Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad was built in the 1850s to transport iron ore from local mines in Lehigh
and later Berks County
to furnaces along the Lehigh River
. Originally owned by two iron companies, the Catasauqua & Fogelsville later became part of the Reading system, and parts of it remain in operation today.
deposits in southern Lehigh County. The ore had to be hauled over rural roads to reach the company's furnaces at Catasauqua
. The wagons used to carry the heavy ore did great damage to the roads, and as the furnaces expanded, the deficiencies of this method of transportation became clear.
The initial application to the Pennsylvania General Assembly
for a railroad charter, around 1853, was met with fierce resistance by local farmers, who feared that trains would frighten livestock, set fires, and destroy the local farming districts. The iron company was forced to compromise and charter the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Plank Road on July 2, 1853. While plank road
s were a popular improvement in transportation at the time, the short stretch that was constructed was found wholly inadequate for the haulage of ore. The heavily-loaded wagons rapidly damaged the road and rendered it dangerous for travel. The Crane Iron Company persevered, and on April 20, 1854, the plank road was issued a modified charter to operate as the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad. The newly-chartered Thomas Iron Company
partnered with Crane in support of the railroad in March 1856, and construction began shortly thereafter. Crane Iron owned 60% of the railroad stock, and Thomas Iron 40%.
. Here, it connected with the private railroad of the Thomas Iron Company, which ran a short distance north to its furnaces at Hokendauqua
, and that of Crane Iron, which crossed the Lehigh River to that company's furnaces at Catasauqua. It also connected with the Lehigh Valley Railroad
, newly completed through the area. It ran westward through Whitehall Township
, with stations at Mickley's and Seiple. It then turned southwestward to enter South Whitehall Township
. The line crossed a high bridge over Jordan Creek to reach Guth's Station (later Guth), where there was a short spur to a local limestone
quarry and ore pits. Leaving Guth, the railroad turned west, then south to climb across the shoulder of Huckleberry Ridge and reach Wulbert's Station (later Walbert
), then ran southwestward into Upper Macungie Township
. At Chapman's Station
(named for Charles W. Chapman, superintendent of the railroad), it turned south again to reach Rupp's Station, a short distance southward. This was the extent of the first stage of the line, opened on July 14, 1857. Fogelsville
was never directly reached by the line, but lay about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Rupp's Station.
The desire of the Thomas Iron Company to build a furnace in the southern part of the county resulted in a further extension in 1864. Construction continued southward from Rupp's Station, through Crane Station (named for the iron company) and Trexlertown. Entering Lower Macungie Township
, the Catasauqua & Foglesville made a connection with the East Pennsylvania Railroad, completed 1859, at Alburtis
. It crossed over the East Penn and passed alongside the proposed furnace site, just south of Alburtis at Lock Ridge. In 1865, the line was extended south into the mountains. Climbing southeast and then running southwest along the side of the ridge, the line entered Longswamp Township, Berks County
. It entered Red Lion from the northeast and passed on to Rittenhouse Gap
and the Thomas Iron Company's magnetite
mines there. A turntable was built at the end of the line. In 1868, the furnaces at Lock Ridge went into operation, shipping and receiving over both the Catasauqua & Fogelsville and the East Penn.
In addition to coal, ore and lime traffic, the railroad also operated passenger service from Alburtis to West Catasauqua, which would continue until September 29, 1935.
. At the wharves, ore could be dumped from wagons into piles, and later transferred to railcars to be shipped to the furnaces.
Important mines did, however, warrant the expense of constructing branch lines, authorized by a charter supplement of April 8, 1861. The longest of these left the main line at Trexlertown, and ran as far as Breinigsville on the unfinished Allentown Railroad
right-of-way. There it diverged, and continued to Farmington, the site of a large ore wharf, and ended at the ore pits in the vicinity of Klines Corner. A shorter branch, originating at Crane, ran west and then turned sharply north to end at the Wallner iron mine near Haafsville. Finally, a switchback was built from the main line between Red Lion and Rittenhouse Gap in the late 1880s, which served the hematite
mines near Seisholtzville
. Another charter amendment of May 26, 1863, allowing the railroad to extend to Bath
(northeast of Catasauqua and terminus of the Bangor and Portland Railroad) was never utilized.
began to put pressure on local iron mining operations. It was leased to the Reading on December 8, 1893. Between 1916 and 1919, furnace slag was dumped under the Jordan Creek high bridge so that it could be replaced by a fill and culvert. Iron ore traffic continued to decline, and the local mines had all been shut down by the end of World War I
. The mine branches remained in place, derelict, until the 1940s, when the three spurs and the main line south of Lock Ridge were abandoned. The Catasauqua and Fogelsville was formally merged into the Reading on August 10, 1944, probably to simplify the corporate structure of that railroad and to save on taxes, as with a series of other mergers the next year.
until 1959, when it was abandoned. Otherwise, the line remained largely intact until after passing to Conrail. The connection in West Catasauqua with the Lehigh and New England Railroad
(formerly the Crane Iron Company tracks) had been abandoned in 1961. Anticipating the abandonment of the former Lehigh Valley main line in February 1982, leaving only the moribund Ironton Railroad connection, the line east of Seiple was abandoned on December 21, 1981. The remainder survived the breakup of Conrail to become the Norfolk Southern C&F Secondary. It is operated as a branch line
from Alburtis, serving a number of industrial customers in the Chapman area.
