Hey Kevin there is a TH-camr name jp videos he's been in that area and idk if you know but down the tracks a bit there's an old LV phone booth in the canal bed and on the other side of the bridge towards packerton yard there is one phone booth still standing but great videos be safe out there from the snow and keep up the great work😊
Hey Tyler. I have seen the JP video of this area. It was really good. My wife and I were up here about a year and a half ago and we went through the tunnel. It’s pretty cool. I also saw the phone booth in the canal. Those things pop up in the strangest places sometimes.
@@kevinsalsbury2118hey Kevin thank you for the response I wasn't sure if anyone can see them especially it being covered in trees and weeds and they do end up in weird places lol, but from what ik Conrail actually threw the booth down the canal, but anyways great video of the canal and the mystery tunnel and the Lehigh valley railroad main line, can't wait for the next adventure to be, keep up with great videos and keep history alive😊😊
Tunnel looks like it may have diverted water away from the canal. Canals had some strange plumbing to supply, and carry away, or divert water. I was watching a video of canals in the UK, and one had diversionary/supply conduit (tunnel) several miles long!
I was just on the stretch of the main line between the Coplay Kilns and Cementon. There are a few structures in that stretch that I found interesting. The first is right at the kilns and looks like a drainage tunnel. The second is up river further and is like a big wall with small arched openings at the ground level. Walking along the Lehigh River is quite a lot of fun!! Thanks for taking us along!
Good morning Charlie. That is a great location. That drainage tunnel goes a long way under ground I think. I like that stretch you were on. You said you made it up to Cementon. Did you notice that they are doing bridge work up there. Are they ripping out the old one?
@@kevinsalsbury2118 Yeah, that's why I was walking up the RR bed. I wanted to photograph the bridge work. They have some concrete beams in place on the Northampton side of the river. I took some photos there Friday. They were pouring concrete for a second pier. They aren't removing the old bridge until the new one is completed.
Kevin, In all of your videos, it just amazes me that most of the abutments, tunnel portals, and bridge piers are what I consider fantastic stone work. There must have been a small army employed by each railroad to mine, cut, size, haul, and erect such facilities. Also consider the amount of stone produced. It’s mind boggling. BTW, your videos are spot on. If ever you’re in doubt about anything concerning the local railroads, there are plenty of knowledgeable people to help you. Keep up the great railroad history.
Thank you so much. I have wondered if the different railroads shared labor or was there just that many incredible stone masons back then. I just feel like there can’t be that many people around today that could build with stone the way folks did before concrete took over. I never get tired of looking at piles of stones in the woods lol.
Was just rewatching JPM video "Lehigh Valley Railroad Vol. 1" Couldn't really tell but it did look like there was a siding on the side that the R&N own. There's also a quick black & white clip of the HAZELTON local & I swear it looks like it passing what appears to be a conveyor or shoot of some kind coming out of the tunnel over the canal. Just can't really tell though if it's that or the rocks of the retaining wall playing tricks on me
Good morning. So upon reading this I immediately went to the video you’re talking about and there is a great clip of a train crossing the same bridge. In back of the train I definitely see coal cars parked in the area I was looking at. I just can’t tell if they are on the tracks that Reading and Northern own or if they’re in a siding. This is a fun mystery.
I'm my humble opinion, railroad stone masons were almost, if not actual artisans. Physically demanding work, but knowing that you're creating something that will, large & part, withstand the 'test of time' & be admired for generations must be a very satisfying feeling. 🚂 😊👍
Good evening Patricia. I have heard a couple different theories but yours is the best. I can absolutely see how this is a possibility and that would be so interesting. I never think outside the box with the canal but of course they would need a place to house mules. How neat to think that this may have been one of those locations. Good stuff and thank you!
Amazing stone work. And riveting on that bridge. I just try to imagine what equipment they used to place those stone wich had to be quarried and cut and transported there 159 yrs ago..crazy
This spring, if ya want, I can take you on buggy ride around locust gap and show ya killer mining ruins and modern draglines too. And yes. There's rr history there too..lol
The tunnel seems like it would be either a drainage culvert or a way for train operators to pass under a parked train when switching was being done for parking cars off to that side area you pointed out?
This one is a head scratcher at the moment. I just found a clip of a train crossing the same bridge. This was probably from the 50s but there were definitely coal cars sitting where I thought they were possibly parking them. This looks like it may have been a really busy location once so the need for a safe way to move around the tracks may have required this tunnel.
