NKP 765 Allentown-Pittston Question

All but one of your questions are answered by the FAQ at:

 

https://fortwaynerailroad.org/faq/

 

Regards,

GNNPNUT

The FAQ does not address my question of being able to photograph 765 during layover for lunch or any other opportunity. 

 

Question for Rich, will you be engineering 765 on the Sunday excursion?

 

Bob

 

Thank you Rich.

See you guys Sunday the 23rd.  I'll be with my son

Has the actual boarding location been announced for the Allentown location? I know that there will be some kind of shuttle from the 3rd. Ave. parking site in South Bethlehem. I might staying within walking distance in the downtown area and probably will not need to park there.  

You may not need to park there, but you will still have to board a bus there. The boarding site is over a mile from that 3rd street lot. The only way in to the boarding site is on one of the buses.

Thanks Rich. I'm cool with that. Perhaps it would be good for the Ft.Wayne Chapter to stress  the "bus only" info on their site so that folks won't try to circumvent the well made plans for loading. I am looking forward to riding behind you on this trip and little later working with you at Steamtown.

Earl      

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc. has been an independent organization from the start in 1972.  It is not a "chapter" of anything else.  We do work with NRHS Chapters frequently and in 2015 are working with the Watauga Valley Chapter and Washington DC Chapter on several of the cars in our train.

This is precisely why we have NOT published the actual boarding site! We and the railroad do not want several hundred cars going into an area where there is no room for them. Go to the parking area you have been told about and get on a bus. Simple.

 

And as NKP779 said, we are a totally independent organization and not a "chapter" of some larger organization. We control our own destiny.

OK. Did not mean to offend.

Boarding is a mile away from the Bethlehem parking lot? So I guess we don't get to cross the bridge over the Lehigh River at Bethlehem on the train. But, will we be riding through Allentown Yard? I guess we don't need to know the boarding location in advance because the buses are taking us there. But, is boarding in the city of Bethlehem or Allentown? The city line is at the east end of the yard just east of the new wye.

The ex-CNJ station on the north side of Bethlehem would have been a good boarding site, there is a single track there and it's out of the way of the mainline. Leaving the station you would enter the main and enter the yard heading toward Allentown.

No offense taken, Earl. See you in Allentown!

The route is basically the ex-CNJ and ex-LV lines along the Lehigh River. NS from Bethlehem/Allentown to Old Penn Haven, then RBMN to Pittston Wye, then back down RBMN to Jim Thorpe, and NS from Packerton Jct. to Allentown/Bethlehem.

 

My dad worked at the Bethlehem Steel plant, he passed away on March 8, 1986 late at night, a car hit him a mile from our house. He had the same first name as me, Robert. It's a shame that most of our steel plants closed or are struggling the ones that are open as we import cheap steel from Europe, Japan, and China, etc. When you went by the Bethlehem Steel plant in late July, 1988 with the 765 about 3 times, my father was already 2 years gone but the plant was still running. It closed in 1995, coke works 1998. 2 years ago NS did a trip with NJT and M&E called Lehigh Limited from Hoboken to Bethlehem, the outbound trip went on the freight only NS Lehigh Line, ex-Lehigh Valley, and the return switched to the NS Washington Secondary from Phillipsburg to Hackettstown, then NJT back to Hoboken. Ex-DL&W/EL route. Part of the outbound trip through Newark was on Amtrak ex-PRR/PC. I wonder if the 765 would be able to run into NJ again in the future? I know, bad memories with Bound Brook 1988. And complications with CSX sharing some of the trackage east of Bound Brook into Oak Island Yard. You had enough trouble getting CP to let you run south of Binghamton. CSX, CP and CN don't play very nice with steam, CSX's and CP's current heads have a strong dislike for live steam movements on their tracks. You were lucky that CP let you through. E. Hunter Harrison current CP CEO wants nothing to do with steam on his railroad. The previous CEO Fred Green was more steam friendly. CP's steam program was axed as soon as EHH came on board. The CP lines in PA and NY are going to NS soon anyway.

