Delaware Valley Railway (1901-1937)

Last updated
Delaware Valley Railway
Overview
Locale Delaware Water Gap and immediate north
Dates of operation19011937
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length12 miles

The Delaware Valley Railway was an American railroad that ran from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in Monroe County north along the Delaware River Valley to Bushkill in Pike County from 1901 to 1937. [1] The railroad began as a project to link Stroudsburg with Port Jervis, New York to the north, with plans to transport coal to New England via the new link. [2] Initial grading on the route began in the 1890s, but it wasn't until 1901 that the newly-organized railroad purchased a locomotive and began construction proper, [3] branching off from the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad at East Stroudsburg. [1] Facing a severe financial downturn, the railroad filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line in 1937 after clearing forty dollars in profit in its first two months of the year. Assets were sold off at a price of $30,600. [3]

Part of the former right of way in Bushkill is now a trail within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service called the Railway Avenue Trail. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 Jacques, Michelle; Beljean, John (2017). Delaware Valley Railway: 1901-1937 (Images of Rail). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 2. ISBN   9781467126151.
  2. Jacques, Michelle; Beljean, John (2017). Delaware Valley Railway: 1901-1937 (Images of Rail). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 8. ISBN   9781467126151.
  3. 1 2 Jacques, Michelle; Beljean, John (2017). Delaware Valley Railway: 1901-1937 (Images of Rail). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 9. ISBN   9781467126151.
  4. "The Railroads". National Park Service, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. National Park Service. November 2, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2025.