The Lehigh Division is a major freight low grade rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from Lehighton, Pennsylvania to Dupont, Pennsylvania; it originally ran from Lehighton to Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Division was formed in 1993 by Conrail from the Lehigh Line, officially the former main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) that has absorbed former Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) main line trackage and former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S) main line trackage into its system under Conrail; the Lehigh Line today is owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway and connects to the Lehigh Division at Lehighton.
The Lehigh Division currently inherits the Lehigh Line's original trackage and Mountain Cutoff trackage between Lehighton, Pennsylvania and White Haven, Pennsylvania which includes the right track from Lehighton to Penn Haven Junction, also known as Old Penn Haven or M&H Junction, in Lehigh Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania and between Laurel Run, Pennsylvania to Dupont, Pennsylvania, which was from the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Lehigh Line's new trackage between White Haven and Laurel Run that was from the former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad's main line which dates back to acts of legislature in 1837 under the sponsorship of the Pennsylvania Canal Commission.
The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, including its trackage and yards, was leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey from 1876-1976. The Lehigh Division inherited the Lehigh Line's original trackage between Dupont and Mehoopany, Pennsylvania. The majority of the Lehigh Division runs along the upper or Grand division of the historic Lehigh Canal.
Conrail sold the three-year-old Lehigh Division to the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in 1996.
During the 2000s, the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern shortened the line from Mehoopany to Dupont, the tracks from Mehoopany to Dupont are still owned by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern, but it is now called the Susquehanna Branch. The Susquehanna Branch inherited original Lehigh Division trackage from Dupont to Mehoopany which is also Lehigh Line original trackage and Lehigh Line Mountain Cutoff trackage. The Norfolk Southern Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway have trackage rights south of Dupont, Pennsylvania on the Lehigh Division.
The Lehigh Division is one of the two main branch lines of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern, the other is the Reading Division. The combined operations of the Lehigh Division and the Reading Division is labeled “Reading Blue Mountain and Northern main line”.
History
Background The Lehigh Division was formed in 1993 by Conrail and it was once part of the Lehigh Line. The Lehigh Line is officially the former main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad that has absorbed former Central Railroad of New Jersey main line trackage and former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line trackage into its system under Conrail. The Lehigh Line was established in 1855 between Easton, Pennsylvania and Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is the Lehigh Line's original route; the Lehigh Line still has its original route from Easton to Allentown but only retained the majority of its original right of way of its original route which is from Easton to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Line is historically called the Lehigh Valley Mainline and it is now owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway and before that Conrail.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey, which leased the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, and Lehigh Valley Railroad began to work together in 1965 to eliminate redundant trackage in the area.Black Diamonds to Tidewater: CNJ Lehighton to WK Interlocking This end up being the first step towards the reconfiguration of the Lehigh Line with former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line trackage. The Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad were taken over by Conrail and Conrail merged what was left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad main line into the Lehigh Line to replace original Lehigh Line trackage in the area.
Under Conrail, the Lehigh Division inherited the Lehigh Line's original trackage between Lehighton, Pennsylvania and White Haven, Pennsylvania which includes the right track from Lehighton to Penn Haven Junction, also known as Old Penn Haven or M&H Junction, in Lehigh Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania which was from the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Lehigh Line's Mountain Cutoff trackage between Laurel Run, Pennsylvania to Duryea, Pennsylvania, which was also from the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Lehigh Line's new trackage between White Haven and Laurel Run that was from the former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad's main line which dates back to acts of legislature in 1837 under the sponsorship of the Pennsylvania Canal Commission.
Conrail sold the three-year-old Lehigh Division to the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in 1996. During the 2000s, the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad shortened the line from Mehoopany to Dupont. The Lehigh Division's tracks from Mehoopany to Dupont were separated from the Lehigh Division and became a new rail line called the Susquehanna Branch. The Susquehanna Branch inherited original Lehigh Division trackage from Dupont to Mehoopany which is also Lehigh Line original trackage and Mountain Cutoff trackage and it is still owned by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad.
Today, the Norfolk Southern Railway, which owns the Lehigh Line, and the Canadian Pacific Railway has trackage rights on the Lehigh Division south of Dupont, Pennsylvania.
Former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line original trackage The Lehigh Division's Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage which was represented as Lehigh Line original trackage at one time began with the Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company and the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad and later included Lehigh Valley Railroad built trackage.
From Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania to Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania, the Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company opened its line in 1836 and it was a double tracked line. The Beaver Meadow was taken over by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the line from Jim Thorpe to Penn Haven Junction in Lehigh Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania became part of the Lehigh Line; the line from Penn Haven Junction to Beaver Meadows became a branch line and today it is called the Ashmore Secondary, now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway. The Lehigh Division inherited the right track from Jim Thorpe to Penn Haven Junction from the Lehigh Line which included the Lehigh Valley Railroad built right track from Jim Thorpe to Lehighton, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Division inherited the right track from Lehighton to Jim Thorpe from the Lehigh Line including the right track from Jim Thorpe to Penn Haven Junction; the right track was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and opened in 1855.Black Diamonds to Tidewater: A Brief Historical Perspective
From Penn Haven Junction to White Haven, Pennsylvania, the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad opened its line in the early 1860s. The Lehigh Valley Railroad acquired the Penn Haven and White Haven in 1864 and was merged into the Lehigh Line. The Lehigh Division inherited the Penn Haven Junction to White Haven trackage from Lehigh Line.
From Laurel Run, Pennsylvania to Dupont, Pennsylvania, the line was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in November 1888 and it was called the Mountain Cut-Off. The Mountain Cut-Off was absorbed into the Lehigh Line to replace its old trackage from Solomons Gap to Duryea during Conrail. The Mountain Cut-Off was actually built between Solomons Gap, Pennsylvania to Duryea, Pennsylvania. The Cut-Off from Solomons Gap to Laurel Run was abandoned and from Dupont to Duryea, this part of the Cut-Off is now part of the Susquehanna Branch; the Cut-Off part from Dupont to Duryea was part of the Lehigh Division at one time but the Lehigh Division's trackage from Dupont to Mehoopany, Pennsylvania was separated from the Lehigh Division and became the Susquehanna Branch which includes the Cut-Off from Dupont to Duryea.
The tracks passed Dupont to Mehoopany which was once part of the Lehigh Division and before that the Lehigh Line, is now the current day Susquehanna Branch. After a short piece between Duryea and Pittston Junction in Pittston, Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna Branch returns from the Mountain Cut-Off piece that was once part of both the Lehigh Division and the Lehigh Line to the old part of the Lehigh Line which was also part of the Lehigh Division at one time from Pittston Junction to Mehoopany, opened in 1868 as part of the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad.
Former Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line new trackage The Lehigh Division's White Haven, Pennsylvania to Laurel Run, Pennsylvania trackage which was represented as Lehigh Line new trackage at one time was built by the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad. This Lehigh and Susquehanna trackage is combined trackage from what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's first rail line, White Haven to Solomon Gap and what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's backtrack rail line from Solomon Gap to Laurel Run.
The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad opened its first rail line in 1843 from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; the White Haven to Solomon Gap segment is what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's first rail line, now part of the Lehigh Division and originally part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna main line and then the Lehigh Line.
The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad opened the backtrack from Solomon Gap to Ashley, Pennsylvania in 1867; the Solomon Gap to Laurel Run segment is what is left of the Lehigh and Susquehanna's Back-Track, now part of the Lehigh Division and originally part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna main line and then the Lehigh Line.Black Diamonds to Tidewater: CNJ Back-Track
Trackage
Background The Lehigh Division runs from Packerton Yard interchange with the Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, the southern terminus just south of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Gorge to an interchange with the Norfolk Southern Railway Sunbury Line and the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Susquehanna Branch in Dupont, Pennsylvania, the northern terminus.
From the Certain Teed Corporation plant in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania to CPR/NS junction in Dupont, Pennsylvania, the line is double tracked. Throughout the line's route, the Lehigh Division travels along the Lehigh River and shares a small portion of its right of way with the Norfolk Southern Railway Lehigh Line which it was originally part of.
The Lehigh Division is one of the two primary main branch lines of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern, the other is the Reading Division. The Lehigh Division doesn't connect with the Reading Division, but Reading Blue Mountain and Northern operations on both the Lehigh Division and the Reading Division including the Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Nesquehoning Junction connector track and the Susquehanna Branch's Dupont to Duryea Yard, near Pittston, Pennsylvania) trackage, which was once part of the Lehigh Division, is labeled “Reading Blue Mountain and Northern main line”.
Former Lehigh Valley Railroad trackage/former Lehigh Line original trackage between Lehighton and White Haven Lehighton to Penn Haven Junction