Been by that location hundreds of times and never went up on the tracks. I've seen that tunnel and also wondered what it was for. I'm not sure either. I live up the mountain from there and am frequently on the trail on my gravel bike, so very familiar with every inch of that area...and it amazes me the new stuff you find year over year.
Good morning Christine. You are absolutely correct. I have logged quite a few miles on the D&L and I’m constantly finding new things that I’ve missed before. People sometimes ask me if I get tired of seeing the same thing. As you mentioned though, new stuff from year to year.
Great video! I’m slowly working my way south on the D&L 😂 I just posted a Glen Onoko video. May have a part 2 of the Glen access area. I was actually thinking of skipping the section you posted today. I didn’t really remember seeing much in the summers I’ve ridden through there. Glad you posted this! I may need to go through that tunnel 😂
Just watched your video and really enjoyed it. Please don’t skip the next section. There is so much to see this time of year. I went through that tunnel about a year and a half ago. It’s pretty sweet!
Being a local I've been through the canal area plenty of times even before the D&L trail. I never knew what that tunnel was for but it was cool to see. Hope you made it home before the snow got bad!
That may have been a water bypass, remember you had to climb uphill from the river to get to the foot of the canal. Their also would have been water above the foot of the canal to keep the boats afloat.
You are a brave guy to railfan in the snow storm! As far as I know, the L & S loaded canal boats at Coalport which is across the river from Jim Thorpe or somewhere around there. Through the canal, that gave them access to the Philadelphia market. I think that the canal to Easton and down the Delaware hung on until maybe 1930??? The tunnel looks like some sort of a drainage culvert. Or was it to walk the mules through? The canal boats were hauled by mules. Just like it doesn’t take much to pull a rowboat across a pond on a calm day, you didn’t need much power to pull the canal boats. It’s the same principle as hauling iron ore from Duluth down through the lakes to the PRR’s trans load facility in Erie, PA. It’s always cheaper to ship by water. I wish the website (website, not TH-cam) were still up where the guy traced the CNJ from Jersey City to Ashley with historic photos. He had it programmed so the “City of New Orleans” tune played in the background. The website just vanished one day. There were pictures on the website of him as a GI in Vietnam so maybe he passed away. A shame.
Good evening Bob. The snow wasn’t to bad at this point in the day. I timed it pretty good. The heavy stuff started well after I returned home. I’m in agreement with you. The tunnel appears to be too small for mules and the tow path sits at a much lower elevation. It realy is a strange set up. Maybe when the Lehigh Valley was being built they needed a man way that didn’t interfere with the daily operations of the canal?
I like that theory Patrick. I can’t figure it out myself. I was thinking that it was perhaps a man way to help with the construction of the bridge while keeping the men away from the daily operations of the canal?
@ one day we should meet up on that trail ! I want to meet people who share the same passion I have! Walk the trails and learn more but til then I watch all your guys videos and I learn more ! I used to have a mountain house in locust lakes yep near the old Wilkes barre eastern railroad haunting ground
I saw that too! It would seem odd that a mile marker would be there however this had to have been constructed by the Valley. It runs under their railroad so I’m assuming they built it. Good eye Shawn but I don’t know what it means.
Shawn, don’t know if you will see this but I was informed that the mark on the tunnel is the flood stage from 1955. That is absolutely incredible to think the river was that high!
Hey Gregg. Sorry sir, I did receive the pictures and they are awesome! I’m a little spacey with my email replies. I really want to get on the Jersey side and do some exploring.
I don’t think it would have been wide enough for a cart. Depending on how tall it was originally it may have been for people but that’s what the tow path was for so I’m kind of confused on this one.
@@kevinsalsbury2118 I have some further thoughts. The towpath that you point out in your video lies between the canal and the river, but, from what I see by looking at many vintage postcards, canals often had towpaths on both sides. (Having two different towpaths, of course, would facilitate barges passing other barges going in the opposite direction.) Thus, I wonder if the tunnel is intended for humans and horses/mules on a different towpath from the one that has been preserved. Of course, for the short distance that the barge doesn't have the advantage of a towpath, it would have been propelled by some other means, such as poling. Just a guess.
