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Thought you might all enjoy this photo from northeast.railfan.net website.  The line on the bridge was known as the “Laurel Line” that had a route from Wilkes-Barre to Scranton, Pennsylvania and which part of that line now is used for fan excursions at the trolley museum on the property adjacent to Steamtown.  The location for this photo is in on the Dupont side of the border with Avoca.  The two rail lines below the bridge are the Lehigh Valley (foreground) and D&H (background).  Further in the photo, there is an auto bridge on the right side and just past that, out of site, both rail lines cross each other.  Because of flooding damage from tropical storm Agnes, the lines built an interconnection in 1973 or 1974?

I grew up less than a mile from here but never saw the Laurel Line because I was born after it ceased operations.  But many a summer night, I’d hear the whistles and train sounds emanating from both main lines as they traveled back and forth.  The D&H also had a lengthy passing siding through the town just a bit again to the right and out of sight of the photo.  My dad passed a few years back but while I was visiting and he was reminiscing, he discussed his high school years, specifically during WW2.  The school overlooked the D&H line and he said that regularly they would jump from their seats during class and wave to the “troop trains” that would often go by.  The teachers all supported that - certainly times were different!  

The Laurel Line bridge is long gone and as I recall, it was dismantled in the early 1960s.  But the bridge abutment on the left of the picture was removed I’m guessing only a half dozen years ago.  My dad also told me stories about the Laurel line’s 3rd rail.  He chuckled too when he said that the ladies would complain about the cinders flying from the trains on both the LV and D&H as they would land on the clothes that they had just hung on the line to dry!  Again, times were different.

Alas, I was also too young to see or at least remember steam going through the town, but I do relish memories of getting trapped in our car between the LV and D&H lines as sometimes the trains would both pass through the town simultaneously.   It was fun to count the rail cars and bet as to whether there was a pushing engine and additionally, which train would pass by first.  In the summer you could always get the fellow in the DH caboose to wave!  Periodically there was a bonus as the D&H may have had another train on the passing siding, so there would be three trains for enjoyment.  Again based on recollection, I believe the D&H traveled through more frequently than the LV.  I just wish that someone had photos to share of steamers going through the town and especially where the Laurel Line crossed both main lines.

I hope you all enjoy this info.

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Thanks for the history, Bob. Funny you should post it today - this morning, I went to the movies up on Montage Mountain. As we were turning into the Mall, you have to cross the old trolley tracks, and for only the second time in all the years i’ve Been going there, the gates came down for a trolley (it appeared to be a school trip). Unfortunately, my phone wasn’t on, so I couldn’t get any pics. A couple of years ago, Grzyboski’s made a version of a Laurel Line trolley for their 40th anniversary.

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PAUL ROMANO posted:

IMG_5737                             D&H Challenger #1530- Forest City, PA Circa 1950

I spent every summer from 1949 to 1963 in Forest City, PA. My Grandfather was a coal miner. He had part of his right foot cut off by a D&H train while crossing the tracks going to work in the mine. 

Fabulous picture, Paul. Mr. Muffins was trying to drum up interest in a special run Lionel D&H Challenger, but I was one of the very few takers - your picture makes me very sad  

I grew up in a small town in upstate NY and the D&H was the line that went through town.  As kids we'd yell at the RS3's serving local factories to throw us chalk and they'd usually oblige.  When I had my layout I had the SP Daylight and the Super Chief, but I still maintain that the D&H Alcos in front of either the MTH 5-car aluminum 60ft set or the Williams 6-car fluted set was the prettiest train I ever saw.

Aside from the Alcos and passenger cars I mentioned before, I ran the Railking Challenger which was issued in D&H livery.  It's one of the articulated steamers in that line that really looked great running on 072 curves.  Those of you looking for D&H steam would do well to track one down.  Other than a Camelback and an old Lionel steamer from years ago, I don't know of any other O Gauge steam in that livery.  Was always waiting for an MTH Pacific but it never came.

Hi! 

I am a huge D&H fan and it look like I'm a little late to the party. 

