Lehigh and New England Railroad
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{{Infobox SG rail|
railroad_name=Lehigh and New England Railroad|
logo_filename=|
logo_size=|
marks=LNE|
locale=[[Pennsylvania]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]]|
start_year=|
end_year=1961|
successor_line=[[Central Railroad of New Jersey]]|
old_gauge=|
hq_city=
}}
[[Image:L&NE on US map cropped.png|frame|System map]]
The '''Lehigh and New England Railroad''' {{reporting mark|LNE}} was a connection from northeastern [[Pennsylvania]] towards the [[Poughkeepsie Bridge]] across the [[Hudson River]]. Originally planned as a continuous line east to [[Boston (MA)|Boston]], plans were later cut back to a section west of the river.
Due to the decline of mining in Pennsylvania, the LNE was shut down in [[1961]], and parts in Pennsylvania became part of the [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]] (later part of [[Conrail]]).
==History==
===South Mountain and Boston and successors: 1873-1882===
Around [[1868]], serious proposals for the crossing of the [[Hudson River]] at [[Poughkeepsie (NY)|Poughkeepsie]] began to appear. A charter for the Poughkeepsie Bridge Company was obtained in [[1871]], and the company was organized before the end of May. The charter was amended to allow placing piers in the river by [[1872]] (despite fierce opposition from navigation interests), and the company began raising funds. Through the influence of [[Andrew Carnegie]], [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] president [[J. Edgar Thomson]] was persuaded to personally invest in the project.
This funding led to a surge of activity. The line was to be carried from [[Harrisburg (PA)|Harrisburg]] to the crossing of the Delaware River at [[Portland, PA|Portland]] by the [[South Mountain Railroad]]. The '''South Mountain and Boston Railroad''' was chartered in [[New Jersey]] on [[March 13]], [[1873]] and also in [[New York]] to continue the line via [[Poughkeepsie (NY)|Poughkeepsie]] and [[Boston Corners, New York|Boston Corners]] to the [[Massachusetts]] state line. At the state line, an extension of the planned [[Massachusetts Central Railroad (defunct)|Massachusetts Central Railroad]] would connect, taking traffic to [[Boston (MA)|Boston]]. Grading began on the various lines (known, in the aggregate, as the South Mountain and Boston Railroad), and the cornerstone was laid for a bridge pier at Poughkeepsie. However, the [[Panic of 1873]] and the death of Thomson in May [[1874]] and loss of his personal support brought the project to a halt.
[[Image:1876 South Mountain & Boston.jpg|thumb|300px|[[1876]] map]]
An attempt at revival was made in [[1879]]. By this time, the South Mountain Railroad had collapsed; a new railroad, the '''Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and New England Railroad''', was incorporated on [[May 6]], [[1879]] to follow its route from Harrisburg to the South Mountain and Boston connection at Portland. This company, too, would be short-lived; the South Mountain and Boston's New Jersey Division was renamed on [[March 11]], [[1880]] to the '''Pennsylvania and New England Railroad''', and that company's [[Pennsylvania]] Division was incorporated on [[May 5]], [[1880]]. The property of the PP&NE was sold to the P&NE (PA Division) on [[October 13]], [[1880]]. This does not seem to have improved the fortunes of this segment of the line; a third company, the '''Delaware and Slatington Railroad''', was incorporated on [[September 9]], [[1881]], to run from the P&NE (NJ Division) at Portland to [[Slatington, Pennsylvania|Slatington]] on the [[Lehigh River]]. The P&NE (NJ Division) merged with the Delaware and Slatington on [[June 22]], [[1882]] to form the '''Pennsylvania, Slatington and New England Railroad'''.
===Pennsylvania construction: 1880-1891===
In the meantime, the P&NE (PA Division) was successful in laying one and one-sixth mile (2 km) of track to the east of [[Wind Gap, PA|Wind Gap]] about [[1880]]. However, it was foreclosed on [[July 25]], [[1881]], and reorganized as the '''Susquehanna and Delaware River Railroad''' on [[August 23]], [[1881]]; it was foreclosed again and reorganized on [[July 13]], [[1886]] as the '''Harrisburg and New England Railroad'''. This company was supposedly reorganized as the '''Harrisburg and Eastern Railroad''' on [[November 26]], [[1886]], but it was unclear who actually owned it, and the Harrisburg and New England continued to function as a paper corporation, supposedly buying the charter rights of the [[South Mountain Railroad]] at a sheriff's sale on [[November 30]], [[1888]]. In the meantime, the Harrisburg and Eastern underwent a final reorganization on [[May 31]], [[1887]] to become the '''Harrisburg and Delaware River Railroad'''. The piece of track laid by the original company was acquired by the Wind Gap and Delaware Railroad <!--also an L&NE precursor --> jointly from the Harrisburg and New England and its supposed successor, the Harrisburg and Delaware River, on [[July 31]], [[1891]].
