Does anyone have plans or measurements for the LV station at Easton PA? Especially the elevator structures. Was there also a staircase enclosure as well? I’m planning on using Suydam station ‘umbrella’ supports for most of the structure, but it’s difficult to try and conjure the measurements for the elevators from the pictures I have (using bricks and then computing approximate values).
Thanks
Closest thing I can find that might have measured drawings is the NPS survey from 1974 (which you already probably know about). It is possible that the government or an academic architecture department has made measured drawings, but that may not extend to interior construction.
I have no idea where the original LV drawings might be kept now, but I’d suspect the Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society (lvrrhs.org) would know – the problem being that access to the actual material will likely be constrained or impossible while the pandemic situation persists.
Anthracite Railroads Historical Society may also have info. anthraciterailroads.org
It’s been modeled on the Lehigh & Keystone Valley club layout.
–Randy
I found one decent photo at the Library of Congress site but it should be helpful for your modeling resources:
LVRR_Easton-Pa by Edmund, on Flickr
Usually HAER has a pretty decent collection of history, drawings and photos of the subject matter. In this case it is only the one photo. Perhaps the rest of the study hasn’t been digitized?
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=easton&co=hh
Good Luck, Ed
Ed,
Thanks - this was the photo I was using for my brick counting effort. Computing the width wasn’t too hard, give or take some fudging due to the angled offset of the photo, but the length was stumping me.
Not sure if you’ve seen these photos…
https://www.west2k.com/papix/easton.jpg
…and I see that the are still foundations (?) on Google maps that may assist with establishing an approximate length.
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]
From half-way 'round the world, Bear hits a home run!
Cheers, Ed
It’s like old home day - I grew up there. Though far more striking in my mind was the old CNJ station which some scumbag vandals set on fire and burned to the ground.
–Randy
Probably more like a bunt to first, Ed.[(-D]
It took me a while to get my head around what I was supposed to be looking at. After finding the proper location on Google Maps, and looking looking at the vertical view, I then went to street view and completely confused myself, wondering if I was in the right location! It wasn’t until I found the photos I linked too, that I realised that the station had a complete level below track level.
Which of course, makes it interesting IMO, so I rather presume that the OP is away ahead of the ball game regarding the station’s layout.
Which of course, beggars the question as to why a young Mr Rinker, didn’t hop on his bicycle and take a portfolio of useful snaps on his trusty Box Brownie, whilst taking a wander with a surveyors measuring wheel and notebook?? [:-^] [;)]
There are actually a few videos on YouTube of Easton, (from snippets the CNJ station does look rather striking,
Thanks all. I’ve seen the video too. Working from my ‘brick counting’ idea (bricks are 8" long) gives me a large door opening of 6’8", and the side piers would be about 2’, giiving an overall width of the towers of 10’ 8" (more or less). from the full frontal picture, assuming the door is 30" wide, it would tend to confirm that the overall width was around 10’.
It looks like the platform width on either side of the tower would be about 5’, for a total platform width of 20’ 8" (again, more or less). The length of these towers seems to be slightly longer than their width, allowing for two evenly spaced windows on both the upper and lower sections.
The ‘more or less’ approach works for me, since I’m less of a rivet counter and subscribe to the Impressionist school - if it looks right, then by golly, it IS right.
BTW - West Island refers to Long Island, New York, USA and is the name of our club - The West Island Model Rialroad Club. Check out our website to see what we’ve been doing.
Again, thanks to all for your contributions.
Anybody tried Historic Aerials?
The 1955 aerial photo appears to have a coal train going by. One might be able to use the length of a 55 ton twin hopper to estimate the length of the platforma and canopy.
This just got posted to the Easton PA group on Facebook today (Facebook link, so if you don;t have Facebook, you won;t be able to see it)
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=765664204331230&set=gm.3833541099999222
60’ (I think) Railbox boxcar hanging over the side after a derailment in 1979 (which neither I nor another local can recall - but that year also had a HUGE snow storm (20+"), might have even been that same night - notice it is snowing in the pic). Also people in the photo for scale as well.
–Randy
And yet more - short film transfer of two young ladies waiting for the train in 1936.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxZh1kSZ0mM
–Randy
One of the details I spotted was the “Redcap” at 0:23. Now I’m wondering if this clip has been colorized? When I freeze the frame I can distinctly see the red coloring in his cap. Some of the scenes seem to have just a hint of coloration?
Or is my brain playing tricks?
Must have been a pretty busy place to warrant having a redcap on duty.
Cheers, Ed
I don’t think it was colorized. It may well have been filmed with color film, but in the shadows of the platform, it doesn’t show well - there’s a part where one of the women is in direct sunlight and you can see her dress in green. It’s an over 80 year old piece of film, and it fades with time. There are other known to be filmed in color transfers of the local area that are as faded and appear more B&W than color but occasional glimpses of color can be seen.
–Randy
