13T rolls through the Lehigh Gap in great evening light. The train is using the former Central Railroad of New Jersey line. The old Lehigh Valley main is in the foreground on the near side of the river. This line fell out of favor with the consolidation of LV and CNJ rails in PA, and it was finally abandoned in the early 1980s. A third railroad, the Lehigh & New England, once passed through the gap on a spectacular bridge crossing the river and both railroads. The LNE was abandoned in 1961, but the former right of way and bridge abutments are still easily seen just above the engines. The Lehigh Gap is located just south of Palmerton, a town along the Appalachian Trail that was once home to a large New Jersey Zinc mill. This mill was closed in the 1980s, but not before its pollution managed to kill nearly all of the foliage just downstream. However, the area has been cleaned up quite nicely since then, and some trees are starting to grow. PA Route 248 completes the scene as it slices through the side of the mountain. The whole scene has a "Rocky Mountain" feel to it, it's certainly one of the only shots of this kind in eastern Pennsylvania. The 13T was one of the last trains operating on NS before the Christmas shutdown, and its crew will soon arrive in Allentown for a van ride back to their home base in Binghamton, NY. Merry Christmas!