===Pennsylvania, Slatington and New England Railroad: 1882-1887===
The '''Pennsylvania, Slatington and New England Railroad''' was formed [[June 22]], [[1882]] as a consolidation of the Pennsylvania and New England Railroad (NJ Division) and Delaware and Slatington Railroad, to build from [[Slatington, Pennsylvania]] to [[Pine Island, New York]]. In December of that year, [[John L. Blair]], who controlled the nearby [[Bangor and Portland Railway]], acquired control of the PS&NE, in order to give the B&P direct access to New England and other points. Additionally the [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]]'s [[Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad]] could no longer access points on the B&P.
Construction was carried out through [[1883]], with grading finished in Pennsylvania and about 12 miles west from [[Sussex, New Jersey]]. The bridge over the [[Delaware River]] at [[Portland (PA)|Portland]] was built, and rails were laid for about half of the length in Pennsylvania. In early [[1883]] a dispute erupted with the [[Wind Gap and Delaware Railroad]] over the tracks between [[Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania|Pen Argyl]] and [[Bangor, Pennsylvania|Bangor]], which the PS&NE wanted to use. Later that year the company went [[bankrupt]] and construction stopped.
===Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and Boston Railroad: 1887-1895===
The Pennsylvania, Slatington and New England Railroad was sold at [[foreclosure]] to [[William W. Gibbs]], president of the [[Poughkeepsie Bridge Company]], on [[July 12]], [[1887]], and was reorganized as the '''Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and Boston Railroad'''. Construction was begun, but the company again went [[bankrupt]], and was sold at [[foreclosure]] [[December 14]], [[1894]].
Around that time, various other companies were chartered to build the line over the [[Poughkeepsie Bridge]], and in [[1889]], the [[Central New England and Western Railroad]] was completed. That part would be combined with the PS&NE in [[1892]] by the [[Philadelphia and Reading Railway]], but in [[1893]] the two parts were split. The eastern section later became part of the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]], and the western section stayed independent to the end.
The '''Campbell Hall Connecting Railroad''' was chartered [[April 3]], [[1889]] to obtain the right to operate the section in [[New York]]. It was originally planned to extend beyond [[Pine Island, New York|Pine Island]] to [[Campbell Hall, New York|Campbell Hall]], the west end of the existing Poughkeepsie Bridge line.
The [[Philadelphia and Reading Railway]] gained control of the [[Central New England and Western Railroad]] in early [[1892]], and the PP&B soon after, giving it a route from [[Reading (PA)|Reading]] via the [[Schuylkill and Lehigh Railroad]] to [[Slatington (PA)|Slatington]], and then to New England along its new acquisitions. The Reading's [[bankruptcy]] in [[1893]] ended this control, and led to the PP&B's bankruptcy.
===Lehigh and New England Railroad: 1895-1961===
The '''Lehigh and New England Railroad''' was organized [[April 2]], [[1895]] as the successor to the PP&B. The route was completed from Slatington to Pine Island, but between [[Swartswood, New Jersey|Swartswood]] and [[Hainesburg Junction]] it used [[trackage rights]] over the [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway]]. Despite that, a tunnel ({{coor dms|40|58|44|N|74|46|1|W|type:landmark|name=Tunnel}}) was built under the fill for the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]]'s [[New Jersey Cut-Off]] (opened [[1911]]) in case the L&NE ever decided to complete its own line. [[Image:October_2006_-_2_014.jpg|thumb|275px|right|The never-used tunnel for the Lehigh & New England Railroad is on the right of this photo, as seen from Tunnel Field in Knowlton Township, NJ. The tunnel for NJ Route 94 is on the left. The Lackawanna Cut-Off is atop the embankment.]]
Additionally, the planned route from [[Pine Island, New York|Pine Island]] to [[Campbell Hall, New York|Campbell Hall]] was cancelled, and [[trackage rights]] were obtained over the [[Erie Railroad]]'s [[Goshen and Deckertown Railroad]] and [[Montgomery and Erie Railroad]].
