Allentown Railroad Station (Pennsylvania)

Allentown Terminal Railroad Station
Lehigh Valley Railroad Station
Inter-city rail
Former SEPTA regional rail station


Lehigh Valley Railroad Station looking from the southeast.


Central Railroad of New Jersey Station looking west. Note LVRR station in background.
Location 371 Hamilton Street (LV)
369 Hamilton Street (CNJ)
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°36′16″N 075°27′44″W / 40.60444°N 75.46222°W / 40.60444; -75.46222 (CNJ Station) CNJ
40°36′14″N 075°27′51″W / 40.60389°N 75.46417°W / 40.60389; -75.46417 (LVRR Station) LVRR
Line(s) Central Railroad of New Jersey
Reading Company
Lehigh Valley Railroad
Tracks 2 (each station)
History
Opened 1890
Closed 1961, 1967
Services
  Former services  
Preceding station   SEPTA   Following station
Bethlehem LineTerminus
Preceding station   Lehigh Valley Transit Company   Following station
via School, Lehigh, and Emmaus Junction
toward 69th Street
Liberty Bell High Speed Line
Liberty Bell Limited (service ended 1951)
Terminus
Preceding station   Reading Railroad   Following station
TerminusEast Penn Branch
Emmaus
Preceding station   Central Railroad of New Jersey   Following station
toward Scranton
Central Railroad of New Jersey
toward Jersey City

The Allentown passenger railroad stations provided inter-city rail service to the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania.[1]

Allentown was served by two passenger train stations. The Allentown Terminal Railroad Station served patrons of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and the Reading Company (RDG) who jointly operated it. It was constructed in 1888 and 1889. The second station, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (LV), was built in 1889 directly west of the CNJ station. It served the passengers of the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV). Both stations were located on the south side of the 300 block of Hamilton Street, the LV station extending over the Jordan Creek.[1]

History

Early Railroads

During the first half of the 19th century, Allentown was primarily a small market town for farmers. It was not until 1851 that the first railroad reached Allentown with the chartering of the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad, which later became the Lehigh Valley Railroad. A small station was built in 1855 which linked the city with Easton and Mauch Chunk. However, the railroad was not a major factor in local transportation.[2]

During the Civil War, the industrial growth along the Lehigh River saw the establishment of industry in the city. To be successful, the industries needed cheap and reliable transportation systems to haul the raw materials and the finished products. The Lehigh Canal, built in the 1820s was the major transport link used to haul anthracite coal from northeast Pennsylvania to the factories, but a major flood in 1862 seriously damaged the Canal. Charters were issued to two railroad companies, the Lehigh Valley and Lehigh and Susquehanna (later leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey) to build lines into Allentown. The Reading Lines entered the city soon afterwards. Along with the freight railroads, Allentown became a destination for immigrants who found work in one of Allentown's textile mills and factories.[2]

Industrial Era

It was in the late 1880s that both railroads built elaborate stations in Allentown, and all the rail lines serving Allentown converged at the two stations.[3] The LV rail lines ran south into Allentown from Mauch Chunk, primarily along the west side of the Lehigh River. The lines crossed under the Tilghman Street Bridge past the LVRR Freight yard north of Walnut Street, then under Linden Street to the passenger station. The lines continued south out of Allentown, then turned east, following the west side of the river through Rittersville, Fountain Hill and South Bethlehem under the Hill to Hill Bridge, past Bethlehem Steel to Easton.[4]

The CNJ tracks ran along the east side of the Lehigh from Mauch Chunk, then crossed the river where American Parkway now ends and turns onto North Dauphin Street. The old CNJ crossover bridge remains standing derelict crossing the river. South of Allentown, the CNJ line turned east and again crossed the Lehigh River, following the west side through the CNJ's Allentown yard, which is still operated by NS.

Both railroads' lines into Allentown were double-tracked, paralleling each other into their respective stations following American Parkway, which was later built on the abandoned railbed. A shared, separate double-tracked freight line ran to the east of the passenger stations.[5]

During World War I, both stations were used by the United States Army Ambulance Service (USAAS) that operated Camp Crane, a training camp for Army Ambulance drivers and support personnel. Thousands of soldiers arrived in Allentown at the stations, then were transported to the training camp. After graduating from training, the stations became pre-embarkation point, with thousands of men moving in and out rapidly, usually arriving and leaving on trains in the middle of the night.[1]

The Allentown stations provided passenger rail service for decades to Scranton, Reading, Harrisburg, New York City, Philadelphia and other points along the nation's inter-city rail network.[1]

End of service

The Lehigh Valley Railroad had its peak of passengers during the 1940s, however during the 1950s, as the Interstate Highway network grew and long-distance bus and airline service expanded, the number of railroad passengers declined drastically. The LVRR petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to cut back its unprofitable passenger service, and in early 1961, the LVRR ended service to Allentown on February 4.[6]

The Allentown Terminal Station was operated jointly by the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Philadelphia and Reading (Reading) Railroad. the CNJ and the Reading Railroad leased each other's lines in Pennsylvania, and suffered the same fate in terms of reduced passenger ridership. Reading Railroad Allentown-Harrisburg passenger service was ended in June 1963, and it combined its Allentown service to the Philadelphia Reading Station with the CNJ in 1965. It continued operations to Jersey City, New Jersey for two more years before ending all passenger service from Allentown in 1967.[6]

After the end of passenger rail service to Allentown, both the Lehigh Valley and Jersey Central stations were closed and abandoned. Both stations became derelict and the Lehigh Valley station was demolished in 1972 with the widening of the Hamilton Street Bridge over Jordan Creek. Today only some rusting steel beams extending over the Creek remain.[6]

