LVRR Magazine Articles

Lehigh Valley articles listed in the Model Train Magazine Index – Click here for an up-to-date list of LVRR articles that have appeared in the model railroad and railfan press. Continually updated.

Magazines that are not indexed on The Model Train Magazine Index site:

Flags Diamonds and Statues, the publication of the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society, is not indexed by the Model Train Magazine Index so a listing of LVRR articles will be assembled here. Back issues are available from the ARHS web site. Out of print issues will eventually be available on CD-ROM. A CD containing all of Volume 4, the first volume to feature color inside, is expected to be available at the 2002 ARHS Convention in Easton.

  • The Lehigh Valley – A Journey’s End, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.19 – 24. A snapshot of the LVRR in its last year, with rosters & freight schedules, including interchange.
  • Lehigh Valley 353, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 3, No. 1, pp.14 – 24. A history of this car, with floor plans, interior and exterior photos, and a letter from current owner Dick Horstmann.
  • An LV Roster Unique, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 24 – 28. History of LV 200, the only Baldwin DRS-4-4-15 on the roster. B&w photos, painting diagram.
  • Lehigh’s Little Locomotives. Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 22 – 23. Photo essay on LV’s 0-6-0 camelbacks and saddle tank locomotives.
  • The Motors of Claremont. Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 21 – 23. LV’s 42 inch gauge electric motors used at Claremont NJ engine terminal, with photos and drawing.
  • Lehigh Valley Streamlined Pacifics, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 16 – 23, rear cover. History and photos of the Otto Kuhler designed Pacifics, from the 1938 paint scheme applied to 2101 to the full streamlining of the K5s and K6s.
  • A Triple Tragedy During the Blizzard of 1888, by Dr. Warren Lee. Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 26 – 27. An account, with one photo and a map, of a derailment near Three Bridges, NJ, on 3-14-1888.
  • Catasauqua – Crossroads of the Anthracite Railroads, by Joe Yurko. Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 4 – 25. A history of LV, LNE, RDG, CNJ and Ironton operations around Catasauqua, with photos, maps and track diagrams.
  • The Locomotives Which Didn’t Know When to Quit: The Story of the Lehigh Valley’s ALCO RS2’s and RS3’s, by Mike Bednar. Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 2 – 19, front & rear covers. An operational history with paint diagrams of the original and final schemes, photos of every unit, and personal reminiscences by the author.
  • Lehigh Valley Railroad Gas-Electrics, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 4 – 37. History of LV’s doodlebugs, with complete photo roster and roster of trailer cars, operating statistics, interior photos, floor plans, and Otto Kuhler sketches for streamlining.
  • Catasauqua – Crossroads of the Anthracite Railroads, Part Two, by Joe Yurko. Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 4 – 20. Second part of a history of LV, LNE, RDG, CNJ and Ironton operations around Catasauqua, with b&w photos.
  • PA: Lehigh Valley Style, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 7, No.2, pp.4 – 18, front & rear covers. A complete history of the LVRR’s ALCo PA’s including variations in their paint scheme.
  • Wilkes-Barre Union Station – 1937, by Frank Hoffman. Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 24 – 30. A brief sketch of operations, with photos, timetables, and a map.
  • Painting of the C420s, by Carl Steckler. Vol. 8, No. 2, pp.4 – 12, front & rear covers. A pictorial history of the paint schemes used on the LV’s ALCo C420s, with paint diagrams for the original and final schemes.
  • A Lehigh Gorge Pictorial. Vol. 8, No. 3 & 4, 46 pages. A special all-color pictorial issue covering the LV and CNJ in the Lehigh Gorge.
  • Lehigh Valley Covered Hopper Paint Diagram. Vo. 9, No. 2, pp. 18 – 19. Paint diagram & photo for LV 50250 – 50399, similar to that used on other 70 ton covered hoppers, including PS-2s.
  • Competitive Innovation – The NKP-LV Pool Trains. Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 20 – 27. A history of the 1960s pool trains that were the forerunners of the Apollos.
  • The Lehigh Valley: A Journey’s End, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 10, No. 1 & 2, pp. 33 – 43, front cover. An updated version of the article in Vol. 2, No. 1, with color photos and Jan. 1, 1976 symbol freights and interchange.
  • Freight Car Corner: Lehigh Valley 50′ Boxcars, by Bob Losse. Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 12 – 13. A review of the LV’s 50 ft exterior post boxcars, pointing out differences between the PPR-built white cars (7100 – 7139 and 8200 – 8259) and the green cars (7140 – 7189 and 8300 – 8399) built by Despatch shops.
  • Who Put the *?!**?! Bombers on the Jazzer? A Slice of Life on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, by Mike Bednar. Vol. 10, No. 4, pp.14 – 19, front cover. The author’s experiences as a towerman at Lehighton.
  • The Waverly Connection – the Early History of Railroading the the Penn-York Valley, by Richard F. Palmer. Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 5 – 15. History through 1873, with photos.
  • New Power for the Apollo – A History of the GP38AC on the Lehigh Valley, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 28 – 31, front & rear covers.
  • The Waverly Connection – Part 2: On to Buffalo, by Richard F. Palmer. Vol 11, No. 3, pp. 11. History of the connection between the LV and ERIE at Waverly, NY
  • LV’s Airslide Covered Hoppers, by Ted Tucker. Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 27 – 31, rear cover. History, photos, paint diagram.
  • The Other Lehigh Valley – the Buffalo Division, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 4 – 43, front & rear covers. History, photos, maps, 1933 freight traffic density diagram, grade profile, 1945 freight traffic chart, 1953 graphic timetable, 1961 consist (Form T-166).
  • The Lehigh Valley’s Buffalo Division – Part II, by Paul J. Templeton. Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 20 – 31, front & rear covers. Operations in the diesel era, with photos.
  • Over the River and Through the Woods to… a Connection with the Lehigh Valley, by Robert E. Mohoski. Vo. 12, No. 2, pp. 18 – 25. The story of the O&W’s connection to Coxton Yard.
  • The Bowman’s Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, by Harry D. Owens, Jr. Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 4 – 21. A history with photos, maps & references.
  • Lehigh Valley Steel Passenger Coaches in the 800/900 Series, by Ted W. Tucker. Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 22 – 27. Photos, drawing, builder & delivery data, cars in service by year, dispositions, conversions & reuse.
  • Table of Lehigh Valley 800 – 900 Class Day Coaches Converted to Maintenance of Way Service, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 21 – 22. Includes photos of 92156 (990, 1051), 94102 (809) & 94118 (926).
  • A Night in the Day of a Trainmaster, by George M. Leilich. Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 4 – 7. A personal reminiscence of dealing with a derailment on a cold and icy night, 1-22-1946.