The [[Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad]] and its leased [[Wind Gap and Delaware Railroad]] were operated by the [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]] until [[February 1]], [[1905]], when the two companies were merged into the L&NE. Around the same time the L&NE acquired the [[Northampton Railroad]]. This gave the L&NE a branch to [[Bethlehem (PA)|Bethlehem]], with a branch off that one to [[Martins Creek, Pennsylvania|Martins Creek]]. Part of the main line between [[Benders Junction]] (the crossing of the original L&NE and the L&L) and [[Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania|Pen Argyl]] was abandoned in [[1905]], with the new route using the L&L and WG&D.
The [[Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company]] (LC&N) gained control of the L&NE on [[May 9]], [[1904]].
A yard at [[Maybrook, New York]] opened in [[1912]], with L&NE trains terminating there via a section of the [[Central New England Railway]].
On [[July 24]], [[1912]] a new extension opened, splitting from the main line at [[Danielsville, Pennsylvania]] and running west to [[Tamaqua, Pennsylvania|Tamaqua]] to directly serve the LC&N. On [[December 14]], [[1913]] the L&NE acquired the [[Panther Creek Railroad]], running east from Tamaqua to [[Summit Hill, Pennsylvania|Summit Hill]], and with a connection to the [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]]'s [[Hauto Tunnel]] for access to [[Nesquehoning (PA)|Nesquehoning]] obtained in [[1915]].
On [[June 4]], [[1926]] the [[Reading Company]] leased the L&NE, but other railroads objected, and the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] rejected the lease, preferring a lease by the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] (which was never done).
[[Image:November_2006_-_2_044.jpg |thumb|370px|right|Two piers of the L&NE bridge over the Delaware River near Columbia, NJ are still extant in 2006, as seen from the nearby pedestrian bridge.]]
Operations ended on [[October 31]], [[1961]] due to the decline of mining in northeastern Pennsylvania.
===Lehigh and New England Railway: 1961-===
The '''Lehigh and New England Railway''' was chartered by the [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]] to take over some of the lines in Pennsylvania. Included in that sale was the main line east from [[Tamaqua, Pennsylvania|Tamaqua]], the old [[Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad]] and [[Northampton Railroad]] from [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]] to [[Martins Creek, Pennsylvania|Martins Creek]], and the branch from Bethlehem west to [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]]. A short section from [[Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania|Pen Argyl]] to [[Wind Gap, Pennsylvania|Wind Gap]] was taken over by the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]], connecting to the DL&W's [[Bangor and Portland Railway]] at Pen Argyl.
==Branches==
;Glenwood
[[Pochuck Railroad]]
;Sussex
;Bangor
;Saylorsburg
;Bethlehem
;Martins Creek
;Catasauqua
The branch from [[Crane Junction]] on the [[Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad]] (the Bethlehem Branch) southwest to [[Catasauqua (PA)|Catasauqua]] opened on [[April 1]], [[1914]].
;Allentown
;Slatington
The branch to [[Slatington (PA)|Slatington]] from [[Danielsville, Pennsylvania|Danielsville]], originally part of the main line, was abandoned between [[1928]] and [[1935]].
;Palmerton
The short connection from [[Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania|Lehigh Gap]] to [[Palmerton, Pennsylvania|Palmerton]] opened in [[1914]], providing a connection to the [[Chestnut Ridge Railway]].
;Nesquehoning
==Presidents==
{{listdev}}
*[[William Jay Turner]], [[1895]]-
==References==
*[http://www.earlpleasants.com/search_1.asp Railroad History Database]
*[http://www.prrths.com/PRR_hagley_intro.htm PRR Chronology]
*{{cite book | author=Kulp, Randolph L., ed. | year=1989 | title=History of Lehigh and New England Railroad Company | publisher=Lehigh Valley Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc | id=}}
*Railroad Management, [[New York Times]] May 20, 1881 page 5
*General Railway News, [[New York Times]] December 9, 1882 page 1
*A Bondholder's Complaint, [[New York Times]] June 13, 1883 page 5
*Auction Sales, [[New York Times]] March 15, 1887 page 6
*Sold Under Foreclosure, [[New York Times]] July 13, 1887 page 3
*Work on the Addition Begun, [[New York Times]] December 29, 1888 page 2
*Acquired by the Reading, [[New York Times]] February 4, 1892 page 3
*Another Road for the Reading, [[New York Times]] April 15, 1892 page 3
*The Reading Takes Possession, [[New York Times]] May 2, 1892 page 5
*Reading Gets Lease of Anthracite Road, [[New York Times]] June 5, 1926 page 25
*[http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?board=LNE;action=display;num=1045606459 LNE timeline]
[[Category:Lehigh and New England Railroad| ]]
[[Category:Defunct New York railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Pennsylvania railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct New Jersey railroads]]
[[Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States]]