Jul 1, 2019

The Aineyville Viaduct


The other day I referred to myself as a local historian. I earned that self appointed degree by a long standing interest in local history.  Another interest, photography, enabled me to record some things that are no longer here to see. My degree is not unique. As I mentioned several times before, the local rail buffs are the real local historians. Their knowledge of our former industrial base is unsurpassed. Shown above is the Aineyville Viaduct (Bridge), which allowed  Lehigh Valley Transit's Liberty Bell trolley to cross over Trout Creek,  on the way to Philadelphia. Shown in the background is the Good Shepherd Home.  The bridge was in line with St. John Street.   Aineyville refers to the area south of Trout Creek, now referred to as South Allentown,  in the area of S. 4th  and Basin Streets.  The photo dates from 1948, photographer unknown.  The viaduct was dismantled in 1953.

reprinted from August of 2013

5 comments:

  1. that is the Reading Railroad East Penn Yard the stone bridge pier is still standing there and there are only two tracks left there mostly mainline tracks all the yard tracks are gone

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  2. Micheal,
    Here is a question for you....Who knows the local history of "Aineyville"??

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  3. Paul, on my other local history project, ALLENTOWN CHRONICLES facebook page, there is a recent post about William Ainey, his iron company and Aineyville.

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  4. Thank You Michael, and to Rob Buritsch for that astute enlightening....One of my Valley Supreme Inc. Wholesale Coffee routes used to pass down in by there, and back up to, by the Basin street overpass.
    Again, Thank You Gentleman!!.....PJF

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  5. This bridge had no side rails and the trolley bodies were wider than the track supporting structure. When the trolleys came from 8th St. down the St. John St hill they would be swaying from side to side going across the viaduct. The line split at Roosevelt Park. The Liberty Bell route followed 2nd St. up over South Mountain. The other branch was the South Bethlehem route which continued through present day Cumberland Gardens, across Susquehanna St. to Emmaus Ave, and down through Fountain Hill into South Bethlehem. Unfortunately this was the route many of the trolleys followed to their destruction at Bethlehem Steel.

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