Field Survey from March 2010 shows almost all of the line from Alburtis to Rittenhouse Gap and Seisholtsville still easy to follow. Most posted "private property", but very evident and easy to trace with the help of Google Maps.
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
-Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year....
and later Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
to furnaces along the Lehigh River
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware River, is a river located in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a Pennsylvania Scenic River by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources...
. Originally owned by two iron companies, the Catasauqua & Fogelsville later became part of the Reading system, and parts of it remain in operation today.
Origins
From its founding in 1834 until the 1890s, the Crane Iron Company obtained much of its ore supply from limoniteLimonite
Limonite is an ore consisting in a mixture of hydrated iron oxide-hydroxide of varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO·nH2O, although this is not entirely accurate as limonite often contains a varying amount of oxide compared to hydroxide.Together with hematite, it has...
deposits in southern Lehigh County. The ore had to be hauled over rural roads to reach the company's furnaces at Catasauqua
Catasauqua, Pennsylvania
Catasauqua is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, settled in 1805 and chartered as a borough in 1853. Catasauqua is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
. The wagons used to carry the heavy ore did great damage to the roads, and as the furnaces expanded, the deficiencies of this method of transportation became clear.
The initial application to the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...
for a railroad charter, around 1853, was met with fierce resistance by local farmers, who feared that trains would frighten livestock, set fires, and destroy the local farming districts. The iron company was forced to compromise and charter the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Plank Road on July 2, 1853. While plank road
Plank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
s were a popular improvement in transportation at the time, the short stretch that was constructed was found wholly inadequate for the haulage of ore. The heavily-loaded wagons rapidly damaged the road and rendered it dangerous for travel. The Crane Iron Company persevered, and on April 20, 1854, the plank road was issued a modified charter to operate as the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad. The newly-chartered Thomas Iron Company
Thomas Iron Company
The Thomas Iron Company was a major iron-making firm in the Lehigh Valley from its organization in 1854 until its decline and eventual dismantling in the early 20th century. The firm was named in honor of its founder, David Thomas, who had emigrated to the United States in 1839 to introduce hot...
partnered with Crane in support of the railroad in March 1856, and construction began shortly thereafter. Crane Iron owned 60% of the railroad stock, and Thomas Iron 40%.
Route
The eastern terminus of the line was in West CatasauquaWest Catasauqua, Pennsylvania
West Catasauqua is a village within Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and is colloquially known as "West Catty" by local residents. It uses the Whitehall zip code of 18052.-Geography:...
. Here, it connected with the private railroad of the Thomas Iron Company, which ran a short distance north to its furnaces at Hokendauqua
Hokendauqua, Pennsylvania
Hokendauqua is a census-designated place in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Hokendauqua is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It uses the Whitehall zip code of 18052. The population of Hokendauqua was 3,411 at the...
, and that of Crane Iron, which crossed the Lehigh River to that company's furnaces at Catasauqua. It also connected with the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
, newly completed through the area. It ran westward through Whitehall Township
Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania
Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Whitehall Township was 24,896 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, with stations at Mickley's and Seiple. It then turned southwestward to enter South Whitehall Township
South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania
South Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley area of the state. The population of South Whitehall Township was 18,028 at the 2000 census...
. The line crossed a high bridge over Jordan Creek to reach Guth's Station (later Guth), where there was a short spur to a local limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry and ore pits. Leaving Guth, the railroad turned west, then south to climb across the shoulder of Huckleberry Ridge and reach Wulbert's Station (later Walbert
Walbert, Pennsylvania
Walbert, Pennsylvania is a small village that hosts the municipal offices of South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. It is located on Route 309 and has easy access to 22, 78, and 476. It is split between the Allentown zip code of 18104 and the Orefield zip code of 18069. It is drained by the...
), then ran southwestward into Upper Macungie Township
Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Macungie Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Upper Macungie Township was 20,063 as of the 2010 U.S...
. At Chapman's Station
Chapman, Pennsylvania
Chapman is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Chapman is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Chapman was 234 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chapman is located at ....
(named for Charles W. Chapman, superintendent of the railroad), it turned south again to reach Rupp's Station, a short distance southward. This was the extent of the first stage of the line, opened on July 14, 1857. Fogelsville
Fogelsville, Pennsylvania
Fogelsville is a village in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, in Upper Macungie Township, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
was never directly reached by the line, but lay about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Rupp's Station.
The desire of the Thomas Iron Company to build a furnace in the southern part of the county resulted in a further extension in 1864. Construction continued southward from Rupp's Station, through Crane Station (named for the iron company) and Trexlertown. Entering Lower Macungie Township
Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Macungie Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. As of the 2010 Census, the township had a population of 30,633....