I like where you’re going with this. Maybe someone at the historical society can help out with this one. We will get to the bottom of this one way or another.
@@kevinsalsbury2118 I found this old drawing of the canal and railroad in Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe): www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.19642/ The drawing shows that I was wrong about there being a second towpath, but there definitely WAS a path of some sort between the canal and the railroad.
The tunnel was most likely used for the canal as a spillway. A lot of canals have spillways to divert the water during the lifting of barges or ships.
I was wondering about the letter and numbers over the tunnel
Good morning Kenny. Those numbers and letters are a mystery to me. It’s definitely not random graffiti though. It must have a meaning.
@kevinsalsbury2118 I agree with you
It’s a flood marker. LH is for Lehigh. The big 55 Flood.
@samanthab1923 thank you for updating this
@ No problem. We live along the river in Bucks. You see those measurements around.
Hey Kevin there is a TH-camr name jp videos he's been in that area and idk if you know but down the tracks a bit there's an old LV phone booth in the canal bed and on the other side of the bridge towards packerton yard there is one phone booth still standing but great videos be safe out there from the snow and keep up the great work😊
Hey Tyler. I have seen the JP video of this area. It was really good. My wife and I were up here about a year and a half ago and we went through the tunnel. It’s pretty cool. I also saw the phone booth in the canal. Those things pop up in the strangest places sometimes.
@@kevinsalsbury2118hey Kevin thank you for the response I wasn't sure if anyone can see them especially it being covered in trees and weeds and they do end up in weird places lol, but from what ik Conrail actually threw the booth down the canal, but anyways great video of the canal and the mystery tunnel and the Lehigh valley railroad main line, can't wait for the next adventure to be, keep up with great videos and keep history alive😊😊
Tunnel looks like it may have diverted water away from the canal. Canals had some strange plumbing to supply, and carry away, or divert water.
I was watching a video of canals in the UK, and one had diversionary/supply conduit (tunnel) several miles long!
I was just on the stretch of the main line between the Coplay Kilns and Cementon. There are a few structures in that stretch that I found interesting. The first is right at the kilns and looks like a drainage tunnel. The second is up river further and is like a big wall with small arched openings at the ground level. Walking along the Lehigh River is quite a lot of fun!! Thanks for taking us along!
Good morning Charlie. That is a great location. That drainage tunnel goes a long way under ground I think. I like that stretch you were on. You said you made it up to Cementon. Did you notice that they are doing bridge work up there. Are they ripping out the old one?
@@kevinsalsbury2118 Yeah, that's why I was walking up the RR bed. I wanted to photograph the bridge work. They have some concrete beams in place on the Northampton side of the river. I took some photos there Friday. They were pouring concrete for a second pier. They aren't removing the old bridge until the new one is completed.
That’s a shame they are taking that out. I’m going to steal your idea and go snap some pictures of the process. Good stuff Charlie!
@ Yeah, that new one won't have the same character. I have some older pics and will be posting some from Friday on my IG
Kevin,
In all of your videos, it just amazes me that most of the abutments, tunnel portals, and bridge piers are what I consider fantastic stone work. There must have been a small army employed by each railroad to mine, cut, size, haul, and erect such facilities. Also consider the amount of stone produced. It’s mind boggling. BTW, your videos are spot on. If ever you’re in doubt about anything concerning the local railroads, there are plenty of knowledgeable people to help you. Keep up the great railroad history.
Thank you so much. I have wondered if the different railroads shared labor or was there just that many incredible stone masons back then. I just feel like there can’t be that many people around today that could build with stone the way folks did before concrete took over. I never get tired of looking at piles of stones in the woods lol.
Was just rewatching JPM video "Lehigh Valley Railroad Vol. 1" Couldn't really tell but it did look like there was a siding on the side that the R&N own. There's also a quick black & white clip of the HAZELTON local & I swear it looks like it passing what appears to be a conveyor or shoot of some kind coming out of the tunnel over the canal. Just can't really tell though if it's that or the rocks of the retaining wall playing tricks on me
Good morning. So upon reading this I immediately went to the video you’re talking about and there is a great clip of a train crossing the same bridge. In back of the train I definitely see coal cars parked in the area I was looking at. I just can’t tell if they are on the tracks that Reading and Northern own or if they’re in a siding. This is a fun mystery.