  • The Reincarnation of Lehigh Valley 582, by Charles P. Turner. Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 18 – 20. An account of the wreck and rebuilding of 582 by the former Chief Mechanical Officer of the LVRR.
  • Mikados – a Photo Essay, by Donald W. Furler. Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 27 – 31. Coverage of CNJ, Lackawanna, and LV Mikados.
  • Lehigh Valley Composite Gondolas, by Ted W. Tucker. Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 16 – 18. History, photos, drawing, dimensions, chart of number of cars in service 1944 – 1975.
  • LV Steam Locomotive Roster – Pre-1905, Part 1. Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 26 – 29. Number, name, type, cylinder & driver dimensions, builder, disposition, notes and 1905 number; covers numbers 1 – 16 plus locomotives that had names only.
  • LV Spotlight Location: Auburn, NY, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 4 – 17, front cover. A history of LV operations at Auburn, with timetables, track diagrams, maps & photos, including two interior pages of color.
  • LV Steam Locomotive Roster – Pre-1905, Part 2. Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 22 – 25. Number, name, type, cylinder & driver dimensions, builder, disposition, notes and 1905 number; covers numbers 17 – 36.
  • Bad Day at Richards Tower. Vol 15, No. 1, pp. 25 – 27. Photo coverage of derailment of LV 5100 on 7-11-1945.
  • Lehigh’s Prelude to Super Power: The S-Class, by Bert Pennypacker. Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 4 – 13, 20 – 27, front cover. A history of LV’s 5000 series S-class 3-cylinder steam locomotives, with photos, drawing and LVRR reports and correspondence.
  • East Penn Junction and Associated Trackage, Allentown, PA. Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 4 – 12, front & rear covers. A pictorial review, with photos by Dave Augsburger, of RDG and LV operations at East Penn Junction, including track diagrams.
  • LV Lehighton Tower – The Last of Lehigh Valley’s Many Frame Towers. Drawings & photos by John D.L. Johnson. Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 13 – 17. Photos and S scale drawings of Lehighton tower. Although Lehighton was a small tower, the drawings can also be used as a starting point for modeling some of LV’s other towers.
  • LV Steam Locomotive Roster – Pre-1905, Part 3. Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 28 – 31. Number, name, type, cylinder & driver dimensions, builder, disposition, notes and 1905 number; covers numbers 37 – 56.
  • The PRR Influence: the Hi-hood Alco’s, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 12 – 23, front and rear covers. A history of the Valley’s high hood RS11s, with color and b&w photos, a 12/3/63 painting diagram for the original Tuscan scheme, and a history of repaints in chronological order.
  • LV Operation Summary, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 23 – 31 and rear cover. Feature involves the yards, operations and major shippers of May of 1969.
  • The Lehigh of Lehighton, by John Koehler. Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 4 – 27, front and rear covers. A look at the history and operations around Lehighton and the Packerton shops.
  • Presidents of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Vol. 17, No. 2, page 21. A listing from 1876 to 1976.
  • LV Interchange – July 1959. Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 22 -25.
  • Memo from LV Trustee. Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 29 -31. A note concerning reorganization.
  • Lehigh Valley’s Tuscan F units, by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 14 – 25, front and rear covers. An in-depth feature on the history and variety of paint scheme’s displayed by the Valley’s F units, including color and b&w photos, a 11/6/62 painting diagram, and a repaint comparison chart.
  • LV Incident at Lawellen Crossing, by Mark Schmitt. Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 4. An account of an incident on a LV Branchline near Minersville, PA in which a Hungarian national was struck and killed by a LV passenger car on Sept 10, 1894.
  • LV at Coxton, photos by John Endler. Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 22. Photo essay regarding the operations of the LV at Coxton, PA in Oct 1948.
  • Lehigh Valley Easton Station Improvements, photos from the Pennsylvania State Archives. Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 4. Photo essay regarding the construction activities to rebuild the Easton, PA, viaduct in 1925-1926.
  • Lehigh Valley Standard Tower, photos by Dave Augsburger. Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 13. Pictorial with diagrams of the LV standard interlocking tower at Gracedale, PA (Penobscot Mtn).
  • GE U25C Demo on the Lehigh Valley Railroad – May 1965, by Ben F. Anthony. Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 28. First hand account by a GE field service engineer regarding demo runs with the new locomotives.
  • The Alco Second Generation on the Lehigh Valley. Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 4 and front cover. Color pictorial of LV ALCO RS11 locomotives in various paint schemes.
  • Lehigh Valley Railroad’s Hudsondale Coal Storage, by John S. Koehler. Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 24 – 31. Article examines the huge facility on the Mahanoy & Hazelton Division used to store coal surpluses. Included are b&w photos from the collection of the author, the ARHS and others.
  • Franklin Junction. Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 4 -15 and rear cover. A history of the area with a diagram and pictures from steam and diesel eras.
  • Lehigh Valley Heavy Duty Flat Cars. Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 22 -23. An examination of LV heavy-duty flat cars from the Pennsylvania State Archives with pictures.
  • Map of Lehigh Valley Mahanoy & Hazleton Division. Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 14 & 15.  From the PA State Archives, and credited to the LVRR’s Chief Engineer, the image depicts a visually history of the lines that eventually formed this division of the railroad. The map was created and hand-colored in May 1901 to show individual predecessor roads and others.
  • Mineral Springs, by Peter Brill and Chuck Davis. Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 16 – 31 and rear cover. Feature details the huge facility on the Mahanoy & Hazelton Division used to store coal surpluses. Included is a map from the ARHS archives and b&w photos mostly by Leslie Ross and S.Botsko.
  • Lehigh Valley GP9s and GP18s. by Richard W. Jahn. Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 8 – 19, front and rear covers. A history of the Valley’s high hood Geeps, with color photos by Dave Augsburger, Tom Nemeth and others. a 12/3/63 painting diagram for the original Tuscan scheme, and a history of repaints in chronological order.
  • Lehigh Valley On the D&H. Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 4 – 21, front and rear covers. Photo essay of LV trains from the Delaware & Hudson connection at Dupont, PA, to Oneonta, NY, featuring color photos by Dave Augsburger and Tom Nemeth. Images are arranged south to north, and locations are shown on an included map.

