5/28/18 D&H Gravity Carbondale Loop with Matthew Davis, Russ Nelson, Ewa Magdalena Wdzięczak, Diane Reider, Daniel Trump, Shane Blische, David Goldberg, and Trudy Gerlach
This would be a very interesting trip, the second in our Delaware and Hudson series.
We had already done a couple of hikes sort of related; the Pennsylvania Coal Company Gravity Railroad’s first leg, which connects directly to the Delaware and Hudson Canal, and the first section of the D&H Gravity itself between Archbald and Carbondale.
Searchin
Where we’d last left off was on Meredeth Street entering Carbondale on the previous trip. The line used to cross over Route 6 roughly at the bridge for Meredeth Street, and the coal mining operations in the area beyond I figured had obliterated all of it.
Where we’d last left off was on Meredeth Street entering Carbondale on the previous trip. The line used to cross over Route 6 roughly at the bridge for Meredeth Street, and the coal mining operations in the area beyond I figured had obliterated all of it.
Coal crap
The loaded and light tracks were closely parallel at this point. Just about at the road cross, they split again, and the unloaded track is off to the northeast. The loaded, which was our route for the start of this one, went right across the area with giant coal refuse piles. We had been told from a friend not to bother trying to go through this section, so when Matt was laying out the sections, he had planned on us simply walking down Meredeth Street and then into the town of Carbondale to pick up the line later, but it ended up working much better than we had anticipated it ever would.
View to Carbondale area
I should have done more homework really before going into this hike.
The gravity line south of Carbondale
There were different incarnations of the gravity line that can be very confusing until we have a real grasp of the years and what each section was. Matt, Russ, Dan, and I were all looking over different mapping trying to figure things out as we went, both on this and previous ones. Matt was using regular maps, like the ones we see on Wikipedia. Russ was using the Open Street Maps, as was Dan. I was using a Google Earth KMZ file I had downloaded of anthracite railroads, and I took photos of my computer screen with my cell phone to compare with google maps of wherever we were.
Searching
Between us, we were able to pretty well figure out where the line went, but it wasn’t always that easy.
The original Delaware and Hudson Gravity was built in 1829. It was subsequently rerouted in the 1840s which included new trackage in some areas. A light track, as a return route was added around this time, as not to interrupt the loaded coal cars. The original light track, which would either be returned empty or with light stuff like farm goods, was in two sections, between Honesdale and Waymart I believe, and then another section between Carbondale and Archbald.
Coal view
The two were not connected in the middle until 1866 with some of the track we would be following.
Powderly Breaker right of way
The entire gravity operation was abandoned in 1899 along the the Delaware and Hudson Canal to the east, and some of the gravity line was replaced by a locomotive railroad.
All of these alignments makes for a really confusing time. I didn’t know what to expect.
When we started, at the commuter lot at Meredeth Street, rather than try to follow the road, we saw ATVs going in and out of the area across, so we decided we would actually try to trace where the gravity line went itself.
Loaded gravity right of way parallel with Upper Powderly St.
We started walking off into the old coal piles, and were soon treated to fine views of the Carbondale area from above. I wasn’t really expecting to find anything special.
Sometimes the roads look like rail grades even when they're not...
We descended from the slopes and found our first bit of rail grade below. I compared with my KMZ files to find that we had reached the former site of the Powderly #2 Breaker. A branch of the Delaware and Hudson headed sort of east/west through this area, and there was an ATV track following a rather obvious grade. We got on it and headed to the east a bit.
There were some machines parked out there among the coal piles, and we didn’t want to hang around for too long.
Old fire call box in Carbondale
We emerged on a road which lined up as an extension of Lower Powderly Street and turned left. The loaded gravity line was just barely up hill from there. I at first wanted to try to follow that, but then we agreed it made more sense to follow this other road out to the intersection of Lower Powderly and Erie Streets.
We didn’t know it at the time, but this road and it’s continuation into Lower Powderly Street were actually the right of way of the 1899 locomotive railroad known as the Honesdale Branch.
Loaded gravity line is now a street here...
