Joanna Turn on the Reading??

[HVBL]

Can any Reading RR experts explain the meaning of the Joanna Turn?? I believe it to be a coal drag but from where to where? I seem to see it mentioned but never really explained. Thanks!!

Rich

[VaCentralRwy]

Bethlehem Steel's Grace Mine in Joanna supplied iron ore to the steel mill in Bethlehem. Mine was played out by 1985 and the branch from Birdsboro to Joanna was abandoned. This was what was left of the Wilmington and Northern north of Coatesville.

[gmpullman]

This film has some beautiful scenes with the Joanna Turn in it:

Regards, Ed

[dehusman]

The mine was built in 1956 and lasted until 1985.  It made taconite pellets.

[cv_acr]

HVBL

Can any Reading RR experts explain the meaning of the Joanna Turn?? I believe it to be a coal drag but from where to where? I seem to see it mentioned but never really explained. Thanks!!

Rich

I don't know much about the Reading or this specific train, but on most railroads anything named a "Turn" is a train that runs from Point A to B, does work, turns around and heads back to A. The train usually gets its name from point "B". So "Joana Turn" should run from [some nearby major yard/terminal] to Joanna and back.

[dehusman]

It ran from Bethlehem to Joanna and return.  It usually had three 480 series RS3's and carried the ore in 70-90-100 ton hopper cars, later GP40-2's were used on the train.

The Reading Co Tech & Hist Society Bee Line has had several articles on the train.

I model the W&N Branch, which is where Joanna was located (although 50 years before the mine was opened).  The Joanna station was moved the WK&S short line.

[HVBL]

Thanks for the replies. I've seen the video before a few times. The short vid clips  are quite entertaining and informative to watch. I was thinking of modeling a little bit of that run since I am redesigning and restructuring my layout, so the more info I can get, the better off I am.

Rich 

[Overmod]

You have to be careful looking at the Bee Line index.  The Joanna Turn article was issue 1 of 1987; the Grace Mine was covered in a couple of double issues (2002 #3 and 4 and 2004 #1 and 2)

[KemacPrr]

Actually the Grace Mine was not played out . They has only taken about 30% of the ore body when imported taconite became cheaper and that's what closed the plant.

[rrinker]

 And that has to say something, that it was cheaper to get iron ore from South America, put it on a ship to Phildelphia, offload it to a train, and haul it up the Bethlehem Branch to the mill.

                                           --Randy