I am a member of the BridgeLine Historical Society:  bridge-ling.org   I have been doing a lot of research along with my friend, Dr. Robert Powell from Carbondale, PA, on where the D&H got started in railroading - The Gravity Railroad. Fascinating stuff.  

A lot of firsts with the D&H. Here are a couple of them: 

- First to run a steam locomotive in America, the Stourbridge Lion.

- First to operate a Gravity Railroad, it opened in 1829. This was most likely a huge contributor to the industrial revolution. It was also the first assembly line type of operation as workers remained in one location as the string of coal cars moved across the system. (I know what you are going to say, Henry Ford invented the assembly line - please note that I'm used "assembly line type of operation" as they were moving coal - not building coal cars.)

I will have to share photos of my rolling stock and layout later tonight.  

Larry

GNERR posted:

Hi! 

I am a huge D&H fan and it look like I'm a little late to the party. 

I am a member of the BridgeLine Historical Society:  bridge-ling.org   I have been doing a lot of research along with my friend, Dr. Robert Powell from Carbondale, PA, on where the D&H got started in railroading - The Gravity Railroad. Fascinating stuff.  

A lot of firsts with the D&H. Here are a couple of them: 

- First to run a steam locomotive in America, the Stourbridge Lion.

- First to operate a Gravity Railroad, it opened in 1829. This was most likely a huge contributor to the industrial revolution. It was also the first assembly line type of operation as workers remained in one location as the string of coal cars moved across the system. (I know what you are going to say, Henry Ford invented the assembly line - please note that I'm used "assembly line type of operation" as they were moving coal - not building coal cars.)

I will have to share photos of my rolling stock and layout later tonight.  

Larry

Welcome, Larry... this is definitely one of my favorite threads. I’ve lived in NE Pennsylvania for the last 24 years, not far from Honesdale. On my list of things I need to get around to is going up to see the Stourbridge Lion. I finally made it to the Starrucca Viaduct a few months ago. I checked out the website for the historical society you mentioned - some great info on the D&H... thanks for sharing. (And it already taught me that Honesdale was named after the first President of the D&H)

This video of a Lionel D&H smokin' switcher hauling oil tankers is reminiscent of an event I attended a few years ago at West Point.

At that time my 6 year old grandaughter was a cheerleader in a Pop Warner-like football game. The playing field was at West Point close to railroad tracks on the western side of the Hudson River. Long freight trains run along those tracks.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake and one could hear the roar of a freight train. It thundered past us pulling seemingly endless oil tanker cars. Breath-taking.

Arnold

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Apples55 posted:

Facebook is pretty rich today... there is something interesting about this humpbacked beast - it is, at once, beautiful and ugly!!! The caption reads:

”Delaware & Hudson , No.1403 , the L.F.Loree ,last built of the D&H high pressure experimentals , 4-8-0 , Schenectady 1935 . at the Colonie NY. Shops , 6-1935 …. H.K.Vollrath collection …. SLP library photo”

F2A1FBE2-5149-4074-9572-4FFDBD9EE142

 

Why the saddle tank? Auxiliary water for long runs?

This info (and much, much more) comes from a great book - Delaware & Hudson by Jim Shaughnessy. 

A few other interesting tidbits about the 1403 (christened the L. F. Loree, a President of the D&H).

  • it was the only locomotive built in the country in 1933
  • it was the world’s first four cylinder triple expansion, non-articulated compound steam locomotive
  • it carried 500 pounds of pressure in the water tube boiler
  • it had four cylinders, but unlike articulated engines, it had one cylinder in each corner of the frame (it’s a bit hard to see in the pic, but you can just make out the rear cylinder)
  • the average thermal efficiency of conventional steamers of the day was 6%... the Loree attained almost 13%
  • the high temperature and pressure was the engines early downfall - it was retired after a few years with only 9,845 miles of service 

Picked this up from Grzyboski’s yesterday. I have to admit, I am pretty impressed by the sharp details of the add-on railings, grab irons, etc. Although it has, what looks to me to be a smoking chimney pipe, there is no smoke - a plus for me as I never use smoke!!! AND, it has the “hidden” coupler release - no thumbtacks.

