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Re: Re: (rshsdepot) PRR Schuylkill Branch Questions

I got involved with this line several years ago when I led the 
acquisition of it from the Penn Central for a walking trail.  
Some of the smaller stations still exist north of Reading, such 
as in Lessport, and in Port Clinton the Reading and Northern 
has built a wonderful facility.

In Reading the Locomotive shops and MOW shops are being used as 
storage by a plumbing company.  They are in disarepair and 
probably will not make another 5 years.  Some of the Car Shops 
are still usaed by NS.

In Pottstown the oild train statiopn is now a bank.  In 
Phoenixville the station is a restauraunt.  Both are still in 
good shape.  In Schuylkill Haven there is now a Reading RR 
museuim on the site of the old rail yard.  The St. Clair rail 
yard was developed into a corporate aprk several years back, 
although the coaling docks for where the RR and the Canal met 
still exist in the woods.  The old RR trestle at Landingville 
still stands.  In POttsville the old Freight Statiuon is now a 
surveyor's office.

Vetsiges of this line exist in all the towns if you know where 
to look.

I have ROW maps of the whole line in Schuylkill County and 
would be happy to dig them out and answer any more questions.

Harry J. Tucci Jr.





- ---- On Sat, 5 May 2001, Verne and Joan Brummel 
(jmb_@_email.msn.com) wrote:

> I would like to add some questions to Frank's list:
> What were the PRR and Reading depots like in Pottsville, and 
when were
> they
> torn down? Also, what was the PRR depot like in Reading,PA?
> Back in 1976, my friend Gordy Bjoraker and I rode a Reading 
RDC up to
> Pottsville. Even though several Reading trains still served 
Pottsville
> at
> the time, the depot was already gone. Down in Reading,PA, we 
took a tour
> of
> the Reading RR's yard and shops, and visited the Franklin St. 
and Outer
> stations. We stopped at the PRR/Penn Central yard in Reading, 
and found
> an
> old railroad structure that appeared to be still used by PC. 
I'm not
> sure if
> it was a PRR freight station, or a surviving  portion of the 
old PRR
> passenger station. Any information on these depots would be 
very much
> appreciated!
> LaVerne Brummel, Madison,WI
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <FRANKGARON_@_aol.com>
> To: <rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net>
> Sent: Friday, May 04, 2001 1:24 PM
> Subject: (rshsdepot) PRR Schuylkill Branch Questions
> 
> 
> > Took a Sunday drive last month up to the Pottsville, PA 
area - I had
> not
> been up there in years.
> >
> > Some questions/comments:
> >
> > 1. It looks like they are going to widen Route 61 from the 
south side
> of
> Pottsville clear down to Schuylkill Haven to put in a center 
turn lane -
> and
> *possibly* build on the PRR ROW. All trees have been cleared, 
and Mount
> Carbon Yard is now wide open.
> >
> > Anybody know if this is the case?
> >
> >
> > 2. When did the coaling tower finally come down in Mount 
Carbon?
> >
> >
> > 3. In Pottsville proper, right next to the Bus Station, 
there is a
> building that *sort* of looks like it might have been a PRR 
building -
> maybe
> frieght or Yard Office.
> > It's on the west side of the Bus Station. This would have 
been right
> where
> the now razed PRr station was.
> >
> > Anybody know if it was PRR related?
> >
> >
> > 4. In Schuylkill Haven, my CT1000 shows a PRR/LV 
interchange track at
> MP
> 90.2.
> >
> > Can anybody help me place this location - nearest steets 
that it would
> have been near?
> >
> >
> > 5. The ROW just above Saint Clair has a handy dandy Walmart 
Plaza
> built on
> it - this is new since last time I was up there.
> >
> >
> > 6. Did PRR use RDG trackage rights all the way from 
Wetherill Jct to
> Shenandoah, or did they have their own tracks from frackville 
north
> somehow?
> >
> >
> > 7. Anybody know where the PRR station in Minersville was 
located?
> >
> >
> > 8. Does anybody know the last time the line from Delano Jct 
to Morea
> was
> used (I am guessing that LV was the last one to run on this 
line)? It
> seems
> to have been railbanked from at least 1984 or so.
> >
> >
> > 9. Has anybody here ever walked the ROW from the Delano 
area thru
> Morea
> down to say St. Clair or so? I am interested in doing this 
sometime -
> but
> wondering what bridges are out, and if there are trespassing 
concerns at
> Morea Colliery?
> >
> >
> > 10. In Hazleton proper, they list a PRR freight station at 
MP 122.5 -
> this
> interests me because I believe that this trackage was always 
owned by LV
> (w/PRR having trackage rights).
> >
> > Anybody know where this was, streetwise, and what it looked 
like?
> >
> >
> > 11. Did the tracks ever run west of Scotch Valley and 
connect with the
> line from Sunbury to Wilkes Barre or something? A topo map 
and an NRHS
> Bulletin that I have infers this, but does not seem to come 
out and say
> it.
> >
> >
> > 12. Anybody else on the list have a good handle on what 
stuctures are
> still up north of Norristown? Doesn't seem to be hardly 
anything left -
> except for
> > Birdsboro, Mohrsville and Shoemakersville?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Frank
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 


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