We turned right on Erie Street and crossed the former loaded track right of way, but we weren’t aware of it at the time. We turned left on Upper Powderly Street, which I had assumd would have been the right of way. It was quite level; maybe at one time it was part of a mining right of way. Today, it’s lightly residential heading north.
As we walked, those behind me noticed something down hill to the left of us. It appeared to be a rail grade. Dan and Russ went down to see it first.
Loaded gravity line crosses yards by Concord St
As it turned out, this was in fact the right of way of the loaded track. It was in pretty good shape, and obviously was used recently as an ATV track, but it went off into people’s back yards nearby.
We returned to Upper Powderly and walked on, and when we saw a lady coming outside, we asked her about the railroad. She said something to the effect that she knew it was there somewhere, but didn’t know where.
Gravity line crossed Pike St here, Carbondale Street Railroad went ahead.
We continued on further, and there was a guy at his house on the left side, and the right of way was right behind it. He told us that it was in fact the gravity line behind his home. He also said it used to be possible to pass along it, but that in more recent years other neighbors had blocked it and extended their yards over it.
We continued along Upper Powderly to the intersection with Griffin Road, where there was one of those old emergency fire call boxes, apparently still in service. We turned to the left and followed Griffin down hill just a little bit.
Pike street crossing
The next road on the left, Locust Street, was built on the old gravity railroad right of way. On the other side, the right of way is built over by a barn/house structure, but it’s rather obvious where it went to the north. We came to the intersection with Cordon Avenue and turned to the right.
We could see the grade in the yards of houses to the right, and it soon moved off just a bit. As we walked ahead, Matt pointed out to him the former site of his grandparents’ house.
Looking for former river crossing..
On a previous trip Matt had led up there, in my absence, he had trouble with some people in Carbondale, but fortunately this time we were doing much better. Still, I didn’t want to have trouble hanging out by Matt’s family’s former residence, so we moved on rather quickly.
Going through my photos for prepping the 'guided' portion of my Carbondale hike . . . I never really looked at any pictures before 1940 (the year my father was born).
Matthew's family photo showing the gas station behind, taken from the front of his family's homestaead, now gone
Here's a picture from 1926 of my father's mother's family; The Murrays. Apparently my father's father moved in with his wife's family. Please note the gas station in the background.
The gas station today
We walked further down Gordon Avenue from here to the intersection with Pike Street.
Later D&H bridge
Pike Street crossed over the still active former Delaware and Hudson Railroad between Carbondale and Green Ridge, reportedly built in 1846 by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which became just Delaware and Hudson Co. in 1902.
The gravity line went through the back of a commercial lot of some sort and crossed Pike Street and the locomotive railroad just to the right. We could see the disturbance in the grade of the road at that point.
Matt pointing at the former track site
Also, the Carbondale Street Railroad followed the route of Pike Street to the north from here into Carbondale’s main town section. This apparently went in around 1888.
We crossed over the active tracks and turned to the right on them, then cut into the woods on the left to look for more of the old loaded gravity line.
We found what might have been the fill approaching it’s former crossing with the Lackawanna River.
Shane checking out some old infrastructure
There were some stones around that might have been part of an old bridge, but it’s really hard to tell out there. We were just about on where it would have been according to the KMZ file.
We turned around and headed back out to the active track from here. The gravity railroad went across the river and then curved back to the southeast. It passed through where an elementary school is on the other side, now built over it on the east.
Historic image of "High Works" of the D&H Gravity Plane 28
We continued on the tracks to where they crossed over the Lackawanna River on a through style truss bridge built in 1904.
High Works of the O&W and D&H Gravity
This was very similar to the “Wonderland Bridges” to the south of here. I’m not sure where those bridges got that name at all.
Carbondale Viaduct of the O&W with the gravity line below
Once on the other side, we turned off to the left to go over some maps some more, and then realized we were again standing on the gravity line, where it would have crossed.
Old loading area on the later line
It had weaved back from the school area, then passed through an industrial site adjacent to the tracks today. We couldn’t continue right on it’s right of way at this point.
We headed out to Business Rt 6 and headed to the right, then crossed to a shopping center where there is a Burger King in the parking lot. I had stopped there a couple of times before on previous hikes, and I was hungry this time.
