The Abandoned Lansford - Hauto Railroad Tunnel, Lansford PA

[@Sandra-gd5ir]

Thankyou for making this awesome videos and also those of the surrounding area.Our grandfather was killed in this tunnel Dec 22 1909 while inspecting this tunnel and its water lines.He was the chief engineer for the Lehigh coal and Navigation Co. You are so helping us understanding the history and surroundings of the area

[@davidreadinger1579]

Enjoy your videos very much. The tunnel was used to link the Lehigh New England Railroad with the parent company's Panther Valley Railroad. It eliminated the need for the once world-famous Mauch Chunk Switchback (Gravity) Railroad. The parent company was the Lehigh Navigation Company - a very influential and innovative company in its time. The Central Railroad of New Jersey also ran (trackage rights) through the tunnel and had several locomotives modified to fit the curve of the tunnel roof. With these trackage rights, the town of Tamaqua could boast three different railroads. You may have seen signs for the Number 9 Mine Tour which is 2 minutes from where you were. Best Anthracite Mine Tour. The shaft hoist is still intact and there is equipment still in the mine, as left. Also - down the road from where you were in Lansford is the former Lehigh Navigation Company repair shops, now repurposed for other industry. The PA Anthracite Region fueled the growth and success of the US. Important history not to be forgotten.

[@vitchkie]

between 1967 & 1970 my friend luke (fishing buddies)and i use to take the tunnel in the wee hours of the morning to walk to tippets and lake hauto to fish. we did this for 4 years or so. the tunnel was wet and cold inside with water dripping from the ceiling throughout the walk. we had hip boots on because the floor was wet, muddy and slippery. there were air tunnels throughout filled with bats and a water pipe that came from the reservoir on the hauto side. the water pipe was the main artery for the drinking water in panther valley. above the entrance to the tunnel on the lansford side was a huge metal plate with holes in it to commemorate all those who died when the tunnel was built. on the hauto side use to be a small home with an old couple living there. they used geese as watch dogs to give them a "heads up" when someone was outside. we never found the air duct opening in edgemont area. but they are there. and i use to take my guitar into the tunnel and play my wacky weed music because i loved the reverberation. only got trapped one when a train came through. my brother and i hid behind the water pipe to avoid getting caught by the Pinkerton agency for trespassing. hope this helps piecing it together. i am glad i am a part of history in Panther Valley.

[@robertkuba3062]

Enjoy your videos of sites in eastern Pa that I have not seen since I was a kid in the 50;-60's. Being born and raised in Lansford I was intrested in the tunnel video. As I remember PPL has a coal power plant on the Hauto side ,right where the new road section is. Coal was transported from mines in the Lansford valley to this plant using the tunnel. The plant was at the brest of the present dam and a Canal ran back to the West and returned water to the head of the dam, This water came from the plant as dirty hot cooling and cleaning water. The water was always warn and it never froze in the cold winters so to us kids it was a perfect spring swiming place. We walked the tunnel to get to the dam from Lansford. Yes we did get caught once by a train in the middle of the tunnel, thank God it was not a steam loco. Some of the older guys did however, however after WWII. It was not fun. One thing I remember is that there was a large piece of dlate ( 2' x 4' ) with a half dozen 2 - 2 inch holes drilled in it hanging above the entrance . Old timers said that was the number of men who died durring the dig.

[@brianmcglinchey8560]

We played down there as kids all the time, as for the closing date of the tunnel. It was after 1992, we used to walk through it to go swimming at lake Hauto, it was dangerous then as there was a section right about in the middle that you had to swim about 25ft. Fun area to grow up in.

[@Bob_V]

If you look at this location in google maps terrain view you will notice a small cave in just south of the north end entrance of this tunnel.

[@galaxywonders5165]

Hey I know a lot about that tunnel and what it was used for. Lake Hauto Reservoir was built in 1894. The original purpose of the dam was for drinking water. In 1912 a coal fired power plant was built a mile down from the original dam (There were canals that sent water to the plant to cool off the generators. ) I heard from my grandfather that in 1920 the dam was extended. All I know is that the old dam was dilapidated and that they wanted to build a new one. In about 21 they extended the dam by building a new one about 1/2 mile in from of the old one. They busted part of the old dam and water rushed into the new extension. Up until 1937 the dam, and it's back up Greenwood Dam, were made larger and larger. During WW1 coal production was in full swing and the power plant was operating to capacity for factories in the Lehigh Valley. They built guard shacks by Greenwood and Hauto because the owners were in fear of the dams being sabotaged. In about the mid 1950s lots were being rented out to the public for camping. In 1960 all orders were canceled. People started building houses there. ( Back to the power plant/ tunnel) With the Berwick Nuclear Plant built demand for electricity was low. I heard from my grandfather that they abandoned half of the power plant. In 1969 the power plant closed. With no need for transporting coal to the power plant they eventually abandoned the tunnel as a result of the power plants closing. They demolished the plant in 1977 when my grandfather and grandmother just built a house over there. I think that the tunnel remained open until it collapsed.

