Nostalgia & History > RDG Alco C424 Bethlehem Branch

Several views of the Reading Alco C424's on the Bethlehem Branch in the 1970's

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Great look back!

JG

Like the picture.

And the little VWs. I owned a '65.

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Photo three is my favorite. That ALCO C-424 on the point makes it even better!
Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/23 08:52 by refarkas.

#2 gets a wave back to the fireman from me.  Great scene!

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

Three nice ones!  Great pespectives and little extras.

Bob

Again, RDG630, fascinating and intriguing. In photo #1,
I'm wondering if the crew is delivering coal to the long-gone Lansdale
steam(power?) plant?  Station was across the tracks to the right.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/23 11:09 by CPMorris.

Happy to see #3 from the 'famous' Lansdale apartment balcony!
jb

No, once and a while light engines from a returning ore assignment pick up cars from Lansdale to take to Philadelphia

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Wow! Mountain Valley Spring Water. They would receive small tank cars from, I believe West Virginia loaded with fresh spring water. They bottled and distributed it from there. When Lansdale had their Cenentennial they painted the rails on the spring water siding silver and parked a New Hope and Ivyland steamer there for display.
The Lansdale Power Plant! I had a neighbor that got his first job out of high scholl there. He told me they would receive hoppers of coal and in winter they would be frozen and wouldn't unload. They sent him up on the top of the coal and had him poking at it with a big steel bar to break it loose. He said when it did the coal, the steel bar and all went down through the hopper into the coal pile. Lucky man to receive a few bumps and bruises. When the plant closed down it was said they solde the generator it to a Canadian paper mill. The power was replaced by Philadelphia Electric who attempted to gouge the boruogh for power. A deal was struck to buy power from PP&L electric in Allentown. That required a new power line and substation to deliver the power. The transformer for the substation was delivered by rail on a depressed center flat via the Stony Creek Branch. One of the last, if not the very last rail shipment on the Stony Creek for a couple decades before Conrail restored it to allow high cars to be delivered to Lansdale.
 So many changes over the decades.
Thanks for the memories.
Gonut
 

The water came from Hot Springs Arkansas

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