D&H former Lackawanna River cross site
We decided to make this a pit stop because I didn’t know where we would be finding another place.
I had at least one double cheeseburger and I forget what else before moving on. Matt went with some of the group ahead to stop at the monument to the very first underground anthracite mine, along the edge of Clidco Drive ahead.
This area was the site of an enormous mine fire. It decimated the entire west end of town.
The gravity railroad as well as the New York, Ontario, and Western’s Scranton Branch both had high up rights of way over the west end of the town, but they were all excavated away in order to put the mine fire out. These trestles and fills are often referred to as the “High Works” of these lines.
The D&H Gravity’s loaded track continued through here onto Plane #28, the highest number plane of the entire route (from the re-numbering of the last alignment).
The loaded gravity line went here
This plane was much of the way up on a trestle, sort of like a roller c oaster from what I can find.
There really is nothing left of this one, nor is there anything left of the entire west end of town, because it was all taken down from the mine fires.
We headed out of the parking lot from Burger King onto a piece of Lackawanna Heritage Trail that leaves the lot to our right. On this route, we passed below where the plane would have been before Clidco Drive.
O&W Carbondale Viaduct site
From here, we turned right, then left along the still active former Delaware and Hudson tracks again, which has a handsome little station building of more recent years contributing to the ambiance of the area. There was an old coal trestle remnant past it on the right.
We continued north for just a bit, to where the gravity railroad would have crosseod over it to the east. We turned there and made our way to the intersections of River Street and Salem Avenue.
Ben Mar is actually the old gravity railroad office!
Here, the gravity line went across at an angle and crossed again over the Lackawanna River.
Matt was right: but not only was it there...it was D&H office!
As we approached the site, there was a nice masonry wall we could peer over.
The D&H Shops were behind modern day Ben Mar
I figured some of this might be some of the old railroad abutment. The creek was completely lined with similar masonry wall, but we couldn’t be sure of where a bridge would have been.
This was the original 1829 spur to the mine in Carbondale
We turned back and crossed the river on Salem Ave, then followed through a parking lot along the river.
Looking to the left, we could see what was possibly the former bridge site. Some of the masonry seemed consistent with what we had seen on previous bridge sites on the same line. Shane climbed down on some ladder thing people use to get down to the river side, and then went over to where we thought the crossing would have been, in a huge mess of Japanese Knotweed. He agreed that it looked like we had found the correct site.
Where passengers used to load
We continued from here across an open lot on about the route of the gravity.
The foot of Plane 1
We reached Lincoln Avenue at the bend where it became John Street and turned to the right.
Foot of Plane 1 today
We walked then out to Main Street, where there were some people sitting around. Russ asked them if they knew about the gravity railroad.
Plane 1
It seems like a lot of the locals are clueless about it. They tried giving us directions to go to a museum or something further down, but it was too far out of the way for this particular trip.
On former Plane 1
We turned to the right, and Matt showed us an historic map type image, an artist’s rendering of Carbondale in the old days.
Foot of plane 1
There was a restaurant in an old building to the left known as the “Pen Mar”, and Matt said that was one of the only ones that still appeared to be there at the time of the gravity railroad.
As it turned out, not only was the building there, it was one of the office buildings for the D&H at the time of the gravity railroad! There was apparently at one time another identical building right next to it that has long since been destroyed.
Foot of plane 1
We walked past the building and turned left on Canaan Street. Just ahead, there was a large metal archway on the right that read “Gravity Park”. An historic marker read that this was the route of the beginning of one of the first railroads in the western hemisphere. Matt didn’t seem to think the park was directly on the gravity line, and he might be right. The plane might have been more to the right of it, and this could have been part of a different alignment up to the original mine.
There was an early mine that was the sole source of anthracite in the first days of the gravity railroad which was accessed from this point.
Racket Brook
The shops for the D&H Gravity were located right behind the building that is now the Pen Mar. Service on the fleet of coal cars, which carried about five tons each, as well as the stationary steam engines for the inclined planes, all took place at this point.
There was another right of way directly across, which we were not sure about, but it did turn out to be part of this line. If not part of the main route, the route north to the rail yards to the north.
