Another outstanding poster ad. Anyone for a ride in the parlour car? These railroads sure fell a long way. What a shame.
Great poster! Who wouldn’t want to ride behind an engine that looked like something out of a “Buck Rogers” serial?
Not sure if that’s the “John Wilkes” or the “Asa Packer.”
Anyway, I went looking for some film of the “John Wilkes” and came up with this…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHFNN8HR0WY
I’m not a big Lehigh Valley fan but that DVD looks great! I suppose I’ll be putting it on the shopping list for the next train show I attend.
Thanks Wayne, how about that detouring Erie freight with the matching A-B-B-A set. Plenty of steam and PA’s. Imagine being trackside for a day.
Great additional historical info from Mike on Lehigh Valley
I can imagine being trackside on a busy day there Vince. Pick a good shady spot, have a picnic hamper full of goodies and beverages, have some binoculars and cameras ready, and enjoy the greatest show on earth. For free!
Oh, I caught that Erie ABBA set all right! Sad, now just as extinct as the steamers they replaced. Some might say “Serves 'em right!” but still…
Wayne
Aside from the poster saying ‘John Wilkes’ – the Asa Packer power was semi-streamlined similar to the treatment for the NYO&W Mountaineer. You can see it in the first clip of the referenced Pechulis video.
You’re right Overmod, as I said I wasn’t sure, not being a 'Valley fan.
But if I get that DVD I might just turn into one!
Asa Packer and more about the Lehigh Valley
Not a hockey puck!
From Mike of course
Scroll down for many great pictures.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015006070653;view=1up;seq=7
Great collection of photographs!
If memory serves, I believe the Lehigh Valley was the first to operate the 2-8-0 type of locomotive, and gave it the name “Consolidation” as the locomotive arrived more-or-less concurrently with their consolidation of some smaller 'roads. Needless to say, the name stuck and all 2-8-0’s were called “Consolidations” ever since.
You’d be right. And for still more fun, look at some of the experimental locomotives they were playing with around that time, particularly the Strong designs (including what is probably the world’s first true 4-4-2). You’ll find them in Sinclair as well as some other places…
I had a long post on this which disappeared in the worthless phone software over the weekend.
The initial service ran roughly as follows: Black Diamond was the through train to Buffalo; John Wilkes ran to Wilkes-Barre (basically a slower version of the CNJ Bullet we were discussing earlier); Asa Packer quickly became service to Lehighton (and by connection, Hazleton).
It was interesting to see the Mauch Chunk (which I thought was still firmly called ‘Jim Thorpe’ at the time!) poster, as I’d had no idea promoting that service to that community was considered important; I think it’s akin to the Delta Eagle - the only way for large numbers of people to get to Wilkes-Barre, or New York, or Beth/Phila at that time. Much of this would be increasingly siphoned away by good roads, including Rt. 22 to the south, but it was and is an exciting trip to get into the valley where Mauch Chunk, that glorious vacation spot, is situated.
The thing that definitively killed the LV passenger trains, all of them nearly at once, was the construction of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. (And it should be noted that an observation at the time was that the Turnpike as built had relatively light traffic! – light, but certainly comprising 110% of anyone who would be riding a parallel train, even one operating directly out of Penn Station behind a GG
No dout about it the PA. Turnpike NE extension sounded the death knell for LV passenger service.
As far as the RDC service was concerned the RDC-2 (#41) was sold to the Canadian Pacific in 1958. RDC-1 (#40) ended all passenger service on the LV on February 8, 1961 and later ran in commuter service on the Reading and SEPTA. It was later donated to the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg/
[N] the photos and text above was scanned from a book entitled “Railroads in the Lehigh River Valley”, published by Lehigh Valley Chapter, NRHS. Obviously the University of Michigan cares not for copyright law, hardly surprising given the academic attitude nowadays.
Thanks to the above NRHS chapter, I’ll be riding a train of 3 Reading & Northern RDC’s this Saturday through Mauch Chunk aka Jim Thorpe on a tour of R&N trackage.
This trip kicks off another season of R&N RDC trips to Jim Thorpe every weekend until fall, and 4-6-2 425 will be riding to Jim Thorpe on 7/6.
I’ve only been to Jim Thorpe once, in 2002. I was in the area because I had a ticket on the Rockville Bridge Centennial passenger excursion. I expected to feel the ghosts of the LV there, but it was in the middle of a torrential downpour and all I felt was the dampness… 
If you ever find yourself in Jim Thorpe again when its raining, get yourself over to Molly Maguire’s Pub, just behind the CNJ/Lehigh Gorge Scenic depot.
Have a prime rib sandwich and a beverage(s) of your choice; worked for me!
I’ll have to remember that. I might be in the area again this September.
Savage Tunnel— If you bothered to click on the link at the top of the Leigh Valley comment with the pictures and text you will see that the source is the hathitrust and it is public domain and clearly stated as such.
I clicked it, but an in-print book that’s still being offered for sale by the NRHS chapter should be not in the public domain. You can bet I will be asking chapter officials about this.
The Star … New York /Philly to Buffalo
Just guessing, but looking at the print, composition, and layout style that book seems to have been originally produced some years ago.
I just checked the “hathi” link, that book’s an revised edition from 1962, the original was first printed in 1956. In addition, it looks like it was converted to microfilm (Remember that? I do.) at some point. They probably tossed the hardcover a long time ago.
Even if it’s still in print, has the copyright been renewed? They do expire after a time.