Some Lehigh Valley Transit Pictures

[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.

 

[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]

Deleted as replaced 2nd below

 

[daveklepper]

Hope to get the location information from Richard Allman

[daveklepper]

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

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Richard Allman has corrected on the photo of the Fairview car.  The Fairview Carhose and yard was at the end of thee Fairview Line,  and there was a stretch of single track aside Cumberland Street, as  pictured, on that line.

[daveklepper]

And this photo has been improved, in part by somevwork by Richard Allman:

[daveklepper]

The Fairview line was partly single-track, with its teerminal at the carhouuse and yard of that name.  964 is ex-Williamsport.  The track is along Cumberland Street.

[daveklepper]

And corrected again.

[daveklepper]

Location corrected by Richard Allman

[daveklepper]

Senaca Avenue in Fountain Hill. the sidin on that street:

 

[MidlandMike]

daveklepper

 

Side of road view-looking east on Broadway between Fountain Hill and Gauff’s Hill along Broadway on South Bethlehem-Allentown line.

 

 

Interesting photo.  Road is paved, but it looks like the trolley ROW is dirt.  Lack of sidewalks, with fences up to curb.  Pedestrians would either be dodging cars or trolleys.

[daveklepper]

Liberty Bell car entering Allentown on St. Johns Street and then seen just before turning onto South 8th Street for the run to the 8th & Hamilton store-front station:

South Betlahem Line, 

Side of road view-looking east on Broadway between Fountain Hill and Gauff’s Hill along Broadway on South Bethlehem-Allentown line.

 

Elliot Siding in Fountain Hill at Delaware Street on Allentown-South Bethlehem line, looking northeast.

[daveklepper]

415-looking north on Third Street in Fullerton at Fullerton Jct. Car is inbound from Northampton and about to turn west onto Park Street heading

for 7^th and Hamilton in Allentown. In background is a northbound car heading to Northampton. The fantrip was probably ready to head north following the distant car, once the southbound car made the siding

417-northbound Northampton car at Dry Run Siding in Northampton with Dry Run Trestle in the background

[daveklepper]

Dry Run Bridge, between Northampton and Catasauqua.  400 is southbound, returning to Allentown

 

[daveklepper]

Captions have been corrected, and I hope to post some more pictures in the nest few days.  I apologize that  corrections were needed.

[daveklepper]

400  American   1926   Wisconsin Pblic Service to 1938

End of the line in Northampton on Main Street at 21st Street

 

 

 

AboveL  Inbound on Greenawalts line-  Where it turned from Roth Avenue onto Albrights Avenue

 

 

 

End of the Line at Greenawalts

 

Three photos, Fullerton Junction at Park and 4th Streets, Fllertom

 

 

 

 

 927   Brill   purchased  new

3rd Street NB in Fullerton.  3rd St. was an extension of Allentown's Fullerton Ave., which bitself was an extebnsionb of Front Street/

 

 410  Kuhlman  1923       Ohio Electric Railway  to 1923

Inbound @ Bridge Street Siding in West Catasaqua on Northampton line.

Credits:  Richard Allman supplied all location and car-builder data.  John Stern chose most of my photo locations and the rides in his car to-and-from Allentown that made the ERA, 1948, age 16, affordable for me.

[daveklepper]

Sweeper A10 in front of the Souderton carhouse, and 812 again on that fan-trip in a typical location.

[daveklepper]

812 on a fan btrip on e short street-runnubg single-track in Sauderton to the sauderton car-house.   Again, Richard Allman provided the location:

[daveklepper]

A deeply shadowed northbound Liberty Bell car at Marshall Siding, Noirristown, where LVT and P&W crews xchanged.  The Reading Norristown comuter-line terminal is in the right backround.  RIchard  Allman provided the location.

[daveklepper]

Unless otherwise specified, photos are in Allrentown on local streetcar lines.

1100, rear, turning from Wasington ton 6th Street:

Probably on N. 10th Street:

 

[daveklepper]

Unusual view at School Siding, Center Valley:

Monestary Siding, Lanarch:

North Sixth Street, southbound:

 

 

 

 

[daveklepper]

Back to regular service, leaving Quaker siding and entering Quakertown, with the station behind my back: