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Circa 1901. "On the Lackawanna near Scranton, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Across the Lackawanna river should be the Delaware & Hudson line (which the CNJ would have also run on, until they crossed the river back onto their own tracks).
I think the embankment behind that should be the Susquehanna Railroad, which had a connector from their line which cross over the Lackawanna (heading for Old Forge) down to the D&H (which they used to access some mines a bit further up the valley).
This picture is near my house. They are about 1 mile from the Taylor yards and about a hundred yards from where the Pennsylvania Turnpike would cross the Lackawanna river a few decades later.
If you'd like to try your hand at pumping a handcar, the Roaring Camp Railroad near Felton, Calif. has one on a stretch of track you can run, but, seriously, it's hard work! Not for geezers, for sure.
Or you may be able to watch young'uns race handcars at the annual "Great West End and Railroad Square Handcar Regatta and Exposition of Mechanical and Artistic Wonders!" in Santa Rosa, Calif. (if they run the regatta again this year).
To Geezer: You CAN take a rail tour on something similar (but you will probably have to go to Europe to do it). Just google DRASINE. My wife and I rode one of these in France - MUCH fun!
Where do you work-a, John?
On the Delaware Lackawan.
What do you do-a, John?
I push-a, push-a, push.
What do you push-a, John?
I push, I push-a da truck,
Where do you push-a, John?
On the Delaware Lackawan-awan-awan-awan,
The Delaware Lackawan.
Ah-ah-ah! Ah-ah-ah!
Ah-ah-ah! Ah-ah-ah!
Altogether now boys, up, down, up, down.
I've always wanted to take spend an afternoon cruising on one of those things. Whose tracks are across the canal/stream? PRR?
This was a very early HYBRID vehicle. It was either powered by the guy on the left, or the guy on the right.
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