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 Post subject: Logging Roads
PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:05 am 
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Location: Hard coal region, PA
I know there was a lot of logging going on in the anthracite region when the collieries were in their peak years. Millions of logs making props and timber sets were placed underground in the anthracite mines. So, then, you would think the area would be riddled with logging railroads through the mountains using locomotives like Shays and Climaxes to supply the collieries. Does anyone have any knowledge in this aspect of the anthracite region?

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:43 pm 
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I often think about that myself, they definitly did there fair share of logging but you don't hear much at all about how they did it.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:56 pm 
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Yeah.. i've thought about it a little, and i know chris and i were talking about it one day. Its like a big mystery! I figure collieries always took everything they could from their property, but their property didn't extend to the surface in most places other than right around the colliery itself...

:?:

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:03 pm 
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I know at one time LC&N owned a lot of land in the poconos, I think just for timber. I don't know if any of the others owned land just for that purpose.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:20 pm 
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Mike A wrote:
I know at one time LC&N owned a lot of land in the poconos, I think just for timber. I don't know if any of the others owned land just for that purpose.


Yes, but it is interesting that the area was not dotted with logging railroads. In fact, the only geared locomotives I can recall reading about in the regions where the Hieslers owned by LCN for use around Greenwood in coal service.

I have seen an old map that showed what was purported to be logging branches north of White Haven along the Lehigh. I believe that the LV's Bear Creek Branch also had some logging traffic.

For the most part, it seems that logging railroads were concentrated northwest of Wilkes-Barre and out of the coal fields.

This has always been a curiosity of mine.

Rob

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:47 pm 
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Location: Hard coal region, PA
northwest of Wilkes-Barre.. any towns in particular?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:42 am 
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UGMiner Banks wrote:
northwest of Wilkes-Barre.. any towns in particular?


The area around Noxen was heavily cut.

Here are two links that shed a little light on that area, but still nothing in coal country.

Rob

http://www.geocities.com/trainhead391/NoxenDepotProject.html

http://davecathell.tripod.com/jbrr.html

PS: My bad, the LC&N Heislers were used at Summit Hill in the strippings according to trusted sources (Bob Fischer).

PPS: And it looks like California was a lumber town on the LV Bear Creek Branch, White Haven was apparently a major lumber town in the mid 1800's

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A0DE3D8113BE033A25750C0A9639C94659FD7CF

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 4:46 am 
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Nice! Closer than I thought living in Tunkhannock.... I'll have to take the airplane up one day and see if i can track the rail line out of Noxen to the valley. I would imagine from there the line heading south was direct to Wilkes Barre... I know LV had a line through Tunkhannock, but I don't see how it could have connected to the Noxen line.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 11:28 am 
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You also have to think about the Charcoal era as well. Before Anthracite was popular in the NJ area, Charcoal was used to heat most of the furnaces. The process of making Charcoal would have required cutting down of a large amount of trees in this area. I don't know how wide spread this was and if they even used trees from PA to make Charcoal. But with forests being cut down for Charcoal and later developed on, I don't know what would be left of the logging roads and thus it will take a long time for those trees to grow back to be logged again.

Miner Greg


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