Engine House History

During the nineteenth century, White Haven, Pennsylvania, enjoyed the enviable status of being a point where the two primary transportation systems of the day, canals and railroads, met. From White Haven, the Lehigh Canal navigation system began its journey downstream to Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) and on to Easton.

Several railroads passed through, including the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, stretching north to Wilkes-Barre, and later leased by the Central Railroad of New Jersey. This line linked to its routes in New Jersey, and the Penn Haven and White Haven Railroad, which was later acquired by the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) began as a small regional company that grew to be an extensive network connecting White Haven with Buffalo and the Great Lakes to the west, New York to the east, and Philadelphia to the south.

The Engine House history begins here In White Haven, built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad as part of its regional railroad infrastructure in 1889.

In 1838, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, which possessed a canal system between Mauch Chunk and Easton, constructed an engineering marvel of the nineteenth century: the Upper Grand Division of the Lehigh Canal. This extended the canal network from Mauch Chunk to White Haven. The purpose of the navigation system was to provide a reliable method of transportation from the Wyoming coal fields near Wilkes-Barre southward out of the mountains.

On the Delaware River at Easton, the canals linked with the Delaware Division Canal and the Morris Canal in New Jersey. In 1841, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company constructed and operated the first railroad in the area, the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad. It connected White Haven to Wilkes-Barre with a 150 mile, water-and-rail transport system from Wilkes-Barre to Philadelphia and New York City.

On April 21, 1846, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company was incorporated by an act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the original name: the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company. On January 7, 1853, another act of the General Assembly changed the name and James M. Porter was designated president, Asa Packer secretary/treasurer, and Robert H. Sayre chief engineer.

In 1862, Asa Packer, the majority stockholder, became president of the company and embarked on an aggressive building and acquisition campaign. The company’s initial role was to transport anthracite coal, and to a lesser extent, passengers, between the mines near Mauch Chunk and the Delaware River at Easton.

The railroad network augmented and usurped the slower, less-efficient canal system. The final blow to the local canal system happened on June 4, 1862. Thirty hours of rain swelled the Lehigh River, flooding and destroying dams and locks of the canal system and several local railroad bridges. Though the downstream portions of the system between Mauch Chunk and Easton were rebuilt, the Upper Grand Division from White Haven to Mauch Chunk was not, leaving only the railroad to carry coal. Later, the lower portion of the canal system fell into disuse.

On July 8, 1864, the LVRR acquired the Beaver Meadow Railroad Company. Its 24 miles of double track line extended from its junction with the LVRR in East Mauch Chunk up the Lehigh River to Penn Haven and on to Beaver Meadow and the anthracite mines in Carbon County.

In 1864, the LVRR acquired the Penn Haven and White Haven railroad, adding another 17 miles to the network and providing the connection to White Haven. Main line trackage now totaled 71 miles, with 17 miles of branch track. Soon afterwards, LVRR acquired stock control of the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad Company, located among anthracite fields. During this time, shops, engine houses, offices, water tanks, stations and bridges were erected along the network. At this time, the first small frame, wooden engine house was likely built in White Haven.

In the following year, the line was extended from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre and in 1867, an extension was constructed to the Wyoming Coal Field outside Wilkes-Barre. In 1865, the flood-damaged canal was purchased and tracks created on the towpath from Wilkes-Barre to Waverly, New York, where it connected with the Erie Railway. This connection assisted in linking the LVRR to Buffalo and opened a market for Pennsylvania coal in the cities around the Great Lakes. The LVRR continued to expand. By 1899, it had achieved its goal of forming a single network under one company that connected the Lehigh Valley with Buffalo in the west and New York City in the east.

The grades for most of the LVRR lines did not exceed 21 feet per mile in either direction, making it a viable route for heavy railroad traffic to cross New York state. The mountains around Wilkes-Barre were the exception, where the increase in grade required an increase in engine power. Pusher engines helped heavily laden north-bound coal trains get over Penobscot and Crestwood/Wilkes-Barre mountains, especially starting in White Haven where the rail line leaves the Lehigh River and begins the long climb over the mountains towards Wilkes-Barre.

The Engine House in White Haven was built to house pusher engines and service and repair engines passing through. At its busiest time, the railroad lines bustled with activity, carrying hundreds of railroad cars laden with mountains of anthracite coal mined from the surrounding fields and timber that cut from local forests. Though it was an important link, in comparison to other engine houses, it was a relatively minor shop. Others were larger and more significant to the functioning of the rail network, such as the facility in Sayre, Pennsylvania.

In the twentieth century, diesel-electric engines began to replace the less efficient and less powerful steam engines. Because diesel-electric engines could traverse the steep grades without help from an additional engine, the need for the White Haven Engine House diminished, and the structure fell into disuse.

Here is the beginning of the current Engine House story.

The first White Haven Engine House, a wooden structure, was built before 1864. It was replaced in 1889 by the existing, larger masonry structure. The building’s key features include substantial masonry exterior walls, cast-iron panels over the five engine bays, Fink-truss roof system, cast-iron piers, and iron columns between the engine bays. The last set of columns is either a variation of common, riveted Phoenix columns or are cast-iron columns with attached flanges similar in appearance to Phoenix columns. Each suggests the building’s connection to the railroad.

The large masonry walls recall bridge abutments, while the cast-iron panels recall boiler plate iron used in the manufacture of the steam engine. The Fink trusses are used in a manner that resemble a railroad bridge more than a building. The use of cast-iron piers, especially the Phoenix-type columns, recall bridge construction. Robert H. Sayre, Chief Engineer for the LVRR when the Engine House was constructed, may have designed the structure.

A riding track once extended from the main line to the five bay Engine House that allowed engines to enter for service. To accommodate the engines, a large open interior space was required. The White Haven Engine House had minimal interior obstruction. The cast-iron piers are aligned with the bays to permit engine entry and keep the space open for workers and equipment.

Because the building is adjacent to the tracks, it was struck by a derailed train on March 9, 1973 which severely damaged the southwest corner of the building. The walls were not rebuilt; instead, the opening was infilled with concrete-block masonry, creating a fifth wall. Because the building was constructed of sturdy material, the structural integrity of the Engine House was not jeopardized by this accident, so the building retained the distinguishing characteristics of its original configuration. Other alterations have not substantially affected the historical integrity of the building as original openings and associated architectural elements remain.

The tracks of the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad, starting in 1871, were leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and passed through town a block away from the LVRR tracks. Located along White Haven’s Main Street, which ran between the two rail lines, were two railroad stations, two hotels, and various stores. Much of the historic railroad infrastructure has been lost, including the passenger stations. A nearby turntable for the Central Railroad of New Jersey remains but is buried, and the main rail yard in town was removed to allow for the construction of a shopping plaza. Freight trains of the Reading, Blue Mountain, and Northern Railroad continue to pass through town near the Engine House on the one surviving line of the LVRR double track.

Though it has improved over the last century, this line was the first main line of the LVRR that passed through White Haven. The only other LVRR Engine House that remains in the area is a stone structure in Weatherly, Pennsylvania, constructed in 1867 and in use until 1900 when a larger facility was erected in Sayre, Pennsylvania. Other known engine houses located in Hazleton, Delano, Lehighton, Easton and Wilkes-Barre, along with most of the extensive Sayre facility, have been demolished.

See the article in Wikipedia about the Engine House history.