Rails Northeast, published in the late 1970s through early 1980s, occasionally had articles about the Valley or related subjects.

  • Conrail Moves Hard Coal in 82, by William Farber. Vol. 11, No. 7, August 1983, pp. 27 – 31. Photo coverage of Conrail operations on ex-LVRR Hazleton Branch, with shots of Jeddo-Highland Breaker No. 7, Dragline operations in Hazle Township, and a map.
  • Lehigh Valley Railroad Buffalo Division – Winter 1976, by Richard T. Steinbrenner. Vol. 11, No. 3, April 1983, pp. 8 – 27. A chronicle of an railfan trip from 2-17-76 through 2-21-76, in the last days of the Valley. Lots of b&w photos, system map.

The Railroad Press (TRP), “published four or more times a year,” often has Lehigh Valley articles by Mike Bednar, who is a regular contributor.

  • A Tale of White Elephants, by Mike Bednar. Issue No. 49, Apr/May/Jun 1001, pp. 46 – 53. A history of the Alco C628s on the LVRR. Color and B&W photos, roster.
  • Big Smoke in the Steel Yard, by Mike Bednar. Issue No. 53, Apr/May/Jun 2002, pp. 12 – 18. An account of operations at Calypso Yard and Florence Yard, where the Valley interchanged with Bethlehem Steel’s PB&NE. Color & B&W photos .
  • “Towerboy!” by Mike Bednar. Issue No. 54, Jul/Aug/Sep 2002, pp. 12 – 15. A reminiscence of Mike’s days as a towerman at Lehighton, where the Valley had an interlocking with the CNJ. Color photos.
  • Bethlehem Tower, by Mike Bednar. Issue No. 55, Oct/Nov/Dec 2002, pp. 11 – 13. A reminiscence of Mike’s experience as a substitute towerman at Bethlehem, trying to avoid delaying the FFW-1 while clearing a RDG hopper train through the interlocking. B&W photos, interlocking diagram.
  • Lehigh Valley’s High-hooded ALCO RS11’s, by Mike Bednar. Issue No. 56, Jan/Feb/Mar 2003, pp. 59 – 62. Mike’s reminiscences of these units, with lots of tales about how their crews regarded them. Color & b&w photos.
  • Richards Yard, by Mike Bednar. Issue No. 59, Oct/Nov/Dec 2003, pp. 54 – 56. Stories of operations at Richards Yard, and some of the pranks played.

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