Robert,

 

Will you be riding either of the Lehigh Gorge trains?

Yes, Saturday. I guess Rich or someone removed my comment about the boarding area because no one is supposed to know where it is. I assume that only ticket holders are permitted on the buses. So, we must ride the bus to the train because the train boarding location is secret.

You must ride a bus to the train BECAUSE THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE BOARDING SITE!!! What is so hard to understand about that?

 

As for your question about only ticket holders being allowed on the buses, we figured we would let just anyone get on the buses and take them for an all-day bus ride around downtown Bethlehem.  

Several years ago I rode a Reading and Northern 425 excursion from Tunkhannock to Jim Thorpe. We had to park in a school parking lot and yellow school buses took us to the train boarding side which was in a public park because there was limited parking in the park. They did the same thing last year with a 425 trip from Mountain Top to Jim Thorpe, same route we are traveling on with 765, they bused people from a fire company parking lot to the train which boarded at Penobscot yard. I wasn't on that trip. Tunkhannock is about 23 miles further than Pittston Wye where we turn around with 765 this year. In September, 425 runs from Pittston-Duryea to Jim Thorpe on the same route 765 is running on. Then, in October, Port Clinton to Jim Thorpe 4 times, 2 diesel 2 steam I believe.

I did a recon trip in June and it looks like this where we board the bus.  These shots are taken from Second Street.  The parking lot is between third and second.

 

What time do the buses run from the parking area to the boarding area? If I haven't checked this out I wouldn't have any idea what to do. I do know that boarding starts at 7:30 though.

Re-read the email you got with your tickets, or the web page about these excursions. Everything you need to know is there.

Rich,

 

I never received a email other than the conformation about the purchase way back when they first went on sale.   I have checked the website and I see the info is there but I suspect many like I never received emails on where to go and when.

 

But with that said, I just emailed the society and received a response on details and they said an email will be forth coming next week with parking and boarding details.

No e-mail received here as well as of today.

I am really looking forward to Sunday's trip. See ya's there.

Likewise.  The only down side is having to get up way too early in the morning to drive to Bethlehem.

Yeah the only downside for me about the trip is I got to get up early and drive all the way from Schuylkill Haven at 5:30 in the morning. 

Yes, I agree and we have a boy scout camping trip Saturday night that I will be leaving early from and I am sure it will be a late night too with little sleep. Ugh!

Due to the morning logistics for the Class 1 Air Test on the passenger train, the 765 1st trick engine crew has to go on duty at 0600. That means getting up at 0-Dark 30.  

 

0530 is considered "sleeping in" when you're on the engine crew. 

There will be 13 members of the Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers on Sunday's excursion. If you see us on the train stop buy and say hello.

 

JohnB

Any other info we need to know besides getting on buses to the boarding area?

Yes.  Do what Rich said above.  Go here and click on Lehigh Gorge.  Also click on the FAQs.  No open toe shoes.

 

http://fortwaynerailroad.org/events-and-excursions/

The person who emailed me back stated get to the parking area 7am or before.  My son and I will also be doing the Sunday trip in coach.  Since it's a four hour drive for me I have a room at the Comfort inn for two nights just down the road.  Why wear myself out driving.  I'll enjoy the ride, meeting new people and have no worries driving to and from the event.

There is no reason to get there before 7. The buses won't even get there until around 7.

Welcome back, Rich to Allentown and the Lehigh Valley for the first time since 1988! And in 1988 you didn't even stop here, you were just passing through on the way to NJ or Reading.

Is this the 765's first ever time on the NS/RBMN (formerly Conrail) Lehigh Line and in Jim Thorpe?

Yes.

Good, I can sleep in that much longer.  LOL

Just got an email from Ft Wayne (as I assume other ticketed passengers did) that explains it all (parking, boarding, schedule, etc.)