History
The way the track right of way for the mine in Carbondale was oriented, the park must be on or pretty darn close to the original right of way, so I should have good then and now photos.
Racket Brook
Also back there was the O&W Scranton Branch bridge and station sites. We could see an abutment, but we continued on rather than try to go and see it. I was afraid if we took too long we’d not be back in reasonable time.
We walked the length of Gravity Park, which is at the bottom of Plane #1 on the gravity railroad. We got on Brook Street, which had some nice stone sides holding the Racket Brook in. I had thought the gravity railroad was on Williams Avenue directly over, but it wasn’t.
Along Racket Brook area
It had gone further up hill. We followed the road ahead to Dixon Ave, then turned left up hill, which took us across Racket Brook. This led us to a curve in the road where we picked up the rest of Plane 1. We turned right to follow it up hill.
The road was the rather obvious former plane. We followed it out as Dixon Avenue to where the paved road sort of came to an end. The right of way continued from here into a cut. It was in pretty good shape and very recognizable, right after there was a road called Gravity Ave coming in from the left.
Plane 1
Also, we were looking for the right of way of the Back Plane, which used to take unloaded cars at the loaded track base of Plane 1 to the light track to Archbald. This was abandoned after 1868 when the two light tracks were connected. It crossed the loaded track somewhere near the bottom of the plane in the old photos, but we did not see any remnants of it. Apparently, the remnants of this plane are very difficult to find, and have been developed over with homes and streets to the point of complete obscurity.
Plane 1
Google maps does not show this as a through road, but it not only goes through, it has some street signs. We went through a wooded section, then out by the end of Mitchell Ave. At one of these streets that came in, there was a house to the left. We just went around the fence for the house and continued on the railroad right of way into the woods. It was very obvious from there. I didn't notice right away, but there was two grades there.
Masonry on Racket Brook
Matt was following something, and was rather insistent that it was up hill to the left. What I was following was the 1840s gravity railroad route, but prior to that, the 1829 track continued to the left. On my maps, it was showing up as basically the same color as the larger highways like Route 6. It did not help matters that the original 1829 track actual IS route 6 for some time!
There was certainly some confusion here, but I felt confident with following the 1840s right of way, which was shown in blue on my maps, and also appeared to be the clearer route.
Top of Plane 1
We continued from here on to where the right of way entered a clear area and went to a back yard adjacent to Linda Lane. I figured we would have to go up and around it somehow. There was an ATV path cutting off to the left, and so we turned and climbed up to the other grade we had been on before.
This grade was not the 1829 gravity however; this one was a later connection between the grades.
Above Plane 1
It was a switchback that connected to the west end of the light track. It traveled out to a point, then switched back to the west and descended gradually to that area.
The gravity line
At the time, I thought maybe this was part of the New York, Ontario, and Western, but found out later it's true identity.
Light track culvert
We followed the grade out to it's end and could see where the switchback was, then continued direct through the woods.
Plane #3
This took us along the Racket Brook directly to where the light track used to cross it. I could tell as we approached, because a handsome stone culvert came into view.
Shane found Strap Rail
This section of the light track was much upgraded because in 1899, it was turned into a locomotive railroad.
Infrastructure atop Plane 3
The route looked just like a wide ATV path when we got over to it. I climbed onto the spillway of the culvert, and then decided to walk on through it and have a closer look at the stone work.
Once we were all on the grade, some people started walking out toward us. Fortunately, they were friendly, and we asked them which way the loaded gravity railroad was. They told us we were on it, and I had to explain that I knew we were on the light track, but we needed to find the loaded track. They didn't seem to know anything about it really, so I just studied the maps a bit more and figured out where we'd need to go.
Plane 3 and Racket Brook Breaker
Linda Lane was built over part of it, and so we followed that slightly down hill, then kept to the left when the road turned to the right.
This became an ATV path out behind houses. We would end up doing this bit again later, because the light track was our return route.
Racket Brook Breaker and Plane 4
From here, we just had to walk the short bit on the light track to where the loaded track passed beneath it on Plane #3. We skipped Plane #2 because it was along people's back yards where we'd turned away. It would have been right after the crossing of Linda Lane.
