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419:. When using funicular action, as it did sending returns down during its early years the rails split connecting two pairs of tracks bulging out in a vase-like shape in a passing area, so the railway could ship freight downhill east to west as well as the heavy operations west to east which predominated until its closing. In the earliest years of operation, there was no back track to return cars to the bottom for refilling, and they had to be returned on the Planes, thus slowing and complicating the lift operations.
90:
423:
barney was moving down hill and away from the latched cars which would then accelerate and bang into the small barneys with considerable force, part of which was transmitted via the cables to everything in the system. It was actually easier to lift cars waiting at a latch for a barney than it was to drop cars down safely onto a moving barney. In the 1860s, the LH&S completed tracks along the right bank of the Lehigh through the Lehigh Gorge to Mauch Chunk, now
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297:. The Planes role, specified in the legislation, was to connect the seaports of the Delaware River with the new interior settlements of the near-midwest along the tributary rivers of the vast Mississippi River drainage basin. It was designed during the mid-canal era as part of an overall strategic schema to lift heavy freight eastwards out of the
415:
on the other to engage the freight cars and push them upwards. The axle on the barneys telescoped so that at the barney house entrance the barney's wheels slide inside and dropped under the plane of the standard width railroad tracks so the barney could slide away and let gravity take the consist onto the
328:
to the eastern coastal cities via
Pennsylvania's canal system and later, other railroads, the shortest path at the time. In the late 1830s, the current mobile steam locomotives were still in the early stages of development and relatively weak and underpowered compared to those available in the 1850s.
422:
When stopping cars from rolling free, the barneys had to be positioned below the cars, and since the upsides are uphill from the barney house opening, that meant a latch (brake system) had to hold a string of empties above the barney before it emerged from hiding its little tunnel. It also means the
414:
Like a ski lift, the railway was operated from a standing engine by an operator in control of a winch, clutch and brake. A helper spotted cars below a short local drop to an area upslope of the 'barney house', where the cable and pusher cart would drop into on one end (heading down) and rise out of
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250:(1824), the legislation was undertaken with an eye to enhance and better connect eastern settlement's business interests with newer mid-western territories rapidly undergoing population explosions in the Pre–Civil War era. But those manufactories needed a source of heat, and
494:, the 2nd railway in North America—and the cable railroad which antedated the completion of the Ashley Planes with very nearly the same design and technologies. Due to its many years as a tourist attraction, the photo history of the older railway is far more complete.
516:
Funicular operation requires a down load counterbalances the up load. This was a freight railway servicing primarily one way traffic. While some freight descended from
Mountain Top, this was a rare occurrence compared to the hundreds of hopper cars that ascended
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484:– Anthracite Mining pictorial: Mines & Structures operated by the L.C.& N., Summit Hill, Lansford and Coaldale, Pennsylvania—the heartland of the company that designed, built and ran the Planes until the 1930s.
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384:. The three railroads were built in 1837, the 1860s, and 1909, and feature a stationary power source using cable winding and winching and cars traveling down as a counterweight to a car being lifted on parallel tracks.
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sending goods and passengers west and via
Mountain Top by rail to White Haven. The Mountain Top to White Haven route also sent Northern Coal Region anthracite down the newly extended
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The thousand foot lift of the cable railway was not continuous. The initial two and later three sections of the Ashley Planes railroad was capable of operation as a
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was barely connected to eastern markets except by pack mule, or only through long and arduous routes down the
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As a result of this lack of viable rail transport, political planners, and businessmen regarded canals and
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and via the
Susquehanna River, connect to other transportation infrastructure between Philadelphia and
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The Ashley Planes job was to join two railroad sections at either elevation and bridge over the
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Industrial buildings and structures on the
National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
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566:"National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania"
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over 1,000 feet (300 m) above and initially built between 1837 and 1838 by
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situated along three separately powered inclined plane sections located between
591:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Ashley Planes"
487:
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This connecting road was an important link that connected
Pittsburgh, the
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One result of the 1837 updates of omnibus transportation bills called the
568:. CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from
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309:, which gravity aided to the canal head and thence using cheap practical
481:
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Transportation buildings and structures in
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
348:. They were built concurrently with rail lines and an extension of the
281:. It was purpose-built to join the freight capacity of two canals, the
317:
accessible via the
Delaware Valley, and to transoceanic destinations.
313:
ended feeding much needed coal into all the big coastal cities of the
1222:
National
Register of Historic Places in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
541:
613:
476:
Beyond Steel: An
Archive of Lehigh Valley Industry and Culture
380:, which was leased from LH&S from the 1870s in nearby
641:
US National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
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as the only pragmatic means of shipping bulk goods.
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at the foot, and via the Solomon cutting the yard in
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704:
670:
History of the National Register of Historic Places
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490:: Proprietary photos touring the LC&N built
273:between the Susquehanna Valley and that of the
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458:railbeds were used for the transportation of
340:The Planes were built in 1837 to 1838 by the
8:
462:coal. The railroads were in use until 1948.
