Hike #1311; Warren Railroad

Hike #1311; Warren Railroad

3/27/20 Warren Railroad/Portland to Oxford with Daniel Trump, Scott Helbing (Tea Biscuit), Heather ?, Erika Lorin Daniels, Jennifer Bee, Justin Gurbisz, Galya ?, and Kralc Leahcim (Lerch)

It was time once again for me to hike the old Warren Railroad, main line of the former Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western the way I have every year for 23 years.

Delaware Water Gap from the foot bridge

This year would be something different than we’ve ever come across. The hike has always been among the best attended every year, and a big thing that everyone looks forward to.

Ham and Cheese beer?

This year, we have COVID19.
The craze of everything and now being allowed to officially do group hikes has shut everything down that I would normally be doing.
All around us, there are people feeling terribly depressed, and morale is in the toilet.
Up until the time was getting close, I still planned on having the hike the way I always had, but then the shut down happened which meant it was not possible. I would have to come up with some sort of alternative to it with less of us.

Lerch brought me a carcass

There are a lot of people who want to continue safely doing the group hikes, and so I’ve been quietly getting people together to get out. Honestly, it’s the only way I feel sane. I don’t have support really anywhere else; everyone is criticizing what I do, and it often feels like doing the hikes is the only thing I have to live for.
For those who were still interested in doing the anniversary hike, I figured I’d better come up with some sort of alternative quickly, but that would still be similar to what we normally do.

Just below Portland

The “fill in” hike would have to be a loop, because we couldn’t do any carpooling safely to something like this. I decided that the Sussex rail triangle I’d done before, which included the New York, Susquehanna, and Western, the Lehigh and New England, and Sussex Branch of the Lackawanna would be a good alternative. We could meet in Lafayette and then just do the loop.
This left me sad though, because I’d always done the Warren Railroad hike every year.

The trestle in 1997

It had been different in recent years because it was starting in Delaware rather than Portland PA. Big groups just could not get across the old trestle in good enough time.

The Delaware bridge today

I decided that the alternate hike would take place on the regularly scheduled Saturday, but on Friday I would go ahead and do the original anniversary hike with a smaller group.

Historic image of the Delaware bridge

For this one, we could do the hike the same way we always had, starting up at the Portland-Columbia Footbridge and head south. I’d not done that since the 20 year anniversary.

The Delaware bridge now

Things would go slightly differently; we couldn’t meet at the Port Colden Mall. Most all businesses had closed, and meeting in the town lot across from Krauszers in Washington was a much smarter move for this, since it’s regularly used.

Delaware Bridge

From there, we could all shuttle in my van up to the Portland-Columbia Footbridge. Lerch Ubered to that point in the morning.
In some ways, this was better for me than the huge thing we’d always been doing, because I could go over more of the history with everyone and enjoy it a little more without having to try to keep track of a huge group.
Lerch was already talking about jumping off of the foot bridge in the morning, as it was getting quite a bit warmer already.

Delaware bridge

We walked across the foot bridge, and then stopped in Port Mart.
This was a huge family tradition thing, because every weekend after hiking with my grandfather at Delaware Water Gap, we would stop at the foot bridge, walk across, and get chocolate milk at Port Mart. So, it’s customary to go in there and do that these days.
We continued walking from there on the tracks to the south. Much of this area has changed quite a lot since I started doing all of this.
The Delaware Diner is now an oddly shaped Dunkin Donuts. Some of the tracks appear to be gone in the small yard area to the right, where the junction with the Bangor and Portland line is. A trail that used to go along the Delaware River is now gone. The boat launch is closed.

Clarence Road abutment

Even the Portland Generating Station is now closed. This was a very active power plant for which the railroad still served as a spur line, but now it is minimally used. The coal fired part of the plant is non operational.
The first part of this is very close to the road, and I was concerned we might have a problem obviously walking by, but we didn’t. We continued past the power plant, and there was one guy driving a truck in there, who might have moved out to see what we were doing, but he spun back around.

The group at Clarence Road abutment

We continued out to the left from the plant to the western abutment to the Delaware Bridge, which is always a spot that had everyone freaked out on the earlier hikes.