Plane 4 head
Planes 2 through 9 were nearly consecutive. This was the biggest ascent over Moosic Mountain starting at this point.
We reached the former cross point and there was absolutely no evidence of a former bridge crossing. It was probably obliterated when the light track became the locomotive railroad.
The inclind plane itself was quite recognizable. I took a photo for one of my then and now compilations, and then we began climbing up. As we walked, Shane spotted a piece of strap rail along the right of way.
Strap rail was the earlier rail used on these lines. Straps of metal were nailed to the tops of wooden rails rather than having constant metal rails at first. They were later replaced by standard rails, but the straps must have in many cases been discarded.
The grade of Plane 2 was good. It was obvious where we needed to be walking to get to the top, but for some reason the works at the top of most of these planes appear to be destroyed.
Plane 4
I found this curious, because the Pennsylvania Coal Company Gravity Railroad had a lot of masonry remnants visible at the tops, but this was not quite the case.
D&H Gravity
There was some sort of concrete thing at the top of the plane, which must have dated to after the gravity I would think because that ended in 1899. This whole area got kind of confusing.
There was a deep gorge from here where the Racket Brook was way below. There must have been an enormous bridge to carry the gravity railroad over the gorge. On the other side, it immediately went up Plane #4.
There was what looked like there could have been buildings at the top of Plane 3, but nothing really definite. A few bits of masonry.
The gravity line
There was a woods road still used as a path descending to the right of it, so I started following it down. There was an access road at the bottom and two old stone buildings that I think have something to do withe the water company. The Racket Brook flowed from this area into a very long stone arch culvert. It went for quite some distance, but I can't figure out what the purpose was for any of it.
Our friend Mike Guzzi, who is somewhat of an expert on some of this stuff, has speculated that it could have been part of a plan to eventually back fill the entire area and eliminate the bridge over head.
Racket Brook culvert
The railroad could pass over a culvert with less liability. It's a good thought, but we don't have anything to verify this. It is quite an impressive structure though.
SHane with his book
The others were taking their time coming down while I was looking for where the loaded track should have gone. I
climbed up as soon as everyone was down by the culvert, and made my way to the right. I only went that way to switch back the opposite direction more easily, because I knew about where the other end of the bridge should have been.
I could find no footings or evidence of their having been a trestle in this area, but there were some bits of masonry here and there.
The original gravity line, left, and 1844 to right
This area was not only the site of Plane #4, it was also the site of Racket Brook Breaker.
The breaker sat adjacent to the planes directly to the north and is shown in the historic photos. Dan made his way over to me, followed by Diane, Shane, and others. I checked the site out, and found beyond a shadow of a doubt what must have been the stone work area for the cables, or whatever it was, as seen in an historic photo.
As we were traveling, we referred to an historic "Images Of America" book on the gravity railroad that Shane brought with him.
The gravity line
As per one of the photos, we could see about where the plane should have been as well as where the breaker was.
Gravity line
Matt and some others were up above looking for possible signs of the plane, and then ended up out on Route 6. We made our way up to a stream that passed beneath, a tributary to the Racket Brook, and I thought to go beneath 6 through it, but it was kind of tough and I didn't know what I'd find on the other side, so I climbed up to the road.
The road wasn't all that busy. We were able to walk right across it with really no problem and start searching for more of the plane on the other side.
Gravity line
We didn't find really anything initially. It turned out we weren't walking at the correct angle. The gravity line went more northeast, while we were going east kind of direct from the highway. We should have gone left more.
Even if we had found the correct route, it would have taken us out into a back yard and we'd end up coming out where we did anyway. While walking the stream up hill, we did find that some of it was "guided" into a certain route by way of masonry edges.
Gravity line
This might have been done by the D&H Canal Company to keep the brook in it's trench, or possibly it was rerouted from where it originally was, to keep from flooding over and washing out the plane.
We made our way up hill until we got to Honesdale Road, which was the original main road. We turned left to follow it for a bit here.
Even this road had been rerouted to some degree. A driveway to the right looked like it might have been the gravity line at first, but then turned out to be an old road alignment.
