Railroads of the Poconos — Part 6

> Rebuilt Water Gap Station in 1919 when it was 8 years old

> Engineering marvel Delaware River

Viaduct soon after completion

> Enlargement showing

Water Gap stone crusher

By Kim Williams

These words will barely scratch the surface of the DL&W story. A complete account would focus on its purpose, construction, executives (beyond its first two presidents), branches, equipment and other general info throughout its history of more than 100 years. Instead is mentioned in this and a later article only a few DL&W-related tidbits pertaining to a short section of the railroad in the Poconos from Portland almost to Gouldsboro.

In 1856, DL&W came into Pennsylvania from New Jersey on a bridge south of Portland. A small but busy yard was also on the south side of Portland. Like most other railroads, D&W’s primary objective was to haul freight – especially coal initially. But DL&W also prided itself on its attractiveness to passengers. Therefore DL&W’s passenger stations were eye-pleasing, such as the Portland station.

Sam Sloan was company president from 1867 to 1899, succeeded by William Truesdale until 1925. Truesdale implemented amazing capital improvements and imagestrengthening for an already well-run company. For example, a face-lifted Portland station.

> “Old Main” bridge still there (south of Portland) but not used

Among DL&W’s most ambitious undertakings from 1908 until 1911 was the 28-mile New Jersey “cutoff”, which shortened the route through Slateford by 11 miles. For millions of years the Delaware Water Gap has been an impressive, natural eastern entrance to the Poconos. For more than a century the splendor of “the gap” has been enhanced by the man-made engineering marvel, the Delaware River viaduct at the west end of the cutoff.

After accomplishing the cutoff, DL&W’s swagger is imagined as “What’ll we do next?” Plans that never materialized after being drawn up in 1918 were two tunnel options through Mt. Minsi on the Pennsylvania side of “the gap” to eliminate the sharp curve at “the point of the gap”, where there have been a few wrecks over the years.

In 1906, vacationing in the pristine “gap” was the rage and most travel was by train. However, it was not until townsfolk filed a lawsuit that DL&W realized the hypocrisy of locating a stone crusher (for ballast) to gouge out Mt. Minsi, which featured a conveyor above the current Rt. 611 and the rail route less than a mile east of the Water Gap station. The crusher was then moved to Analomink, where the scourge became fodder for postcards! Similar to the station in Portland, the Water Gap depot also underwent change in the early 1900s, although misfortune rather than aesthetics was the instigator. In 1902 a wooden station was replaced by a brick structure after the former was destroyed by fire, reportedly caused by sparks from a passing freight train. It was not until 1941 that the railroad added “Delaware” to the name of its Water Gap station. Restoration of the Portland and Water Gap stations are presently far from complete.

Examples of DL&W’s most impressive engineering feats are outside of Monroe County, but two challenging local efforts involved creek crossings near Minisink Hills and Analomink. The former was the four-span “Bells Bridge” beneath the Rt.

> Modifications to Portland Station

I-80 bridge across Brodhead Creek, where a washout in 1955 was one of many trouble spots for the railroad in the Poconos. The latter, built in 1911, resulted in side-by-side “tunnels” – for Paradise Creek and for Rt. 191. Prior to the culverts, the Spragueville High Bridge was where the tunnels are.

The railroad history of East Stroudsburg (condensed greatly) includes architectural features such as the 130-year-old station, relocated and restored after being severely damaged by fire in 2009. The station is now owned and managed by the Eastburg Community Alliance. An unmistakable image of the “Eastburg skyline” includes the metal water tower, erected in 1907. At the Analomink St. crossing is a restored switch tower, built in 1908 and in service to varying degrees for almost 80 years. The tower can be visited by appointment and is open during community events. Its website is: esrrtower.org Although now dismantled, elevated crossing guard shanties were familiar structures into the 1970s at East Broad and North Courtland Streets. Razed, too, were freight houses near the passenger station used by DL&W in busier times. The devices just west of Analomink St., “Milford Crossing” and Mill Creek Road are signal bridges.

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> Cresco Station, freight house, left, & road crossing before bridge was built

> Analomink Station, looking west > Henryville Station, station agent’s home, left

> Small part of East Stroudsburg Station, switch tower & water tower; June 1917

Immediately west of East Stroudsburg is an area known as Gravel Place, currently the site of Crowe Industrial Park. During the first half of the twentieth century, the complex included a 9-bay roundhouse and 6 additional tracks around a 60’ turntable for outside maintenance. Other purposes were to resupply steam engines with coal and water; and to store equipment. Switch towers were common where track diagrams show the possibility of walking in a straight line across many tracks. In East Stroudsburg, for example: 11 tracks; at Gravel Place, 15; and - counting the mainline — a yard area east of Analomink (where a PennDot compound is now) was 9 tracks wide.

Besides the previously-mentioned stone crusher, High Bridge and yard, Analomink rail history includes a station until about 1940 behind the former Hotel Rapids. The next village west – Henryville – also had a station until 1952 – reached by a steep, no-longer-there portion of Station Hill Road which intersected with Rt. 191 and was parallel to Paradise Creek. Before these stations were torn down, they were convenient stops for vacationers in the eastern Poconos, many of whom were avid fishermen attracted to Brodhead Creek.

Another tourist destination slightly west was the Cresco station, built in the 1880s, now owned and meticulously cared for by The Weiler Foundation and occupied by the Barrett Historical Society. barretthistorical.org/cresco-station For more than 60 years at the beginning of the twentieth century, a freight house with its distinct, four-sloped roof was west of the passenger station in an area known as Oakland prior to 1878. From about 1895 until the 1970s, west of the freight house was a branch track leading to customers as distant as Mountainhome.

More DL&W history in Monroe County will begin with a couple of mysteries in a future article.

Kim Williams is a lifelong resident of Monroe County, an amateur photographer and president of a local historical group. “The Flood” and the County’s railroad history are of particular interest to him. Kim’s two daughters — a doctor & a teacher — are sources of pride.

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