Ballast on the rail bed

At the end of the bridge we met a girl named Brandi Bossert, who is very into railroad history. Lerch immediately invited her to join the hike, and she said her and her boy would be interested in coming in the near future. She sent a message to the Metrotrails facebook page to connect with us just then.
I then shared the history of the bridge, which is quite extensive, so she caught that part.
There was originally a wooden deck truss bridge over the river at this point, from 1856 until 1877. It was replaced by an oblong shaped through truss with single track which lasted from 1877 until 1890. That one was replaced by the predecessor to the current bridge, which sat just upstream from it. The fill is still visible there.
It was very similar to the current bridge, a through truss structure, only there was a center section to it. When the current bridge was completed about 1907, the old bridge was not torn down, but sold to private hands and turned into a vehicle toll bridge.
The buyer was a local Preacher by the name of Darlington, and the bridge became known as “The Preacher’s Bridge” or “Darlington’s Bridge”. It was purchased by the new bridge company and torn down as not to compete with the newer Portland-Columbia toll bridge in 1955. Now, only abutments remain, and a small island where one pier was.

Two men in a tub

My great great grandfather died of a heart attack while driving across Darlington’s Bridge, and was found by a truck driver on the Pennsylvania side. My family owned a lot of land and has a lot of history going back to the town of Delaware back to Colonial days. In fact, George Washington seized my six or so times great grandfather’s ferry over the river in 1777.

Manunka Chunk Tunnels

I hopped over the bridge with no problem, rather quickly. I had some old photos, and a historic photo of a train coming across the bridge I wanted to emulate.

The same view now

I had several of them that with a smaller group I wanted to emulate this time. It was a good hike for doing some of that.
We got across the bridge, climbed down and crossed over Rt 46. Some of the right of way was incorporated into a yard in recent years on the other side, so we had to go around and then walk some of the old alignment of Rt 46, which itself is built on an earlier rail alignment.

Historic image at Manunka Chunk

We continued walking to the former site of the Delaware Station, and Jen called to say she was almost ready to meet up. She headed to park at Smiddy’s along the way.

The same scene today

We continued from this point along Rt 46 past the station site and the Sanico place, and then to Clarance Road where the one bridge abutment is. We usually get our group shot here, but this time not everyone who was coming was even there yet.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel

I still got one shot anyway. We waited here a bit for Jen, because she was walking toward us, but she should have arrived a lot sooner than she did. I couldn’t figure out where she was, so we headed to meet with her at Smiddy’s. The others went in and used the restroom when we arrived there.
We continued walking from here along the right of way eastbound. We climbed up onto the fill and passed where several of my family’s homesteads were on the left, passed Marshall’s Fruit Stand, and then climbed down and up where Delaware River used to go under the tracks.

Historic view of Manunka Chunk Tunnels

On the other side, we continued past the “A-Rock”, where my family used to play, and then climbed up a steep slope to the cell tower access road that had been built over the route.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel today

We didn’t bother stopping to do the “Shrub of Might” activity, although Lerch had wanted to. I really didn’t want to go to the hospital for anything. With all of the craziness going on in the world, I don’t want to risk getting injured and have to go into the hospital.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel

We did pause on the right of way briefly to overlook the Ramseyburg Cemetery. I pointed out a few graves that could be read from up the slope. There was one big stone with “Allen” written on it. It was the grave of my great great great grandfather, Michael Cline Allen and his wife Sarah.
Also visible was the grave of an Albertson, which I think was Henry Albertson, who would have been my five or so times great grandfather. He owned all of the land there, and as the story goes, sold it to John I. Blair to construct the Warren Railroad from his death bed.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel

We continued walking down to and across Ramseyburg Road. When we approached the road, a pickup truck stopped and pulled over, and I thought it would be someone asking what we were up to, but they soon pulled off again and didn’t come back.

In the tunnel

We climbed up on the other side and continued on the railroad bed eastbound.
I took a shot of the ballast on the right of way, because some people have been claiming that the old main line was never ballasted. Anyone who has walked this section knows that’s not true. True, much of the line was never ballasted, but that doesn’t mean everywhere.
As we walked, we came upon an old bathtub to the left. Lerch and Dan got in it for a funny photo, but it soon fell apart into many pieces and set them onto the group for more hilarious photos.

