Ironton Railroad Rail - Trail - Coplay & Whitehall (N. of Allentown), Lehigh Co., PA

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

This is very nice nearby rail-trail that's a bit unusual because the main portion is legitimately a 5.5 mile loop !  All of it is paved except for about a 1/4 mile east and south of the Saylor Cement Museum to the next overhead highway bridge - Chestnut St. on this end.  Here are the links to its official website and "Photos" page - I recommend browsing through all the links, because each seems to have some nugget of history, information, or a nice view, which is not readily evident from just the "links" or the "On the Web" page listings, such as this one:  http://www.usboomers.com/ironton.htm 

"About" page: http://www.irontonrailtrail.org/About%20Ironton%20Rail%20Trail.htm 

Map: http://www.irontonrailtrail.org/IRTmap.htm 

"Photos" page: http://www.irontonrailtrail.org/IRTphotos.htm 

"When the Ironton RR was Still Running" photos page - about 8 of them: http://www.irontonrailtrail.org/IRTRRphotosPg1.htm 

Since I've already started separate threads on the concrete phone booth, and the dispatcher's train sheet and other documents in it, this thread will be devoted to some more general views and especially comments and insights about it from time to time.  The "Photos" page has links to many 'along the way' type photos by others, so I'll try not to duplicate those except where I can add something informative or useful for this audience.

Combination passenger coach-baggage car that was last used by the Ironton Railroad as its Egypt yard office - the unincorporated town of Egypt is just about 1/2 mile north of this location.  Note the truss rods underneath.  It appears that woodpeckers have been after it - esp. on the side of the baggage section to the left - and one of the photo captions elsewhere says that there are bees in it.  The interior is in even worse condition.  It's in the "Whitehall Parkway" portion of the trail, between the "S1' and "S2" designations on the trail map that's linked above. 

 

Former Lehigh & Susquehanna/ Central RR of New Jersey bridge over the Lehigh River, looking south - CNJ was on the left (now NS' Lehigh Line), Ironton RR was on the right, at about these Lat./ Long. coords.: N 40.67450 W 75.48768 .  The Ironton was jointly owned 50-50 by the Lehigh Valley and Reading RRs, and may have also had a direct connection with the Lehigh & New England a little further south on the left of this photo in the Borough of Catasauqua - N 40.65184 W 75.47739 - that would have been direct connections with 4 different Class I's back in that day !  There is talk of extending the trail across this bridge to connect with the Nor-Bath Trail in the Borough of Northampton about a mile off to the left.  Hard to believe this bucolic view is in the midst of a built-up area, with the Lehigh Valley International Airport just about a mile to the left, and Allentown only about 5 miles south in the far background:

 

Same connection about a hundred yards further southwest, and the bridge that carried it over the LV RR (rough ballast stone in the foreground) and the Ironton RR's main line (paved path in the background, where the bike is parked).  Behind and to the left of the camera, this line descended to join the Ironton's main line.  What with the mainline "loop" configuration and track and bridge arrangements such as this one and the L&NE's at-grade crossing of the LVRR main line just a little further south, this area is a model railroad layout track planner's delight - a legitimate prototype for almost anything !  I have lots more close-up and detail photos of this bridge, too: 

 

Finally, another decrepit car, apparently on private property that might have belonged to a now-defunct building supply company.  I have no idea of its provenance or history, though. 

There's also a steel caboose that's been saved and was mounted on a section of track at the southwestern corner of the Whitehall Parkway, along Church St. - see: http://www.irontonrailtrail.org/IRT%20Caboose%20Photos.htm 

Maybe more in a week or so. 

- Paul North. 

 

[rixflix]

Paul,

  It's always puzzled me about rhe Ironton. How B&O/RDG/CNJ and bitter rival PRR/LV  got along to run that road. And then was the Philly to Buffalo Interstate and Black Diamond connection, B&O into Penn Station, and Aldene.

RIX

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