Cat
We continud to the intersection with Number 7 Road, which goes up to water authority land. It almost looked as though the road and the gravity line were one, but closer inspection showed that it was just to the east of the road. Further up on the loaded track, the road and the right of way of the rails are one, but we would not hit that point on this trip.
We turned up the number seven road and passed some houses. At one on the left, there was a very friendly orange cat out.
The gravity line
It must have been a friendly stray that people give attention to, because it looked kind of ratty, big headed like it wasn't neutered, and skinny. Still, it was very friendly and enjoyed our attention.
When we got up past the house, we decided that we might be able to cut through the woods and see if we could find the plane.
While we were down by Racket Brook, and as I recall as far down as the bottom of Plane #3, someone seemed to have put orange flagging ribbons up in the trees.
Old gravity connector track
We wondered if this was Mike Guzzi, out there doing his research on the line for his NEPAVIEW website. We joked about it as we walked from time to time; when we got to weeds it would be "DAMN IT, GUZZI!" or other times just muttering "The Guzzzzz...".
Regardless of who it was, it was very likely a walking route for the gravity line, because we soon found them again. The plane was very obvious.
Old gravity connector track
It wasn't really that far back in the woods at all. It was on a sort of fill, above the natural slope of the mountain, and there was a bad washout at the one spot. We got on it and started heading further up hill.
Plane 4 and 5 barely had any space between them. I don't even really remember noticing a space between the two. We continued the climb up, and eventually came to an area with some different grades.
Gravity railroad connector
We went very steeply up in a way that the railroad would not have, and I figure there must have been another trestle structure or something. It was in this area that the loaded track crossed the light track again. It was at this point that we had to switch for our return route, although that would not at all be direct just yet.
From here, we would switch from the loaded to the unloaded track and head north, around what is known as "Shepherd's Crook".
Shepherd's Crook
Rather than put more planes in, the light track took a circuitous route out along the Moosic Mountain to the north, weaved a tight turn, then continued by gravity out toward Carbondale again. This would be the most secluded portion of the entire hike.
Shepherd's Crook today
We headed north just a bit, and I noted that there must have been differences between the 1866 gravity railroad and the 1899 steam railroad.
Cast pipe likely 1899, ruined box culvert likely 1866.
My first indication I pointed out was that there was a cast iron pipe beneath the grade we were walking, but to the right seemed to be the remnants of an older masonry box culvert. I assumed it might have been a connecting track to the gravity from the loaded track possibly. This proved to be wrong; there was indeed a connecting track, but it was on the south side of the crossing, not the north. As we walked further, I noted more right of way to the right that could have been earlier alignments.
Masonry at the foot of Plane 4
After studying the maps later, I found that I was actually correct. This was the original light gravity line running parallel. We continued following the clearer route to the north from here. The former light track actually does cross over the later steam track a couple of times ahead, but I wouldn't notice all of it until the next visit.
There was a hunting cabin on the right as we continued, but fortunately no one was around.
Light track and 1899 loco
I'm not sure access rights out there, but there is a Shepherd's Crook Preserve out near the Panther Creek, at the end of the crook, and there should be official access.
We continued north, and we spotted one of the "D&H" property markers. Just after that, the original gravity line broke off to the right, into the north end of the "crook". When the steam railroad took over in 1899, the locomotives could not take on the sharp turn used by the gravity, so they built a new line straight out through the center of the crook, which gave them a switchback to overcome the elevation.
D&H Marker
Because this was a gravity themed hike, we opted to turn right and follow the original route around the crook.
It passed along a shelf, then up onto a bit of a fill. I watched closely for the site of a famous photograph of the crook, and found exactly where it was taken. A lot has changed, because these photographs were taken before the locomotive line was built up the middle. It wasn't right on the original "crook", and Russ suggested on our next visit that it looked like some of the original west end of it had been mined away.
Light track cut at the crook
Regardless, there is nowhere else along this route that the historic photo could have been taken to see it.
We continued around the crook to the right, past a large washout where we had to descend one side and back up the other. Then, the old right of way went into a very deep and wet cut. We managed to get through without having to trudge through too much mud, and then emerged where the locomotive track had cut through, where we took a nice break.