Manunka Chunk Tunnel

We continued on to the mouths of the tunnels, where I did some more then and now photos, some of which had been set up before, but I can always improve upon them and show the passage of time.
After taking several photos, I scampered on through the tunnel while Justin, Galya, and Dan went over. I got pretty far ahead, and Lerch lent Jen a light to get her through. I came out first, and we all made our way through the mud on the other side, then up to the site where the flume system used to carry Catherine’s Run away from the right of way in an artificial stone lined waterway. In later years, it appears a separate waterway was dug lower.

Historic image of Manunka Chunk Tunnels

The water was flowing pretty heavily, and there was a pretty cascade coming down over the rocks. We headed uphill from here and across the wooden planks to an open field in Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area.

The tunnels today

The wooden planks were part of that flume system, which makes it even more crazy that they are still lasting. When we first did this hike in 1997, those same planks were there, only there were three of them instead of only two that remain.

Manunka Chunk cut

The others were not in the field where they should have been. It’s rather simple following GPS to get to the other side, but Justin took everyone around an odd way. This was kind of funny, because going back to the very first hikes, someone always got lost trying to go over the Manunka Chunk Tunnels. Eventually, they came walking from the wrong direction, and we knew what they had done.
My brother was calling and asking about meeting up, so we waited around here for a little bit to give him some time. We ended up taking a long break here when we did the twenty year anniversary hike as well.

Catherine's Run

Eventually, we moved on along the farm roads heading to the east. Lerch busted out a bottle of the famous Johnny Walker Explorer’s Series that he only gets out for special occasions, and we all sipped on some of that for a bit.

The rail bed in Sarepta

We crossed over Upper Sarepta Road, and the right of way was much more clear than it had been in more recent years. For a while, it was getting pretty overgrown in there.
There was a tent sitting where a house used to be off to the left, which had been there a while. I suppose the resident of the home is now living in a tent on the property and has been for some time.
We soon crossed over Sarepta Road and made our way on through wide open state park land, which extends from the west portal of the Manunka Chunk Tunnels to Bridgeville.

Yummo

The next crossing after this was Hope Crossing Road. Tea Biscuit met up with us there and found a spot where he could pull his car off to the side.
We all continued on along the right of way, and he brought out some rare bottles of Weyerbacher I had never even tried before.
This section led us out toward Bridgeville. During this stretch, Erika and her then girlfriend Heather wanted to meet up with us for the rest of the hike. I’d thought to have them park in the White Township park ahead, but that is now closed to public due to the virus scare. We all walked down into that park anyway, which is right below the old Bridgeville Station, and they parked at the Quick Chek. Some of the group went back to the store to find them and come back, and I hung out with Lerch and Tea Biscuit back at the park for a while which was quite a nice time. They eventually all showed up, and we headed back to the rail bed, then crossed over Rt 519 to head toward the sand quarry.

Bridgeville

The state park land extends from the crossing site on out to the edge of the sand quarry where it becomes private land.
We’ve always been able to circumnavigate the quarry area by way of an ATV trail that leads off the end of the right of way and beyond toward Buttzville.
We did just that, and headed up hill through the sand quarry for a bit. Lerch found a deer stand above, and he and Galya climbed up it. The rest of us continued along the ATV paths until they descended back down to the railroad bed.
We soon passed along the slope by Hot Dog Johnny’s. We were probably all craving hot dogs, but unfortunately Johnny’s was closed due to the virus scare also.
We would have to continue on without having any food at this time. There isn’t anything open from this point until we got to Oxford where there are mini marts and liquor.

Bridgeville Station

We reached and crossed the cut over road that goes to Green Pond Road, walked that bit, and then crossed Green Pond Road adjacent to the cemetery on the left.

Bridgeville Station today

We then continued on a very pleasant section out to Buttzville where there used to be a bridge to carry the railroad over Route 46. We crossed and climbed Pequest Viaduct.

We had a little break on top of the bridge, and waited a bit for Lerch and Galya to catch up. The next section beyond is quite nice, as it is all in Pequest Wildlife Management Area.

