Lehigh Valley Railroad

The Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV) was an American railway company in the northeastern United States. Office of the company was Bethlehem (Pennsylvania). The 2,000 km route network was located in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. The most important was transported anthracite coal from the Appalachian Mountains.

  • 3.1 steam locomotives
  • 3.2 diesel locomotives

Route network

The network consisted roughly of a compound of Buffalo via Geneva, Ithaca, Sayre, Wilkes -Barre, Jim Thorpe (formerly Mauch Chunk ), Allentown to Jersey City and Perth Amboy. In addition, there were some side routes, among other things according to Fair Haven on Lake Ontario, Camden (New York) and Pottsville.

History

In order not to depend solely on the transportation of anthracite coal from Mauch Chunk have a built in the 1820s channel, takes place in 1846, the establishment of the " Delware, Lehigh, Schuylkill & Susquehanna Railroad ." Construction began in 1851, but only after the entry of Asa Packer as a financier and organizer of significant progress in the construction were obtained. 1855 was the opening of the line Easton - Mauch Chunk, the railway company known as " Lehigh Valley Railroad " since January 7, 1853 at the Valley of the Lehigh River. In the following years, the company began to develop rapidly. Besides the construction of new lines and existing companies were taken. 1867 the rail connection to Wilkes- Barre was completed. Two years earlier, had been acquired by Asa Packer, the bed of an old canal (North Branch Canal ) in the 1869 as "Pennsylvania & New York Canal and Railroad " (P & NY) a railway line was built to Waverly. There was connecting to the network of the New York and Erie Railroad. Since the Erie Railroad used a broad gauge of 6 feet ( 1828.8 mm), was inserted into the track between Waverly and Buffalo a third rail to avoid the transhipment of goods. In Buffalo, the LV built its own railway station and took a cruise line in operation. From 1888, the P & NY was rented by the LV, later, the company was taken over completely.

After the subsequent in Easton railway lines were purchased from the competitor Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey, the company bought the Morris Canal through New Jersey to its own access to Jersey City to get. 1875 then the distance to Perth Amboy and 1899 to Jersey City was completed. 1876 ​​acquired the Lehigh Valley, the "Geneva, Ithaca & ​​Sayre Railroad " and built from 1890 to 1892 an own route from Geneva to Buffalo. Thus ending the operation over the tracks of the Erie Railroad.

1892/1893 was opened by the owner of the Philadelphia and Reading Archibald A. McLeod an alliance with the Lehigh Valley and other companies. However, as the financiers of Reading JP Morgan and Anthony Drexel gave up their support, the Reading was forced to declare bankruptcy and was leasing the LV be solved at the Reading again. JP Morgan began to support the Lehigh Valley in the subsequent period. With its actions, the profits earned to invest again, instead of pay as a dividend but he came into conflict with the remaining shareholders. In 1902 he therefore had to give back the control of the Company. In the period following large stock shares were from neighboring railway companies (New York Central, the Reading Company, Erie Railroad, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, Central Railroad of New Jersey) bought. Shortly after the line was owned briefly to the railway system from the William H. Moore.

In the 1910s there were several events that influence the company had. So it was 1916 Black Tom explosion and 1917 legislated sale of the shipping lines on the Great Lakes and the investments in anthracite mines and the decline of the anthracite demand. According to the plans of the Interstate Commerce Commission to form larger railway companies in the 20s, the president of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Leonor F. Loree began to purchase larger blocks of shares. However, since he was not in a dominant majority, he sold the shares back later at the Pennsylvania Railroad, which is now owned 31 % of the company. However, they had no influence over the commercial policy of the Lehigh Valley.

The route network was low in good condition and also the debt, so the railway company was the Great Depression of the 1930s survive relatively well. However, by tax receivables, loans repayments incurred debts to the state of $ 8,000,000. The emerging competition from the construction of highways led to the Lehigh Valley to a decline in passenger and cargo traffic. The company responded by closing of unprofitable branch lines.

