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Gravity Railroad

The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co.'s Gravity Railroad

Gravity RailroadEngineer Benjamin Wright suggested the Gravity Railroad, the company's engineer, as a more practical means of hauling coal over the Moosic Mountains than sleds and wagons used previously. On the tracks of this railroad, the first commercial locomotive - the Stourbridge Lion -turned a wheel by steam in America.

Extending from Carbondale in Lackawanna County to Honesdale, the Gravity was sixteen miles long. Starting from the coalfields at

Carbondale, an elevation of 1,200 feet, rose to 1,907 feet at Rix's Gap utilizing five planes. From this elevation, the road descended on the east side of the Moosic Mountains by three planes and levels to Honesdale, elevation 975 feet.

Stationary steam engines operated the cars on each plane utilizing two drums and a huge chain. On the three planes descending to Honesdale, the loaded cars required no motive power. The chains were not practical and soon were discarded in favor of hemp cables, which were 7 1/2 inches in circumference and presented difficulties because of slipping. Finally, they were replaced by the first steel cables - made by John Roebling.

The passenger cars were entirely open, similar to a flat car with a roof. The seats were long benches across the car. When the cars started from Honesdale, a large grey horse pulled the cars to the plane's foot, where the cables were attached for the first ascent. After pulling a car along the level, "Old Dobbin" rode back in an "empty." The horses who were grown old in this service always refused to walk the return trip.

Hawley also had a Gravity Railroad, built by the Pennsylvania Coal Co., and completed in 1850. A canal basin was built there, and the shipping of coal and its attending industries played an important part in this community's development and progress.

Visit our library for more information and photographs.

Pennsylvania Coal Co.'s Gravity Railroad

The D&H Canal had been in use long enough to prove its value, so in 1847 the plan for a similar gravity road was considered to take the Pennsylvania Coal Company's coal to Paupack Eddy (Hawley). For shipment to the Hudson River and New York by the canal. The railroad was completed in May 1850. Hawley was named for Irad Hawley, the first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Co.

In 1885 the gravity was abandoned, and a locomotive road was run through. This was about 47 miles running from Pittston (Port Griffith) to Hawley. Coal trains made about fifteen miles per hour downgrade, and a head-on collision was impossible, as the traffic was all one way.

The time came when it was too costly to ship coal over the mountain. The Gravity was superseded by the Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad, and in 1885 the first passenger train made a trip from Hawley to Dunmore.

Visit our library for more information and photographs.

Navigation
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Cut Glass Industry
For many years Wayne County was known nationally and internationally for its cut glass. In 1862…
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Delaware & Hudson Canal Co Office
Pictured on the front is the entrance of the former office of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co., 810…
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Gravity Railroad
The Gravity Railroad was suggested by engineer Benjamin Wright, engineer of the company, as a more…
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Irving Cliff
Irving's trip to Honesdale was described in a letter from Washington Irving to his sister in glowing…
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Jennie Brownscombe: Wayne County's Own
The National Museum of Women in the Arts has called Jennie Brownscombe "a kind of Norman Rockwell of…
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The Stourbridge Lion and the Birthplace of America's Commercial Railroad
In 1827 the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company began to investigate the use of the steam engine for…
News and Events
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Wayne County Architectural Church Tour
Oct 8, 2023, 10:00 AM
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023 Start Time: 9:15am Start Location: Bethany Presbyterian Church, 431…
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Fall Guided Canal Park & House Tour
Oct 8, 2023, 10:00 AM
WCHS will sponsor a guided walking history tour of Lock 31 on October 7th at 10am. Cost is $10 with…
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Historic Preservation Award Ceremony 2023
Oct 21, 2023, 2:00 PM
Please join us to honor and celebrate the 6 award winners who have demonstrated their dedication to…
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Become a WCHS 2023 Sponsor
Oct 31, 2023, 6:00 AM
The WCHS is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations to the Society qualify as tax-deductible…

About us   

Welcome to the Wayne County Historical Society, home of the full-size replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive to run on commercial track in the United States.

Our main museum and museum shop are housed in a building built in 1860 as headquarters of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company....click here for more information.

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News and Events

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Calendar
Calendar of Events at Wayne County Historical Society
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News
News the Wayne County Historical Society

Historic Sites

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Lake Como United Methodist Church
Lake Como Historic Preservation Award given in 2004 to the Lake Como United…
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Durland - Thompson & Co. Building
Main & Chapel Streets, Honesdale Historic Preservation Award given in 2001…

Research Library

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Genealogy in Wayne County
Genealogical records WCHS Research Library at 810 Main Street, Honesdale…
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Historic Topics
Research materials at the WCHS Research Library, your best source for the…

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