I'm my humble opinion, railroad stone masons were almost, if not actual artisans. Physically demanding work, but knowing that you're creating something that will, large & part, withstand the 'test of time' & be admired for generations must be a very satisfying feeling. 🚂 😊👍
That’s how I feel about this too. It’s like going to an art museum however the art is outside.
@@kevinsalsbury2118 Exactly!
Kevin said, “they use to park trains here look”, that was cool. What a spot.
They must have been doing something there, I just can’t figure out what. Have a great day John.
I'm thinking the aera at the other end of the tunnel had a barn and corral for tow animals .
Good evening Patricia. I have heard a couple different theories but yours is the best. I can absolutely see how this is a possibility and that would be so interesting. I never think outside the box with the canal but of course they would need a place to house mules. How neat to think that this may have been one of those locations. Good stuff and thank you!
Amazing stone work. And riveting on that bridge. I just try to imagine what equipment they used to place those stone wich had to be quarried and cut and transported there 159 yrs ago..crazy
Just the canal work itself is amazing. Then they built a train line over top of it. Man I love this stuff!!
This spring, if ya want, I can take you on buggy ride around locust gap and show ya killer mining ruins and modern draglines too. And yes. There's rr history there too..lol
Hell yes!!
The tunnel seems like it would be either a drainage culvert or a way for train operators to pass under a parked train when switching was being done for parking cars off to that side area you pointed out?
This one is a head scratcher at the moment. I just found a clip of a train crossing the same bridge. This was probably from the 50s but there were definitely coal cars sitting where I thought they were possibly parking them. This looks like it may have been a really busy location once so the need for a safe way to move around the tracks may have required this tunnel.
Can you picture yourself back in time when this was in service
Absolutely!!
Been by that location hundreds of times and never went up on the tracks. I've seen that tunnel and also wondered what it was for. I'm not sure either. I live up the mountain from there and am frequently on the trail on my gravel bike, so very familiar with every inch of that area...and it amazes me the new stuff you find year over year.
Good morning Christine. You are absolutely correct. I have logged quite a few miles on the D&L and I’m constantly finding new things that I’ve missed before. People sometimes ask me if I get tired of seeing the same thing. As you mentioned though, new stuff from year to year.
Thanks for the interesting video! Not even a pending decent snow event, keeps you inside.
Thank you and quite the opposite. The snow keeps most folks inside. Add in the Eagles game and this area of Pennsylvania becomes a ghost town lol.
Very good
Thank you kindly.
That tunnel is a real puzzler. I don’t know what to say it might have been. Nice little walk around, thanks.
Thank you Burton. It just seems to be in a weird place for drainage. Strange.
Enjoyed your inquisitive explore. Thanks for letting us "tag along" with you. Keep up the good work and stay safe out there.
Thank you very much. Thank you for joining me.
Is that near turn hole tunnel. I took street bike all through there this summer. Paradise
Hey Tad. This is about four miles south of turn hole. Maybe a mile south of the Jim Thorpe station.
Great video! I’m slowly working my way south on the D&L 😂 I just posted a Glen Onoko video. May have a part 2 of the Glen access area. I was actually thinking of skipping the section you posted today. I didn’t really remember seeing much in the summers I’ve ridden through there. Glad you posted this! I may need to go through that tunnel
😂
Just watched your video and really enjoyed it. Please don’t skip the next section. There is so much to see this time of year. I went through that tunnel about a year and a half ago. It’s pretty sweet!
Great Video Kevin as always 👍
Thank you Anthony.😊
Very cool thanks!
Absolutely my pleasure!
Being a local I've been through the canal area plenty of times even before the D&L trail. I never knew what that tunnel was for but it was cool to see. Hope you made it home before the snow got bad!
Good morning Clayton. Made it home safely thank you. Thank you for all those great pictures. Would you mind if I share those on the channel?
No problem Kevin feel free to share. I was hoping those pictures were good enough to be helpful.
Not even a snow storm stops you from RR explorations!
No sir! The snow actually helps with seeing things a bit better.
That may have been a water bypass, remember you had to climb uphill from the river to get to the foot of the canal. Their also would have been water above the foot of the canal to keep the boats afloat.
I’m going to check out the historic aerials site and see what I can find out.
You are a brave guy to railfan in the snow storm!
