1899-1986 Abandoned/Lehigh Valley/Easton & Northern over Lehigh River in Easton, PA

(Archived Bridge Hunter was broken; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

HAER PA,48-EATO,13--5
5. OVERVIEW FROM SOUTH BANK OF LEHIGH RIVER. - Easton & Northern Railroad, Lehigh River Bridge, Spanning Lehigh River, Easton, Northampton County, PA

HistoricBridges
This 2,121' (646.5m) long bridge has a main span of 215' (66m). It has curved and skewed spans.

"Significance: This structure is significant for its highly complex geometry, with skew trusses carrying tracks on a reverse curve. It possesses a remarkable degree of integrity for a nineteenth-century steel truss bridge on a freight railroad." [HAER_data]

While checking out the curve and skew of the spans, I noticed a lock on the Lehigh Canal. It is Lock #47.

Satellite

Metrotrails posted

A scene along the Lehigh Canal at the bridge of the former Easton and Northern Railroad in Easton PA.

The Easton and Northern Bridge is a 2,121 foot behemoth of a bridge over the Lehigh River, with six main spans and 16 approach spans, combination pin-connected deck truss and through truss sections, as well as deck girder. The bridge was built in 1899 by the Athens Bridge Company of Athens Pennsylvania for the Easton and Northern, which stretched north around Easton, then up along the Bushkill Creek through Tatamy, Stockertown, and to Belfast Junction with connections to the Bangor and Portland (Lackawanna) and Lehigh and New England lines. The Easton and Northern Railroad had been established north of Easton earlier, and plans to extend south through the middle of Easton met opposition. A four mile "beltway" style rail line was decided upon and constructed in 1896-97, but stalled at the bridge. The line came under the control of the Lehigh Valley Railroad after completion, and provided access to the slate and concrete industries up that valley (although the Lackawanna Railroad had control of the line for a short time from 1903-04).

The bridge drew national interest for its complex geometry.

The Easton and Northern was taken out of service in 1986. There were plans to make the long bridge into a trail, and a former councilman confirmed that there were dedicated funds, but nothing has happened yet. The majority of the line is now trail from a point a bit north of the bridge to Tatamy, and another bit through Stockertown. A slice of the line remains in place north of Tatamy to Stockertown.

To the right is part of the vault associated with the canal at lock 47 ahead, and outlet lock to the right. original locks 48 and 49 were buried during expansion of the Lehigh Valley Railroad,and replaced with the larger unnumbered outlet lock.

HAER_data