The CNJ rail lines were torn up and Hamilton Street was resurfaced over where the lines had run.[1] The CNJ station remained derelict until 1980 when the property was purchased and the building was restored into a restaurant. The renovated property went though several owners (Depot Restaurant, Gingerbread Man, B&G Station, Jillian's Billiard Cafe) over the next two decades, lastly being called Banana Joe's which opened on Labor Day, 2001. The property abruptly closed in September 2007 after a shooting which caused a dramatic drop-off in patrons. It has remained closed and vacant since then (February 2016); the building slowly deteriorating.[6]

Lehigh & New England Railroad

The Lehigh & New England was formed in 1895, primarily as an anthracite coal and cement carrier. The railroad ran from Allentown to Maybrook, New York. In 1904 it was acquired by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and opened a branch to Allentown on May 1. The railroad operated a station at 443 Hanover Avenue in East Allentown which provided service to Bethlehem.[7]( 40°36′47″N 075°26′54″W / 40.61306°N 75.44833°W / 40.61306; -75.44833 (Lehigh & New England Railroad Office) )

In 1960 the railroad petitioned for abandonment, citing declining traffic. The Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) organized the Lehigh & New England Railway to buy and operate the portions of the line between Hauto and Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and from Bethlehem and Allentown through Bath to Martins Creek, Pennsylvania, approximately 40 miles (64 kilometres). The line into Allentown ceased operation in 1961. Today the building is used as a community center for Overlook Park[7][8]

Modern era

CNJ Allentown Terminal in October 2011. The station was totally renovated and rebuilt in 1980, being turned into a restaurant and nightclub.

CNJ, LV and the RDG were merged into Conrail in April 1976,[5] and in 1978, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) reestablished passenger service between Allentown and Philadelphia under Conrail using former LV rails. Because there was no longer a station for passengers, the trains stopped just north of Third and Union Street using a former concrete siding that was part of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad station platform. Parking for the SEPTA riders was on a gravel lot next to the tracks. After leaving Allentown, the train would head back to Philadelphia. The service was popular with riders, However, it ended as rapidly as it began in 1979 due to poor trackage and loss of the operating subsidy from PennDOT. For commuters traveling from Allentown/Bethlehem and Philadelphia, it had proved faster to drive to the village of Center Valley instead and board trains there.[9]

In 2010, a commissioned report studied the extension of passenger train service from Phillipsburg, New Jersey into Pennsylvania with stations in Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown. The Lehigh Valley area has experienced considerable growth over the past several decades, and a large number of commuters use intercity bus service to commute to New York City daily. The proposed rail route would use the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) Lehigh Line right-of-way in Easton/Bethlehem and the RJ Corman right-of-way (Lehighton Industrial Track) in Allentown.[10]

The proposed Allentown Station would be located between Hamilton Street and Union Street, with access from Third Street. Parking would be available at the Allentown Bus Terminal or a new parking facility at the station site. LANTA A and E bus lines would serve this station.[10]

Today the only rail service now operating into downtown Allentown is a single-track short haul line that runs on the old LV tracks, terminating at American Parkway and Gordon Streets. There is, however, still a heavily used NS main line that runs through south Allentown and includes a major freight yard.[3]

All known passenger and freight stations in Allentown

Central Railroad of New Jersey

Original CRRNJ passenger station in East Allentown.
40°36′23″N 075°27′10″W / 40.60639°N 75.45278°W / 40.60639; -75.45278 (CNJ Freight Station 1880)
Original CRRNJ freight station in East Allentown.
The CRRNJ initially located its facilities at the corner of Lehigh (now East Hamilton) and Front Street (now Albert Street) in East Allentown about 1880. The freight station was still in operation as of 1911, but was closed before World War I.[11]
The CRRNJ and Reading Railroads operated a freight station on the SE corner of Race and Linden Streets.[11]
The CRRNJ operated a small passenger station on the south side of West Gordon Street on the east side of the tracks (what is now American Parkway). It was closed before World War I.[11]

Lehigh Valley Railroad

Original LVRR passenger station
40°36′16″N 075°27′24″W / 40.60444°N 75.45667°W / 40.60444; -75.45667 (LVRR Freight Station 1855)
Original LVRR freight station
The LVRR initially located its facilities on the south side of Union Street in 1855. After the large 1890 station opened, the old Union Street station was used as a freight station for several years. It was closed by the end of World War I.[11]
LVRR freight Station [11]
There was a small LVRR passenger station on the south side of West Gordon Street between North Jordan Street and the bridge over Jordan Creek. It was closed by the end of World War I.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hellerich, Mahlon H, and Pennsylvania) Lehigh County Historical Society Allentown. Allentown, 1762-1987 : a 225-year history. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Lehigh County Historical Society, 1987
  2. 1 2 Allentown Pennsylvania Bicentennial, Lehigh Country Sesquicentennial, Lehigh Country Historical Society, 1962.
  3. 1 2 The Union Street Train Tower
  4. ↑ Guidebook of the Lehigh Valley Railroad
  5. 1 2 History of the Central Railroad of New Jersey
  6. 1 2 3 4 All Aboard to Allentown – The Lehigh Valley’s Abandoned Railroad Stations
  7. 1 2 Depot at Overlook Park
  8. ↑ Kulp, Randolph L., ed. (1989). History of Lehigh and New England Railroad Company. Lehigh Valley Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc
  9. ↑ Pawson, John R. (1979). Delaware Valley Rails: The Railroads and Rail Transit Lines of the Philadelphia Area. Willow Grove, Pennsylvania: John R. Pawson. pp. 54–59. ISBN 0-9602080-0-3.
  10. 1 2 Central New Jersey Raritan Valley Transit Study Pennsylvania Component Archived 2012-08-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lehigh Country Railroad Station Database
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