Culvert thing on the light track
Russ had worn some of his favorite hiking shoes, but they busted really bad in this area. Fortunately, everyone was able to come up with enough random stuff to get them back together for the duration of the hike. Shane went ahead on the end of the switch back to check out a waterfall Matt had told everyone about. I should have gone, because when I finally did see it later, it was amazing. There must have been a water filling station for the boilers or something out there.
Once we'd finished our break, we began heading back down to the south following both the light track and later locomotive track. On this side, it appears that the light and loaded tracks stay closer together. We passed by a couple of spots neither railroad would have gone up and down at, so there must have been either fill and trestle, or a fill and box culverts that have long since washed away.
Where the 1899 locomotive track and 1866 gravity line split
Both ends of Shepherd's Crook crossed over what was the old Milford and Oswego Turnpike, which was abandoned before 1888, but I didn't particularly notice anything special.
The light track
There was a logged out area and some woods roads. One of the woods roads must have been it. One day I'll have to look again.
The rail bed emerged at a sort of logging area off of Gravity Road. We emerged onto the public part of the street and walked by some homes to the south. When we got to Honesdale Road, it went off ahead into private land and yards of houses. I waited for everyone to catch up, and we opted to turn to the left and head down hill to get back to it further on.
Light track
The others held off for something, but I hurried down Canaan Street to Rt 6 again. Route 6 at this point was the original 1829 gravity railroad route. I turned left on Rt 6 and headed up hill to where I thought the crossing should have been. At first, I went too far up thinking it went across a near yard, but it did not. I went back down, and Linda Lane went in from Rt 6. That was right on the old gravity line, and it became rather obvious that across the street was it as well.
Light track
The others joined up with me, and Matt wasn't convinced that this was it. We did see more orange tape up in the woods, so he went to check it out. He did find something, but what I found later was that the culm piles, sort of waste coal stuff, from the Racket Brook Breaker were just into the woods from there, so there might have been secondary rights of way to get to it.
We continued walking the road, and it became dirt, or rather, black cinder from the rail bed. I didn't realize it earlier, but the section we had gotten on at the Racket Brook culvert was actually a public road!
Light track crossing Plane 3
We crossed back over the same culvert and continued past where we'd seen the people before. When Linda Lane went to the right, we kept to the left again, and followed the unloaded track right of way to the southwest.
Light track crossing Plane 3 as it looks today
There was a kid riding by on his quad, and he started heading the same direction we were going. There were giant mud puddles I don't even know how he managed to get through.
Laying mirror group shot
He did come barreling back toward us, and looked a little nervous about the puddles.
I walked on through and guided him where he'd be able to go without getting the machine as deep in.
We soon reached the site of Plane 3 again, and I set up a then and now photo, which came out really great.
The right of way was wonderful from here. Up on a high shelf, with a view at a power line crossing, and close but not too close to the houses below to the right.
Ties found...
We finally reached another grade crossing at Garfield Ave, where there were some railroad ties still visible. Ahead, a road known as Morgan Place was built over the grade. We followed this across Lincoln Avenue and went back into woods above the developed area. We discussed going down into town for a late lunch, but then opted to just keep going.
Just after Lincoln, somewhere, there was the site of the "Back Plane". From the foot of Plane 1 in Carbondale, empty cars were originally lifted from here to the light track down to Archbald.
Old mine thingy
With the connection of the two separate light tracks, east and west, this unnumbered plane became redundant because the light cars bypassed Carbondale on the new light track, so the back plane was abandoned about 1868. Since it was gone so early, very little remnants remain of it and there's not much to say where it used to be.
There was some evidence of something just ahead. To the left of the rail bed, there were some masonry and concrete
ruins. Some of this was quite old, but obviously refitted with concrete. My files say that this was another "Racket Brook Breaker", perhaps renamed after the end of the gravity railroad, and prior to that, it was the Racket Cliff Breaker. The Jones and Voyles Mine was there also, abandoned before 1888. We decided to take a side trip and look around.