As far as I know, the L & S loaded canal boats at Coalport which is across the river from Jim Thorpe or somewhere around there. Through the canal, that gave them access to the Philadelphia market. I think that the canal to Easton and down the Delaware hung on until maybe 1930???
The tunnel looks like some sort of a drainage culvert. Or was it to walk the mules through? The canal boats were hauled by mules. Just like it doesn’t take much to pull a rowboat across a pond on a calm day, you didn’t need much power to pull the canal boats. It’s the same principle as hauling iron ore from Duluth down through the lakes to the PRR’s trans load facility in Erie, PA. It’s always cheaper to ship by water.
I wish the website (website, not TH-cam) were still up where the guy traced the CNJ from Jersey City to Ashley with historic photos. He had it programmed so the “City of New Orleans” tune played in the background. The website just vanished one day. There were pictures on the website of him as a GI in Vietnam so maybe he passed away. A shame.
Good evening Bob. The snow wasn’t to bad at this point in the day. I timed it pretty good. The heavy stuff started well after I returned home. I’m in agreement with you. The tunnel appears to be too small for mules and the tow path sits at a much lower elevation. It realy is a strange set up. Maybe when the Lehigh Valley was being built they needed a man way that didn’t interfere with the daily operations of the canal?
Neat Stuff - that tunnel may have been a gully/water storage trench for the lock to fill it fast ? Just speculating.
I like that theory Patrick. I can’t figure it out myself. I was thinking that it was perhaps a man way to help with the construction of the bridge while keeping the men away from the daily operations of the canal?
Tunnel may have been used to relocate tow boat animals to another location .
That trail I found my first railroad date nail 1943❤
Still haven’t found a tie nail yet. I need to step up my game lol.
@ one day we should meet up on that trail ! I want to meet people who share the same passion I have! Walk the trails and learn more but til then I watch all your guys videos and I learn more ! I used to have a mountain house in locust lakes yep near the old Wilkes barre eastern railroad haunting ground
I have to think that the marking seen at 6:18 of "LH-121.55" must mean something. Is it relevant to the small tunnel, or is it merely a mile marker?
I saw that too! It would seem odd that a mile marker would be there however this had to have been constructed by the Valley. It runs under their railroad so I’m assuming they built it. Good eye Shawn but I don’t know what it means.
Shawn, don’t know if you will see this but I was informed that the mark on the tunnel is the flood stage from 1955. That is absolutely incredible to think the river was that high!
@@kevinsalsbury2118, wow, what a neat historical discovery! Thank you for following up!
Probably like a sever for water runoff
Not a bad suggestion.
Thanks Kevin.
Thank you Nick!
Great stuff man. Hey, did you get the pictures I sent the other day? Just wanted to make sure I got it right. I'm techno challenged. 😵💫
Hey Gregg. Sorry sir, I did receive the pictures and they are awesome! I’m a little spacey with my email replies. I really want to get on the Jersey side and do some exploring.
@kevinsalsbury2118 , I got more, just got to find them. I hope I can find my car in the morning ❄️☃️
Lol. Just got your email with the new ones.
Coal ,coal and more coal,everything at one time needed coal. Out BH.
Is that tunnel big enough for horse-drawn wagons?
I don’t think it would have been wide enough for a cart. Depending on how tall it was originally it may have been for people but that’s what the tow path was for so I’m kind of confused on this one.
@@kevinsalsbury2118 I have some further thoughts. The towpath that you point out in your video lies between the canal and the river, but, from what I see by looking at many vintage postcards, canals often had towpaths on both sides. (Having two different towpaths, of course, would facilitate barges passing other barges going in the opposite direction.) Thus, I wonder if the tunnel is intended for humans and horses/mules on a different towpath from the one that has been preserved. Of course, for the short distance that the barge doesn't have the advantage of a towpath, it would have been propelled by some other means, such as poling. Just a guess.
I like where you’re going with this. Maybe someone at the historical society can help out with this one. We will get to the bottom of this one way or another.
@@kevinsalsbury2118 I found this old drawing of the canal and railroad in Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe): www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.19642/ The drawing shows that I was wrong about there being a second towpath, but there definitely WAS a path of some sort between the canal and the railroad.
That’s incredible!!!!
Did you say Jim sharp 😂😂😂
It’s possible. I talk with marbles in my mouth a lot.
Turn down your voice 😢it’s making me sick 🤢
Sorry my volume dial is broken. New one should be arriving soon lol