In order to create new standards in passenger, received late 1930s to designs by the designer Otto Kuhler locomotives and wagons streamlined fairings. The Second World War brought again an increased volume of transport, but could not stop the long-term development. In 1956, the company wrote off for the last time in the black. In 1959, the total passenger traffic was set up on two trains. The remaining two followed in 1961. However, these measures failed to improve the economic situation. The parent company of the Pennsylvania Railroad bought all the shares still available to receive their existing investment. More savings, in addition to line closures were the dismantling second line tracks as well as the merger of the route with the Central Railroad of New Jersey between Wilkes - Barre and Easton. 1972 took over the LV operating the routes of the CNJ Pennsylvania.

As part of the merger that Penn Central was intended that it should be acquired the Lehigh Valley by the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. However they had no interest. After the Penn Central filed for bankruptcy in 1970, the LV was followed on June 24, 1970 also in the bankruptcy proceedings. On April 1, 1976, the largest part of the route network was taken over by Conrail.

Today, a large part of the acquired by the network of the Conrail Norfolk Southern Railway is operated.

President of the Lehigh Valley Railroad

  • James M. Porter (21 October 1847 - January 1856 )
  • William Longstreth ( January-May 1856)
  • J. Gillingham Fell ( May-August 1862)
  • Asa Packer ( August 1862 - July 1864 )
  • William Longstreth (25 July 1864-1868 )
  • Asa Packer (1868 - May 17, 1879)
  • Charles Hartshorne (1879 - 1882)
  • Harry E. Packer (1882 - January 1884 )
  • Elisha Packer Wilbur ( January 1884 - July 1897 )
  • W. Alfred Walter (July 1897 - December 1902 )
  • Eben B. Thomas ( December 1902 - 1917)
  • Edward E. Loomis ( February 21, 1917 - May 5, 1937)
  • Duncan J. Kerr (May 1937 - April 1939 )
  • R. W. Barrett ( May-August 1939)
  • Albert N. Williams ( August 1939 - July 1941 )
  • Revelle Brown (9 July 1941 - June 1944 )
  • Felix R. Gerard (June 28, 1944 - April 25, 1947 )
  • Cedric A. Major ( April 1947 - April 28, 1960 )
  • C. W. Baker ( April 1960 - June 1960 )
  • Colby M. Chester ( June 1960 - MAY 1962)
  • Allen J. Greenough ( May 23, 1962 - October 1965 )
  • John F. Nash (28 October 1965 - December 1974), from August 12, 1970 as a trustee
  • Robert Halderman (August 12, 1970 - April 1, 1976 ) as trustee

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives

Since the routes of the Lehigh Valley had only on slopes of up to 1.81 percent, the locomotives had to be interpreted as catchy as with other companies.

The LV was known by the introduction of new locomotive types. In 1866, constructed the chief engineer of the acquired in the same year " Lehigh & Mahanoy Railroad " a 1'D - Güterzulokomotive and gave her the name " Consolidation ." This is the default name for locomotives with such a design was born. Later came more locomotives of types 2'd and 1'E it.

After the turn of the century the railway company moved to Lokbaureihen with trailing axles. Since at this time still Camelback locomotives were used, were in the Lehigh Valley is the only society such locomotives with the types 1'C1 ' ( Prairie), 1'D1 ' ( Mikado ) and 2'C1 ' (Pacific ). From 1910, the Camelback construction was abandoned and procured in accordance with the intended uses locomotives. Type locomotives 1'D1 ' for heavy freight trains, 2'C1 ' for people and light freight trains, 2'C for branch lines and D for shunting.

On September 14, 1951 Mikado Series N-4 drove the last regular steam service.

Diesel locomotives

The first diesel locomotives were procured in 1929 as shunting. In 1937 the procurement of further locomotives. 1945, the first locomotives of the EMD FT series were placed.

Besides locomotives from EMD of the series F3A / B, F7A / B, SW1 and SW8 came especially diesel locomotives from ALCO from the series RS2, C420, FA / FB, PA and C628 and Baldwin -Lima ( BLW ) S-12 for use.

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