The Conrail engine backs across Walnut Street, as it delivers a flatbed of large granite slaps and blocks to the Wentz Memorial Company, by 20th and Hamilton Streets. Years earlier, the spur route extended across Hamilton Street and terminated at the building across from school district stadium, now occupied by the park department. On its run to Wentz, it went through the auto junkyard, continued on past the now closed Allentown Metal Works, and crossed the trestle in Lehigh Parkway. At Union Terrace the track was next to the former ice skating pond, behind the WPA Amphitheater Stage Mound. This photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in the 1979, and is part of the Mark Rabenold collection. Rabenold is a local train historian, specializing in Allentown's former branch lines.
reprinted from September 2011
ADDENDUM JULY 23, 2025:In addition the little train trestle, there was also a small pedestrian bridge to Union Terrace from Walnut Street. Rather than being repaired, that small walk bridge was removed about a decade ago, isolating the park from Walnut Street. Restoring that bridge should be a priority of the park system.
The very bones of a healthy industrial economy systematically destroyed. It seems like madness.
ReplyDeleteOn the north side of Walnut, did the tracks go along the Holiday Hair building, next to what is now the parking lot for Big Woody’s, Dunkin, and Fulton Bank?
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard to piece together the way it was since so much has changed
anon@8:44: Woody's, Dunkin and the bank occupy the former Wentz parcel. The track went more less up the middle.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in the Allentown of today, another shooting, and another death.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Mayor and Police Chief will say this is just an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public, at what point does City Hall do a little bit of introspection and ask why this happens so often in the city, and why the city seems to attract the criminal element?
They can build as much as they want on a few downtown blocks of Hamilton, but nobody wants to drive through the ring of danger that surrounds it.
BTW, this latest shooting happened on the 700 block of Turner. A previous shooting took place at 7th and Chew. A stockpile of guns was recently found in a home in the 200 block of 8th Street, and there was also a fatal hit and run at 7th and Chew.
ReplyDeleteI’m no crime analyst, but I’d say it’s pretty easy to see where the problem area is.
My advice to Mayor Dimwit would be to concentrate policing in that area and write citations for even the slightest infractions. Make the criminals a little bit uncomfortable for a change.
The city needs more tough policing, and less Promise Neighborhoods.
That’s pretty much what’s needed downtown to clean out the undesirable residents. Pinch them hard on the smallest of violations. Use all traffic stops as an opportunity to check for valid licenses, insurance, warrants, etc. Check vehicles and people for drugs and weapons. Actually ARREST people, if justified. Otherwise, write plenty more tickets.
DeleteKeep a close watch, walk the blocks. Have a presence that seems to be a hassle. In time, the bad actors will move their ‘business’ elsewhere.
Think about how many criminals and bad actors could be picked up just by citing double parked cars. On one car trip through center city this week, I counted over 12 double parked cars on my route. Think about how many of these law breakers have expired registration or insurance, outstanding warrants or drugs in the vehicle.
DeleteThe CD Director can declare the problem area a Systematic Inspections Area and order door-to-door housing inspections that strictly enforce applicable codes.
ReplyDelete