Da group

The bridge crosses over the Pequest River as well as the former Lehigh and Hudson River Railway. It was sunny and beautiful out, and a great time to enjoy the area.

T Bizkit in a stand

The right of way goes along a shelf through this next section, with the old LHR line just below. It makes for good loop hikes when we do the night ones.
The group started getting segmented in this area. I ended up drinking too much of Lerch’s red stuff, and was meandering back and forth. As I recall, it ended up just being Tea Biscuit and I for a good while in there. We turned at the junction with the Pequest Furnace Railroad, which served an iron furnace just to the east, and then passed through the dramatic Pequest Cut, the largest cut not associated with a tunnel on the Warren Railroad. We then passed the cinder piles associated with the furnace, and soon approached the former crossing of Pequest Road.
The group was waiting for us beyond the rail bed where a paved trail has been built along the route. There was a park bench and trash can there, so it was another nice little spot.

Jester's Choice!

I was pretty out of it at this point. I laid down on the park bench and fell asleep there. Tea Biscuit took tons of photos of me there. The rest of the group all left me behind and headed on toward Oxford and Washington from there.
Eventually, I was coming to, and Tea Biscuit and I walked the paved trail section back out to Lower Denmark Road in Oxford.
I got a call from Justin that he others were all walking Mine Hill Road over to Washington, but Jen said she was not going on any more, and decided to wait to get picked up along the road near the West Oxford Mountain Preserve.
Justin was walking up the hill, when first a group of kids in a red car pulled up trying to start a fight with him regarding him leaving Jen behind alone there. He apparently explained that he was walking to pick up his car, and that he was going to come back for her.

Happy

I headed over to the middle of town to see if I could find where they’d left her, but walked up and down the road and couldn’t find her.
Justin then had another guy drive up to him, the father of the other guys that had tried to start with him, and he also gave him a hard to. He had to explain himself again that he was just walking to get his car and come back for her.
By that time, these guys felt like they were being heroes and decided they would call the police. I walked up the road further after Tea Biscuit joined me, and we found Jen at the home of the guys that Justin had had words with. We moved over to the county park parking lot across from there, by walking the old iron mine railroad right of way that led directly to Axford Avenue.

Pequest Cut

Justin, Erika, Heather, and Dan all walked the rest of the way back to Washington, but Axford Avenue would be the end of the line for the rest of us.
Clearly there was nothing going on, because seven separate vehicles and I don’t know how many police showed up at that point to deal with the “domestic dispute” that had ensued.
Fortunately, everything was fine, and we didn’t really have a group by that time.

Love!

It was starting to get dark, so it was time to cut out anyway. Justin and Dan were on their way up to grab some of us, and my stepdad Mark came and picked up Tea Biscuit and I and took us back to our cars. It was cool because I got to hang out for a while and talk to Mark.
When I was on my way home, I wanted pizza badly. I was so hungry. We had talked about having another “pizza box campfire” on the tracks, like we did in Penwell a while back with Cupcake, and a garlic pizza. The box went up like crazy when we did it. We didn’t make it to Washington in good enough time, so we couldn’t have this thing, but I still wanted pizza.

ham

I pulled in to Dicola’s Pizza in Washington just before closing. I figured I was just going to get myself a couple of slices.
It’s been customary to stop at this place since the first hike. It used to be Pizza Spaghetti House in the Warren Plaza until they moved to their current location in about 2000. On the first hike, we ordered pizza from there I think it was, and on the second, third, and fourth, we stopped there for food at the end. Probably fifth and sixth as well. I can’t remember for sure.
And so, it was only appropriate that I visit, even if it was only me.
I went in and Benny was there asking what I was getting. I said “I don’t know, probably a couple of slices”.
He said “You want a pie? Lots of garlic, onions, sausage and pepper.” I asked him how much.
“Ten bucks” he said. “DONE” I replied immediately and handed them a ten dollar bill.
I parked on street near my house in my van and ate more than half of the pie by myself. I saved the rest of it to bring home. Jillane didn’t have any, so the rest of it ended up being my breakfast.
Despite it not being the kind of hike I would have expected this time of year, I’m thankful for the good that it was and that people were still willing to come out and celebrate it with me.

HAM