Ruins at Racket Cliff Breaker site
Matt and I climbed to the top of the thing, and Russ was right there behind us looking around. Ewa was also climbing stuff (in fact, before she was hanging from a tree...she's good at climbing). We spotted some metal cable, which may or may not have had had something to do with the back plane. It is likely something to do with the mine cables or something, but we just can't be sure. There was water running down with acid mine runoff, and we could see where there had been a mine opening, and likley where it had collapsed behind.
Cable???
We came back to the rail bed, and started heading to the southwest again. To the left, there was another little stream, and a concrete building as we neared the next houses. I took a side trip to it to see if it was a mine. It did appear to have been a shaft, sort of blocked off with wood and such. The thing was mostly filled in with tires and garbage and such.
The rail bed soon became part of Cortland Street. We continued on from here. I noted to the right something that looked like a grade or trestle, but the back plane should have been behind us and facing the other way. The original unloaded gravity line was apparently below and to the right of the later steam line in part of this area, so that is probably what I was looking at.
We crossed Wayne Street and 10th Avenue here. I had actually walked a tiny bit of this part on a past hike, when we were looping back to Archbald.
Light gravity line
We ended up walking power lines and such up on Moosic Mountain, and Jason Kumpas had pointed this out to us. This time, it was cool to continue on it.
We entered woods, and were rather close to some houses only at first. We then entered the woods on very open and obvious grade heading south.
It was a nice open section, and very relaxing. We were originally going to bypass some of this, but I was glad we went on through. There was a side path to the right, which was part of, or at least went to a spur that served the Langliffe Breaker, which is long gone today.
D&H gravity light
We kept on the gravity line as best we could as it entered deeper woods.
The rail bed remained clear for a while as a wide ATV path, but it didn't stay that way. There was a nice box culvert and good grade, but the ATV path went off to the right, and we had to go to the left through the weeds. The grade was still pretty obivous, and I am not sure if it was the locomotive or original one, or maybe both, but it was cool. We continued on and crossed a bridge over a small brook.
Probably part of Archbald Branch
At a point ahead of here, we lost the railroad right of way, and it seemed like we'd just have to make a bee line for Meredeth Street at some point, because it must have been mined away, but then we headed into a cut that was obviously a railroad.
At some point in here, things get to be a little sketchy. The gravity railroad's light track separates from the 1899 locomotive route, and the Honesdale Branch cuts off, while the Archbald Branch, which also used the light track continued to the southwest.
Tie in a cut
The former loaded track also comes in at around this area, and the Bushwhick Connector, built in 1877 connected to the route to the west. Passengers used this route to get down to Carbondale, and it was reused as part of the Honesdale Branch after 1899. Who knows if there were even more sidings or whatever.
The locomotive track did not follow the loaded gravity line all the way to Archbald. It broke off at Aylesworth Lake, which is why I was confused with a couple of rights of way there on the previous hike up this way. I've now realized I have to do more in this series to cover a lot more of the incarnations.
We continued until we really couldn't find any more of the right of way. We could hear Route 6, which is a multiple lane limited access highway at this point, for some time.
Cut on the crook
We eventually just emerged along the edge of it. We climbed up to the right, and skirted Route 6 and the giant coal dirt piles until we came out right where we parked at the park and ride lot.
\I felt really great about this hike. It ended up being so much more than I wanted it to be, and even though I was so confused about it at first, I have a much better grasp of the incarnations of the Delaware and Hudson after doing it, and I hope I've conveyed enough here that everyone else can understand it better as well.
The rail bed
Some of us went down into Carbondale and had some pizza at a place near where we passed earlier. It was a nice time, but the owner was not really interested in owning a pizza place and lost his train of thought multiple times. His chef had to keep coming back out to get him on track.
We also tried taking a trip afterwards to a waterfall Matt had told us about, but it was too much tough stuff after the long day to really focus on exploring more. We were just too tired at the time.
O&W Carbondale Station
We also tried taking a trip afterwards to a waterfall Matt had told us about, but it was too much tough stuff after the long day to really focus on exploring more.
Carbondale Viaduct
I've since spent more time looking over maps and trying to understand all of this routing for this series than I've ever spent on any historic railroad line. It's absolutely fascinating, and I've become completely enamored with it. I couldn't wait for the next one in the series.
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