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D&H in the Lone Star State. 

The late Bill McClanahan of Dallas, employed with the Dallas Morning News, was well known for his freelanced Texas & Rio Grande Western HO scale layout located in the attic of his home in Big D.  He also authored a well known paperback book on scenery for model railroaders which was published by Kalmbach.  It was a popular publication and subsequently went through several printings over the years.   

Bill was also a regular customer at Bobbye Hall's Hobby House in Dallas.  Miss Hall, as she was affectionately known by most of her customers was the Queen of model railroading.  Because she demanded only the best from her Asian brass importers and didn't take any bull off of them, became known as the Dragon Lady among them!

In his senior years, Bill found the Deleware & Hudson's blue and grey color scheme so attractive that he adobted it for his T&RGW.  The D&H Texas style if you will?  Though my heart remains in O gauge, I am still fasinated by large scale.  A future project of mine will be to to obtain a well used LGB White Pass & Yukon Alco road switcher and have it professionally painted for my G gauge T&RGW, using the D&H scheme of course, not only as a tribute to Bill, but also the Bridge Line to New England as well.   

Although my small basement here in my German apartment won't take much more than a compact around the wall mainline with a lift out bridge for continuous running in large scale, it's purpose will be to keep me active in the hobby.  International shipping, including insurance and customs, not to mention the weight factor, is too expensive for me to order model trains from the States to begin with.  Besides, LGB is readily available here in Deutschland anyway.  An exception will be a Hartland Locomotive Works MACK switcher, which will receive solid black with the old red, white and blue D&RGW herald applied under the cab window.  Item: By the way, Hartland products are Made in the Good Old USA, in their Indiana factory!

Why G gauge and instead of say Z in my small basement you ask?  Having just passed Milepost 73 this Fourth of July my eyes like to see what's running on the layout without the aid of using a magnifine glass!  Also, the early LGB Rio Grande stock car, that for some unknown reason received green instead of black, will finally feel right at home hauling cattle on my basement empire!  The later released black painted Grande stock car will also be found on the T&RGW.  It comes equipped with sound, albeit less any "PU" authentic smells, thank goodness!

Happy Rails Y'all!

Joe Toth

 

 

  

 

          

Love that Alco sound!

Enjoy them, Paul!

I love the D&H gray/blue livery.....I have 2 engines.....an MTH SD-45 and a Lionel Also RS unit.....part of the Coastal Freight SSS from the early 90s.

I call the 1st picture....Albany......

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Peter

Thanks Peter. I also love the D&H gray/blue livery. I also picked up the recent Legacy C-420 and U33C over the last year, both in the gray/blue - can’t have enough D&H!!!

And I love “Albany”. Is that based on an actual photo??? I swear I have seen a picture of a similar scene taken at the Albany station. And I hope that Lionel makes a version of the NYC (or PC) E in the jade green - that is one classy engine. And I saw another of my favorites zip by in the back of the video - a lightning strip F3.

Wow!!! Looks like all the D&H-ers are coming out of the woodwork - some beautiful work here!!!

Johan: D&H management has requested that you remove that hopper from service for a complete repaint... they feel it’s unsightly appearance does not reflect well on them   (Seriously, that is amazingly realistic weathering job!!!)

Bob: I love the whole D&H consist... the colors just go together beautifully (and management appreciates your keeping the equipment in crisp and clean condition )

Tom: nice D&H collection... the cabeese should run nicely behind your sharks (or those other nice engines)

GHD: thanks for sharing those videos... very nice layout

 

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@Apples55 posted:

I've decided to take my own advice and start this... Although I am primarily a fan of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad, there are a few other smaller lines that I really like. One of these is the Delaware & Hudson.

And it's a good thing you did start this thread.  There are now 5 pages of D&H themed postings in it.

