The Jefferson Connection is in its last months of operation and of its very existence as a southbound detour train around Belden Hill enters that Former Erie main line at Lanesboro, Pennsylvania. After the D&H purchased the former DL&W main line between Binghamton, New York and Scranton, Pennsylvania, the D&H Penn Division was abandoned between Scranton and Jefferson Junction, just south of Lanesboro. The Penn Division between Jefferson Junction and Nineveh, New York was retained to provide an alternate routing for high/wide loads that could not fit through the Belden Hill Tunnel. The alternate route to Binghamton for these dimensional loads was via the remaining portion of the Penn Division, the Jefferson Connection, and the former Erie main line.
The decision to enlarge the Belden Hill tunnel to accommodate stack trains brought new life to the Penn Division and the Jefferson Connection. During the construction, every train between Binghamton and the north had to use this route, which included a switchback operation at Jefferson Junction. When the tunnel was reopened, the Jefferson connector and the Penn Division were permanently abandoned.
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