Gravity makes trains sad. On some mountainsides, a train simply couldn’t get the speed or power needed to make it up the side. In the Ashley area, three huge planes (as in inclined plane, not airplane) were built to get freight cars up the mountain. Small cars, or barneys, would push the freight cars from plane to plane.
Along Rt. 309 is a trail that leads to one of the plane sites and the ruins of its powerhouse.
I am surprised to view these pictures and see that the area is still in the same condition as it was back in the mid ’90’s. Back then there was an effort by the National Park Service and a group of locals that was making an atttempt to beautify, enhance, and redevelop the planes as a part of the Lehigh to Susquehanna Heritage Corridor. It would appear as though that effort flopped. What a shame!
there is more ruins of the ashley planes right along 309 up from this and also at the very top of the mountain right along the highway