, the Catasauqua & Foglesville made a connection with the East Pennsylvania Railroad, completed 1859, at Alburtis
Alburtis, Pennsylvania
Alburtis is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Alburtis was 2,117 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. It crossed over the East Penn and passed alongside the proposed furnace site, just south of Alburtis at Lock Ridge. In 1865, the line was extended south into the mountains. Climbing southeast and then running southwest along the side of the ridge, the line entered Longswamp Township, Berks County
Longswamp Township, Pennsylvania
Longswamp Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,608 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,608 people, 2,029 households, and 1,529 families residing in the township. The population density was 246.1 people per...
. It entered Red Lion from the northeast and passed on to Rittenhouse Gap
Rittenhouse Gap, Pennsylvania
Rittenhouse Gap is the name of a village in Longswamp Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, at .The gap which gives the town its name lies between the headwaters of Swabia Creek, in the Lehigh River watershed, and an unnamed tributary of the Perkiomen Creek, in the Schuylkill River watershed...
and the Thomas Iron Company's magnetite
Magnetite
Magnetite is a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides and a member of the spinel group. The chemical IUPAC name is iron oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide. The formula for magnetite may also be written as FeO·Fe2O3, which is one part...
mines there. A turntable was built at the end of the line. In 1868, the furnaces at Lock Ridge went into operation, shipping and receiving over both the Catasauqua & Fogelsville and the East Penn.
In addition to coal, ore and lime traffic, the railroad also operated passenger service from Alburtis to West Catasauqua, which would continue until September 29, 1935.
Ore spurs and wharves
The railroad could not run a spur to every mine site, and a number of "ore wharves" were constructed along the right-of-wayRight-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
. At the wharves, ore could be dumped from wagons into piles, and later transferred to railcars to be shipped to the furnaces.
Important mines did, however, warrant the expense of constructing branch lines, authorized by a charter supplement of April 8, 1861. The longest of these left the main line at Trexlertown, and ran as far as Breinigsville on the unfinished Allentown Railroad
Allentown Railroad
The Allentown Railroad was a rail line proposed in the 1850s to connect the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Allentown with the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line across the Allegheny Mountains...
right-of-way. There it diverged, and continued to Farmington, the site of a large ore wharf, and ended at the ore pits in the vicinity of Klines Corner. A shorter branch, originating at Crane, ran west and then turned sharply north to end at the Wallner iron mine near Haafsville. Finally, a switchback was built from the main line between Red Lion and Rittenhouse Gap in the late 1880s, which served the hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
mines near Seisholtzville
Seisholtzville, Pennsylvania
Seisholtzville, Pennsylvania is a village located mainly in Hereford Township, Berks County, but also in Longswamp Township. It is located on the crest of South Mountain and the Perkiomen Creek begins here. It uses the Macungie zip code of 18062. Although the correct pronunciation is...
. Another charter amendment of May 26, 1863, allowing the railroad to extend to Bath
Bath, Pennsylvania
Bath is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is named for Bath, Somerset, England. It is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Bath was 2,693 at the 2010 census.-History:...
(northeast of Catasauqua and terminus of the Bangor and Portland Railroad) was never utilized.
Reading control
Most of the stock of the Catasauqua & Fogelsville was bought by the Reading in 1890, as iron ore from the Mesabi RangeMesabi Range
The Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located in northeast Minnesota, largely in...
began to put pressure on local iron mining operations. It was leased to the Reading on December 8, 1893. Between 1916 and 1919, furnace slag was dumped under the Jordan Creek high bridge so that it could be replaced by a fill and culvert. Iron ore traffic continued to decline, and the local mines had all been shut down by the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The mine branches remained in place, derelict, until the 1940s, when the three spurs and the main line south of Lock Ridge were abandoned. The Catasauqua and Fogelsville was formally merged into the Reading on August 10, 1944, probably to simplify the corporate structure of that railroad and to save on taxes, as with a series of other mergers the next year.
Post-merger
The line from Alburtis to the now-derelict furnaces at Lock Ridge remained in place to haul furnace slagSlag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
until 1959, when it was abandoned. Otherwise, the line remained largely intact until after passing to Conrail. The connection in West Catasauqua with the Lehigh and New England Railroad
Lehigh and New England Railroad
The Lehigh and New England Railroad was a connection from northeastern Pennsylvania towards the Poughkeepsie Bridge across the Hudson River. Originally planned as a continuous line east to Boston, plans were later cut back to a section west of the river....
(formerly the Crane Iron Company tracks) had been abandoned in 1961. Anticipating the abandonment of the former Lehigh Valley main line in February 1982, leaving only the moribund Ironton Railroad connection, the line east of Seiple was abandoned on December 21, 1981. The remainder survived the breakup of Conrail to become the Norfolk Southern C&F Secondary. It is operated as a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
from Alburtis, serving a number of industrial customers in the Chapman area.
Field Survey from March 2010 shows almost all of the line from Alburtis to Rittenhouse Gap and Seisholtsville still easy to follow. Most posted "private property", but very evident and easy to trace with the help of Google Maps.