that it was less built up at Souderton, Some of the 430’s were kept at Souderton for local service to Lansdale and Norristown. But am fairly sure the shadows at Souderton would not have fallen this way. Will keep digging out stuff to attempt to verify-do not want the reputation “occasionally wrong-never in doubt”!

 

7. 964, purchased from Williamport-I think around 1934. This view is inbound from Fairview car house, probably heading for service on the 10^th Street loop. Am fairly certain that is looking northeast on Lehigh Street.   Here's photo No. 7::

8. This is a Bethlehem-bound car on the Allentown-.Bethlehem via Fountain Hill znc South Bethlahem line. Car 922 is on S. New Street and 3^rd Street, Behind the photographer is the hill which is home to Lehigh University. The car would cross the Lehigh River and climb S. New Street to the grand union at Broad Street, turn east, then north again to its destination at Linden Street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[daveklepper]

Liberty Bell 1000-series ex-C&LE car leaving 69th Street on the Philadelphia & Western.  Standby 700-series on the LVT siding in the background.  The overpass is the one I stood on photographing the wyeing operation posted much earlier.  A 1948 photograph.

[daveklepper]

Two more LVT pictures, ex-Dayton & Troy Easton Limited 1100 on a fan-trip and 417 inbound on a regular Northampton run, in Allentown, possibly with the operator in the process of turning thec destination roll-sign for the oubound trip.  Exact locations will be given in a second posting, when I distill the information ":'ve requsted from Richard Allman. 

[daveklepper]

Richard Allman	6:20 PM (11 minutes ago)
to me

 

 

 

The church with the Northampton bound car is at 607 Washington Street-just west of the intersection

of 6th and Washington Streets. The 1100-I THINK it is on Gordon Street westbound and likely on a fantrip,

but will check and if uncertain, forward to Joel-which I will do in any case

[daveklepper]

Previous posts corrected and the photo of 1006 leaving 69th much improvede, thanks in part to Richard Allman.

[daveklepper]

Hope to get the location information from Richard Allman

[daveklepper]

Deleted as replaced 2nd below

 

[daveklepper]

My first use of the LVT & Phil. & Western Norristiown Station was in April 1947, with John Stern & Bill  Watson.  We came from Allentown on an ex-C&LE Liberty Bell (like the one in the picture, coming from 69th St. and headed for Allentown), but then rode a P&W "Bullet" to Ardmore Jc., then transfered below to a Red Arrolw two-car Brill center-door train to 69th, then the Market St. El. for the PRR from 30th St. Sta. to NYC.

Most recent use of that station. no LVT presense, 1995. the Pastorof the Church oh Atonement, Wyomissing, POA (near Lancaster) drove me there after my acoustical consulting visit.  WI welcomed the opportunity tov ride one of the new SEPTA Rt. 100 cars that my friend Russ Jackson helped design.

[daveklepper]

Location data from Richard Allman:  Marshall siding on Markley bStrett, Norristown, where P&W asnd LVT vswapped xcrews.  Northbolund car I(signed correctly), end of Reading RR branch at right.