Nostalgia & History > L&HR questions

The Lehigh & Hudson River was a bridge carrier that connected the New Haven and Erie (from Maybrook, NY) to the PRR at Belvidere, NJ, and connected with the CNJ and Lehigh Valley at Easton, PA, using
PRR trackage rights.  It became paret of Conrail in 1976.
Before the Poughkeepsie Bridge fire in 1974, how many thru trains did L&HR operate?  I believe one had an NE3 symbol.  Did the crews go all the way from Maybrook to Easton, or did they change at
Warwick (company hqrs and dispatcher's office)?  In better days did they have solid trains from the Pennsy, CNJ and LV or multiple trains from the New Haven, or was everything always combined into
one train?  They also had some on-line business ?Limestone near Franklin, NJ.  Did the thru train do enroute switching, or just make pickups/setoffs of cars arranged by a local freight?
Did L&HR have any signals?
Thanks!
Andy

They also had business with NJ Zinc in Franklin NJ. The L&HR and DL&W (via the Franklin branch) served the mines there.

Posted from Android

1954 timetable says ABS Belvidere to Maybrook.

http://wx4.org/to/foam/maps/2-Zukas/12/1954-09-26L%26HR162-Zukas.pdf

1st issue of Railfan Magazine;(1974) " the Poughkeepsie bridge is burning", by Bob Mohowski

Among other things, L&HR ran dedicated Zinc ore trains from online Franklin, NJ mines to Palmerton, PA and interchanged there with the Chestnut Ridge Railway that served the huge New Jersey Zinc smelter there.
 I recall reading the Malinosky article when it was first published. It was the death knell of the Lehigh and Hudson River. Not long after that I stopped at the PA Rte 100 crossing in Macungie, PA when the rossing flashers lit up. It was a westbound freight with 5 L&HR ALCOS pulling a long freight with a L&HR caboose on the hind end. Interesting operation while it lasted.
Gonut

Gonut1 Wrote:
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>  I recall reading the Malinosky article when it
> was first published. 
You're confusing 2 different railfans with Polish names...
BOB Mohowski wrote the L&HR article.
BOB Malinoski was a EL employee and a well-known photographer.
 

twropr Wrote:
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> The Lehigh & Hudson River was a bridge carrier
> that connected the New Haven and Erie (from
> Maybrook, NY) to the PRR at Belvidere, NJ, and
> connected with the CNJ and Lehigh Valley at
> Easton, PA, using
> PRR trackage rights.  It became paret of Conrail
> in 1976.
> Before the Poughkeepsie Bridge fire in 1974, how
> many thru trains did L&HR operate?  I believe one
> had an NE3 symbol.  Did the crews go all the way
> from Maybrook to Easton, or did they change at
> Warwick (company hqrs and dispatcher's office)? 
> In better days did they have solid trains from the
> Pennsy, CNJ and LV or multiple trains from the New
> Haven, or was everything always combined into
> one train?  They also had some on-line business
> ?Limestone near Franklin, NJ.  Did the thru train
> do enroute switching, or just make pickups/setoffs
> of cars arranged by a local freight?
> Did L&HR have any signals?
> Thanks!
> Andy

Here's an excerpt from an interesting write-up at the NYOW.org web site discussing Maybrook NY interchange operations in the '50s and '60s:

"...The L&HR ran four round trips in and out of Maybrook. Two of these connected with the DL&W at Port Morris, NJ, via trackage rights of the DL&W from Andover Jet. to Port Morris. This gave the DL&W a connection to the NH, In the l947 NH freight schedule, the Maybrook to Chicago time on the DL&W to Buffalo and the NKP to Chicago was faster than the Erie.    From Boston, either the DL&W/NKP route or the Erie route to Chicago were faster than the routing over the Pennsylvania RR via Bay Ridge/Creenville float service.) The L&HR also ran two round trips to Allentown, PA, using trackage rights on the Belvidere-Delaware branch of the PRR and the Central of New Jersey RR. This was referred to as the "Alphabet Route" to and from the west.    The L&HR interchanged with the PRR at Hudson yard, Phillipsburg, NJ. During most of the existence of the Maybrook line, this interchange was not used as part of any scheduled through freight route. However, after the PC merger, as part of the elimination of the New York float service, a symbol freight service from Maybrook via the L&HR and the Belvidere-Delaware branch from Hudson yard to the former PRR main line at Trenton was established- . Also, the abandonment of the NYO&W, and the later assumption of CNJ operations in Pennsylvania by the LV brought through service to and from the LV into Maybrook via the L&HR, (The NH freight timetable of 15 April 1968 shows both of these route changes)...."

Link to the article:
Coming into Maybrook article

 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> They also had business with NJ Zinc in Franklin
> NJ. The L&HR and DL&W (via the Franklin branch)
> served the mines there.
>
> Posted from Android

The L&HR served several zinc operations in Franklin.  However the big zinc mine was in nearby Ogdensburg, on the NYS&W's Hanford Branch.  After the branch was abandoned in 1958, the L&HR bought 3 miles of it to continue to serve the mine.  This lasted into the early Conrail years.  The mine closed for good in 1985, thus ending Conrail's need to keep the L&HR from there to Belvidere intact.

By the way, the Ogdensburg mine is now the Sterling Hill Mine and Museum, worth the visit for both the history of zinc mining and to view a number of fluorescent rocks—ones that beam bright neon colors under certain types of light.  Several varieties can only be found in this area.

 

njmidland Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They also had business with NJ Zinc in Franklin
> > NJ. The L&HR and DL&W (via the Franklin branch)
> > served the mines there.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> The L&HR served several zinc operations in
> Franklin.  However the big zinc mine was in
> nearby Ogdensburg, on the NYS&W's Hanford
> Branch.  After the branch was abandoned in 1958,
> the L&HR bought 3 miles of it to continue to serve
> the mine.  This lasted into the early Conrail
> years.  The mine closed for good in 1985, thus
> ending Conrail's need to keep the L&HR from there
> to Belvidere intact.
>
> By the way, the Ogdensburg mine is now the
> Sterling Hill Mine and Museum, worth the visit for
> both the history of zinc mining and to view a
> number of fluorescent rocks—ones that beam
> bright neon colors under certain types of light. 
> Several varieties can only be found in this area.
>
>  

The mining museum is a hit with young kids.  Definitely a way to preserve the rugged sometimes brutal past our ancestors forged.