Who couldn't like D&H?  This is a railroad which had handsome steam locomotives.  It pulled its passenger trains, for years, being a pair of raspy, snarling, smoking, Alco-GE RS2's, and then bought one-owner Alco-GE PA1's from Santa Fe to replace them.  It embraced its on-line customer, Alco, in steam and diesel days, and maintained its track and locomotives well.  And it had a cliff-hanging main track near Lake George, NY.

I never was able to experience Delaware and Hudson in person, as it was diagonally clear across the USA from where I grew up, but I always enjoy seeing photographs of it.  So, yes, there's at least one D&H fan in Texas.

Happy Labor Day everyone! 

I’m a long time fan of the D&H. I recently converted my Lionel Camelback to battery powered with a Soundtrax board and love it. I have a suethe smoke unit powered off the battery too. I get a lot of good operating time out of it. Futures plans are to swap out the front coupler for a Kadee (rear coupler has one already).

The MTH GP38-2 is also battery powered with a Soundtrax board.

There is power on the rails. These locomotives needed new control systems and I opted for CVP Airwire. The layout is stored until I make room at my local club to set it up.

Enjoy!

Larry

 

Proud member of the Bridgeline Historical Society. I have been helping with some of the research work going on for the canal and gravity road. 

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Having worked on the lesser branches of a mid-sized railroad, it is difficult for me to picture myself marking up on a Pennsy or New York Central.  But I have always thought I would feel "right at home" on the Delaware & Hudson.  I am just willing to wager they had some really nice people working that system, too.  Count me in with #90 for being a fan.

@Apples55 posted:

Wow!!! Looks like all the D&H-ers are coming out of the woodwork - some beautiful work here!!!

Johan: D&H management has requested that you remove that hopper from service for a complete repaint... they feel it’s unsightly appearance does not reflect well on them   (Seriously, that is amazingly realistic weathering job!!!)

Bob: I love the whole D&H consist... the colors just go together beautifully (and management appreciates your keeping the equipment in crisp and clean condition )

Tom: nice D&H collection... the cabeese should run nicely behind your sharks (or those other nice engines)

GHD: thanks for sharing those videos... very nice layout

 

Apples55. You're welcome. 🤝

Johan

My son got me to join the TCA in 2000 and we have attended almost every York meet since. We like the Lionel 3 bay hopper cars with the Lehigh Valley, Reading and D&H road names. Every time we saw one at York we would pick it up. I have a few of the D&H as you can see on this video. I did find one that the Lionel inspector apparently missed. The correct one is on the left and the one missing labels is on the right. A1673DBD-0519-452A-A0E0-23666497D09E7A1B31E6-D9EB-40F0-B67E-468967E37151

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@Dick S posted:

If you are a D & H fan, join the Bridge Line Historical Society, the D & H historical group.   Get a 48 page newsletter every month, the BLHS Bulletin. 

Thanks for that info, Diok. Printed off the membership form and will send it in. I live south of Honesdale, so I’ve really got to get up there and check out the D&H Canal sites.

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@Number 90 posted:

I never was able to experience Delaware and Hudson in person, as it was diagonally clear across the USA from where I grew up, but I always enjoy seeing photographs of it.  So, yes, there's at least one D&H fan in Texas.

Thanks, Tom. I grew up in New York City - subways I knew, but not too many railroads ran through Brooklyn (other than the LIRR cut!!!). I can’t be totally sure, but I think I actually road on the D&H. In 1967, my family took a train to and from Montreal for Expo ‘67 (being in the city, we never owned a car until the 70’s). It was just overnight, so we road coach, but it was a very interesting trip. Will never forget the sign in the bathroom about not flushing when you were in a station!!! 

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@GHD posted:

My son got me to join the TCA in 2000 and we have attended almost every York meet since. We like the Lionel 3 bay hopper cars with the Lehigh Valley, Reading and D&H road names. Every time we saw one at York we would pick it up. I have a few of the D&H as you can see on this video. I did find one that the Lionel inspector apparently missed. The correct one is on the left and the one missing labels is on the right. A1673DBD-0519-452A-A0E0-23666497D09E

Oops!!!

You have a beautiful layout, GHD... and that is a great D&H consist!!!

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