Does anyone have some detailed station information? If so, what can you tell me about a place named "Viaduct?" I believe it is in Pennsylvania, but am not absolutely certain. Is it a stand alone location? Or an office within a town by another name?
I can only think of the three major viaducts here, Kinzua down the ridge from me, Starucca, and Tunkhannock... As for a town none that I can think of but definitely cannot say one doesn't exist.
Ken, is Viaduct on an order that you're trying to identify. Is there any other information on the order that might help find the location such as a mile post or train number?
Unfortunately all I have is a clearance card. It is dated 1952, and addresses an Extra West. Clearance cards usually don't give much more information. Another collector I know has a train order from Viaduct. It has an extra running from "Viaduct Station to Munson." I can find Munson on a map, but no place named Viaduct. This same other collector has a freight station guide dated 1961, which lists Viaduct in Pennsylvania, but such a publication does not indicate where in the State that might have been.
True. I have a B&O train order copied there in my collection. If I enter "Viaduct, Pennsylvania" into a Google search, all it returns is the Tunkhannock. Which is incorrect for my needs- different railroads associated. If curious, my example can be seen here: http://www.train-orders.com/TOUR/N/NYC/NYC.html I have recently added a couple of dozen locations to my NYCRR collection. This includes one or two more from Indiana, including South Anderson Yard. Which should interest Roger and perhaps a couple of others. Am slowly working on a complete rebuilding of my web site, and adding that page. I will let folks know when it is ready.
Ken, I have been unable to locate Engine 6391 on a NYC roster prior to 1952. That number was assigned to a GP-18 in the mid 50's, then a GP-35 in 1963. Did you notice that Engine 6391 was issued a Clearance for Munson on January 8th, 1952, just two days prior to the Viaduct Clearance? I located a 1933 NYC system map that shows Munson in central PA, just north of Phillipsburg. This may give you, or someone with local knowledge, help in locating Viaduct. Use this URL to see the original which allows the map to be enlarged, http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/mvgw/maps/new_york_central_railroad_map-300.jpg.
Hank- My thought on those two near dated clearances is they were quite likely both saved by the same person. These are just some of the many intriguing questions which arise with collecting train orders. Another which pops into mind, after looking at Hank's linked map, is Newberry Junction. Although the map shows distance between that point and Williamsport, I am wondering if NB was actually in or quite near to that town? Many times this was true.
All I can add is that railroads give a place name to a location that may or may not be a town or city or even a piece of real estate. It just denotes a particular location germaine to that railroad which can be used for train movement and identification purposes. ie "Nerska" on the BRC in Chicago, it is a crossing diamond. There is no such place as "Nerska" except for the sign identifying it. Charlie
Ken, from my NYC "book" purchased from Victor Baird long ago, and dated 1943, here is a map of the Pennsylvania Division. I tried to draw a loop around Munson and Viaduct. They are in the lower center. Hope you can read this. They were not far apart. Jim
I wish someone had an employee timetable. Other than for a special need or reason, many railroads when originally built established their telegraph offices or block stations roughly five miles apart. Later, they closed many, creating spacings of approximately ten miles. As years passed, siding lengths were longer, train speeds increased and they closed more offices. Just mentioning this as it might help some of the guess work.
Oops. I missed this post. Yes, Hank, I can read it. Cool! Now we know where it was sited. If not within limits of any town adjacent, it is of course as Charlie has noted. What I try to do is find out if, or if not so. To make my notes as accurate as possible. You can see this on my web pages where a second name is in parentheses, next to the office title. Also, many offices were in a town of not the same place, quite often with junctions. An example within the region where I grew up was the Milwaukee Road's Tacoma Junction. Which was not ever in Tacoma, but in the adjacent town of Fife, Washington.
Thanks, Chris. Following internal links, I found: http://www.ssrt.org/viaduct.html Anyone know what is the name of the valley or stream bridged? So, it appears that Viaduct was one of those remote offices. Now I wonder what the structure was like. Did it have any sort of living quarters, and so on?
According to my atlas, it is Moshannon Creek, and it is the county line between Clearfield and Center counties. Flows into the West Branch of the Susquehanna upstream from Karthaus. It is a really nice looking bridge, but Corman have their reasons for letting it go. As for any stations or the like, my money is on it was located at the junction clearly visible south of the bridge in the satellite imagery of the area. Perhaps a good lidar hillshade can pick out the foundation if one still exists in the woods... Or not http://www.nepaview.com/nyc-beech-creek-railroad.html
well, it would appear we have this mystery solved. Pennsylvania has a wonderful assortment of colorful names for towns, watercourses and highways.The state is also rich in geology. As a geology student, a good deal of the textbooks and the geological maps we used were of Pennsylvania geologic strata. It also provides graphic evidence of geologic events such as orogeny,stratigraphy, faulting,folding,erosion,inversion... you name it, it's there. Sorry for the diversion off-topic! Charlie
