Jun 24, 2022

Allentown's Orange Car


While the Orange Car, on Union St. near the Lehigh River, went out of business over twenty years ago, the building sat there vacant, fading away.  Although recently demolished, there's a story behind the slow demise.

When the Lehigh Valley Railroad went bankrupt in 1976, its rolling stock and track went to Conrail. However its other assets, such as real estate, were tied up in bankruptcy.  The Orange Car building was owned by LVRR.  Many years ago there was a small six track rail yard between the Orange Car and the meat packing business to its east.  Carloads of fresh citrus fruit would arrive weekly from Florida. After the rail service ended, the lessee continued operating the fruit stand for another twenty years. 

I labeled this post Allentown's Orange Car, because there was an identical looking sister store in Reading.  That location also had a major event in 1976,  a flood from which it never recovered. 

above reprinted from April of 2021 

2 comments:

  1. I remember going to the Orange Car as a child into my young adult years. My dad worked for the LVRR & he always would mention the more we bought the bigger his salary would be that the Orange Car was part of the railroad. I guess in reality, he may have not have been teasing me...something he did often.

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  2. I remember taking my great aunt along with my young daughter to the Orange Car in the early 70’s. Best fruit ever!

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