352:. The Planes were connected by rail to the
285:, locally the West Susquehanna Division at
632:
618:
610:
472:Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Records
46:
35:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
360:. The incline railroads were located at
52:Abutments from the Ashley Planes in 2009
530:
509:
542:"National Register Information System"
536:
534:
492:Summit Hill & Mauch Chunk Railroad
18:
96:
71:
7:
1143:Native American archaeological sites
547:National Register of Historic Places
389:National Register of Historic Places
342:Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
237:Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company
14:
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695:
688:
439:markets and rail connections at
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241:Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad
443:via the industrial centers of
374:Central Railroad of New Jersey
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127:Hanover Township, Pennsylvania
1:
1138:European archaeological sites
104:Show map of the United States
488:Switch-Back Gravity Railroad
368:. Before and after loading,
346:Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
16:United States historic place
1158:National Historic Landmarks
1238:
498:List of funicular railways
427:, and its trackage to the
382:Mountain Top, Pennsylvania
173:160.3 acres (64.9 ha)
1171:
686:
589:Annie Bohlin (May 1979).
411:uses a continuous cable.
372:would be staged from the
283:Pennsylvania Canal System
256:Northeastern Pennsylvania
248:Main Line of Public Works
198:NRHP reference
57:
45:
41:
32:
25:
21:
333:via barges over natural
79:Show map of Pennsylvania
449:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
223:was a historic freight
660:Keeper of the Register
119:Pennsylvania Route 309
675:National Park Service
655:Contributing property
573:(Searchable database)
552:National Park Service
482:Early Mining Pictures
315:Eastern United States
154:41.19056°N 75.91028°W
387:It was added to the
229:Ashley, Pennsylvania
189:Douglas, Edwin A.;
159:41.19056; -75.91028
150: /
401:funicular railroad
354:Pennsylvania Canal
299:Susquehanna Valley
262:then over land to
1199:
1198:
665:Historic district
431:, especially the
378:Mountain Top Yard
362:Fairview Township
307:eastside descents
260:Susquehanna River
218:
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181:1837, 1860s, 1909
123:Fairview Township
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366:Hanover Township
279:Delaware Valleys
214:January 25, 1980
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554:. July 9, 2010.
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429:Delaware Valley
417:marshaling yard
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271:drainage divide
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456:inclined plane
433:Delaware Canal
405:cable railroad
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344:(LC&N) in
335:water features
239:'s subsidiary
225:cable railroad
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1068:Lists by city
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575:on 2007-07-21
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221:Ashley Planes
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211:Added to NRHP
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27:Ashley Planes
24:
20:
1162:Philadelphia
1085:Philadelphia
1049:Westmoreland
979:Philadelphia
597:. Retrieved
584:
577:. Retrieved
570:the original
560:
545:
512:
453:
437:Philadelphia
421:
413:
398:
386:
370:coal hoppers
358:Lehigh Canal
350:Lehigh Canal
339:
319:
303:Wilkes-Barre
301:in suburban
291:Lehigh Canal
268:
264:Philadelphia
245:
243:(L&S).
233:Mountain Top
220:
219:
1191:NRHP portal
1131:Other lists
1090:Center City
1014:Susquehanna
964:Northampton
252:Coal Region
157: /
133:Coordinates
1206:Categories
1075:Pittsburgh
1039:Washington
994:Schuylkill
954:Montgomery
899:Lackawanna
879:Huntingdon
829:Cumberland
809:Clearfield
599:2012-03-15
579:2012-03-18
525:References
460:anthracite
425:Jim Thorpe
395:Operations
391:in 1980.
324:, and the
322:Ohio River
295:Pittsburgh
289:, and the
145:75°54′37″W
142:41°11′26″N
1115:Southwest
1105:Northwest
1100:Northeast
1080:Lancaster
904:Lancaster
889:Jefferson
722:Armstrong
717:Allegheny
445:Allentown
376:'s (CNJ)
305:into the
1181:Category
1009:Sullivan
1004:Somerset
929:Lycoming
909:Lawrence
864:Franklin
839:Delaware
824:Crawford
819:Columbia
747:Bradford
466:See also
409:ski lift
287:Pittston
205:80003562
191:LC&N
186:Built by
114:Location
1152:covered
1148:Bridges
1054:Wyoming
1029:Venango
959:Montour
944:Mifflin
924:Luzerne
914:Lebanon
894:Juniata
884:Indiana
854:Fayette
834:Dauphin
814:Clinton
804:Clarion
782:Chester
767:Cameron
762:Cambria
732:Bedford
326:midwest
1034:Warren
999:Snyder
989:Potter
949:Monroe
939:Mercer
934:McKean
919:Lehigh
874:Greene
869:Fulton
859:Forest
777:Centre
772:Carbon
757:Butler
727:Beaver
648:Topics
517:daily.
454:These
441:Easton
275:Lehigh
1110:South
1095:North
1044:Wayne
1024:Union
1019:Tioga
974:Perry
797:South
792:North
752:Bucks
742:Blair
737:Berks
712:Adams
594:(PDF)
585:Note:
504:Notes
403:or a
178:Built
1120:West
1059:York
984:Pike
849:Erie
787:East
474:in
447:and
364:and
277:and
170:Area
125:and
117:Off
844:Elk
435:to
254:of
200:No.
121:in
1208::
550:.
544:.
533:^
451:.
266:.
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1160:(
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1150:(
633:e
626:t
619:v
602:.
582:.
478:.
193:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
