Lehigh Valley Transit, Clearing The Tracks

One of the challenges faced by The Lehigh Valley Transit Company was keeping the tracks cleared of snow during long winters. Special cars were constructed with huge plows for that purpose, plus some regular passenger cars had small plows mounted on the front for continuous cleanup. Shown above is a special plow car stored at the Fairview Yard.







The trolley system required much more infrastructure than later buses. Shown here is track intersection being constructed in center city Bethlehem. Corresponding electric lines would have to be constructed overhead to power the cars. For your viewing pleasure, here is an introduction to an available video by Gerhard Salomon on the service in Easton.



More information on The Rockhill Trolley Museum

reprinted from May 2010

Bill Villa, The Tormentor

While Easton was celebrating the ordination of a new priest, Bill Villa was tormenting him. Not too many people want to confront Bill Villa, they just hope his vicious distortions don't come their way. The priest is an easy target for Villa, with forgiveness and all that. First a little background. Villa's daughter was tragically killed in a single car accident, about six years ago. She and a friend were out celebrating her birthday. He served about double the usual prison term for his offense. Everybody has empathy for Villa's loss, the issue is Villa's current aggressive behavior. He started out on a campaign against the District Attorney, Judge and those directly involved in the trial. Soon, he decided that you're either with him, or his enemy. His enemy list now contains 58 people, almost all of whom have no connection to the trial, what-so-ever. The list includes professors and their deans, most of The Morning Call staff, and local clergy, besides the priest. Villa contacts their superiors and demands their dismissal. If they refuse, they join the growing list. He once told me that he considers all fair in his war. He accuses people of doing to him, what he actually does to them. He describes the priest as a sadist and a cyberstalker, he describes himself as a grief stricken victim. Bill Villa is used to being the bully. He doesn't appreciate anybody speaking up against him. This post will move me up a notch on his enemy list, but those other 57 victims need a voice.

Lehigh Valley Transit Freight Service

Lehigh Valley Transit Company began their freight service in 1908, using converted passenger cars. By 1912, they were purchasing cars manufactured for commercial hauling. Various train/trolley websites specialize in the exact specifications of these trolley cars, and trace the history of specific cars. It was not uncommon for a car to be used by three or four different companies, and retrofitted for various uses. Throughout the formative years, Lehigh Valley Transit acquired smaller companies and absorbed their freight operations; The Quakertown Traction Company operated between Perkasie and Quakertown. Lehigh Valley's freight operation extended to the 72nd Street Freight House in Philadelphia.

Several years ago, Allentown lost an expert on our local train/trolley history, Gerhard Salomon. Mr. Salomon was a partner in the family jewelry store, one of few remaining gems from Hamilton Street's past.



reprinted from May 2010

NIZ & Arena Hype

Although the children selected for the arena training program won't be turned into donkeys, and made into slaves, there probably won't be any  NIZ jobs in their future. The 20 kids getting the vocational training camp scholarship are currently between 5th and 8th grade. While The Morning Call article regurgitates the Administration's propaganda that the arena zone will bring thousands of jobs and half a million visitors annually to Allentown, if there is any bloom left on that rose in four years, remains to be seen. For the 5th graders, I'm afraid the arena will already be closed by the time they graduate. If one of those children should happen to be a future engineer, he or she might find the current construction interesting. The undersized steel and prefab concrete panels along Linden Street are being supported by the diagonal braces, which in turn will frame the bleachers for hockey fans. Someone in the trades described it as a lesson in quick and cheap construction. Although I support vocational training, and applaud the Trades Council for their funding ($3,000), lets not get excited and call this Community Benefit. We have a few developers, building a few buildings for a few businesses, with a total few hundred employees. All this is being funded by state taxes. It is the nature of the politicians and developers to overstate the public benefit, but it shouldn't be the nature of the newspaper to amplify that hype.

UPDATE:  Sometimes I'm too nice, such is the case above.  In reality,  18 trade unions, although working on $600 million in construction, contributed a total of $3,000,  or $166 dollars  each.  For this paltry amount, the article states that  the deal was brokered by Pawlowski and Jeff Glazier of the School District Foundation.  Brokered by Pawlowski,  puffed by The Morning Call.  I don't fault the trade unions, I fault the newspaper,  for finding every press release by the city newsworthy.

Capernaum By The Sea

Matthew 4:13: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum,...

Capernaum, the city of Jesus, is on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The foundation of the Synagogue of Jesus, is beneath the ornate 4th century synagogue, partially restored by the Franciscans in the early 1900's.

Mark 1:21: he entered into the synagogue and taught

Nearby, the modern Church of St. Peter's House was built by the Franciscans in 1990. It's glass floor reveals the lower walls of the 5th century octagon church, which was built around the walls of St. Peter's House. Also there, shown in the photograph, is the Greek Orthodox Church of the Twelve Apostles. It was built in 1931, during the British Mandate period (1917-1948).

reprinted in honor of Father Alex Joseph

Mount Of Temptation

The Palestinian Authority unsuccessfully tried to increase tourism to Jericho this year, no rush, the town might be the oldest inhabited city on earth, 10,000 years. In 1895 the Greek Orthodox Church built the Mount of Temptation Monastery, where the devil tried three times to tempt Jesus during his forty days of prayer and fast. Steeped in both the Old and New Testaments, next to Jerusalem, it is the most excavated city in the Holy Land.

related post on Jericho

reprinted from December 2010