[@vitchkie]

wow! I forgot about the power plant. the building was still standing in the 60's and a canal ran through to an overspill into lake hauto. we use to swim there. it was spooky to see the inside of the old power plant. i also forgot about greenwood lake. i fished greenwood, lake hauto and tippets. i saw tippets in 2009. its all grown in and trespassing signs all around. that was a fantastic bass lake.

[@galaxywonders5165]

vic kalish yeah my grandfather told me back in the 50s you used to be able to rent boats over in Tippets. Hauto owns the right side of Tippets and the railroad company owns the other half... Up on the mountain there used to be a big brick building with humongous oak doors. They tore that down in 2005. Such a shame... You gotta think that if they left the tunnel open, and didn't demolish the power plant, what a tourist attraction that'd be. And it seems like Greenwood won't be much longer. They have to fix their dam and it's going to cost them 3 million dollars to fix it. My great grandmother told me that her dad helped build Greenwood in 1904 ( They used it as a back up lake if Hauto ever dried out ). She said that they used shake, dirt, railroad ties, and trees to build the dam. My grandfathers ex in laws were members there up until the 70s. She said that the gates that opened the dam were made of cheap steel and railroad ties...

[@mikewhipkey6863]

thanks for the the history lesson! I Find stuff like this very interesting

[@frankcostello7527]

Can I ask if anyone knows what was on top of the tunnel that is now edgemont home. I just explored a little and there was a place to the right with a gate and a round shaped building at the entrance called a folly. I walked up the drive and to the left where hidden paths to a few foundations above the coal mines. I'd love to know any history about it. Email me [e-mail] thanks again

[@frankcostello7527]

The area would be above the plant up on the hill there is a long rock wall with a set of stairs as you walk up the driveway to the left

[@rritchie1977]

The catacombs! That's a old basement from the bagging plant... I was all through them hallways a couple years ago... grew up playing down there

[@nickbonk755]

that does dry up, sir. try back after a while of no rain and you could squeeze in. we have never been all the way in but we did stick our head in the hole. after moving a few rocks you could easily get access

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

I would potentially try that some day, but with the right gear (gas meter) and someone else who's not afraid to go in (and skinny).

[@nickbonk755]

The Wandering Woodsman I'll shoot you a message. if you ever heard of the group undergroundminers.com I was an active member in that group and my profile is still on there. Got a lot of experience with old tunnels and mines and got a lot of gear still usable. If you have Facebook you can look me up by name! Would love to compare some abandoned places in this area we may have come across!

[@SandysTravels]

I have a summer home at lake Hauto, lots of cool stuff in the area to explore. But ive never been to the tunnel. Have been to the one in jim thorpe, that one is open , but one end drops off into the river, see ya on the road

[@Devinm1023]

Cool video, thanks for posting

[@journeywithjay]

Awesome I wish I knew you were in my hometown. I'd love to meet you. there's always water coming out of that tunnel. not sure when they closed it up. but in the 90s I used to hike through there as a kid. in Coaldale there's fosters mine tunnel a couple miners got trapped in there for a couple days and the world was tuned in hoping for their rescue. it's only about 2 blocks from the road.

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

Thanks for the info, I may check that place out one day.

[@journeywithjay]

+The Wandering Woodsman Foster's tunnel is also sealed up like the tunnel in this video but it's pretty cool just to learn the story behind it and see it.

[@Slicknewt]

Man i need someone to point me to all of this stuff in lansford and nesquehoning

[@journeywithjay]

@@Slicknewt find me on Instagram or my Facebook page. I'm from lansford so I can help you out.

[@Slicknewt]

@@journeywithjay is your instagram same as youtube

[@steamgent4592]

There is another tunnel in Pottsville and another in Port Clinton accessible from the south end the north end is blocked off but you can see it from route 61. There is also an old tunnel north of Clark Summit that was Lackawannas they rerouted the line and bypassed it on your way up to the Nickleson Viaduct.

[@whotang1435]

Damn the "bagging" area waz our firepit from 05-11 so many great memories. Im sad it doesnt seem like our spraypaint is still there. Still, good times

[@calybbadger3355]

I used to live in Lansford and nesquehoning! My buddies and I used to constantly ride our bikes around that area.

[@nickmad887]

Thanks Cliff.

[@Phaedrus-th7bi]

My grandmother and her eleven siblings lived in Coaldale, about four or five blocks from the Lansford side of the tunnel. I remember her saying that she and her brothers and sisters would walk through the tunnel to go swimming in Lake Hauto. She said trains would come by and the kids had to stand up next to the walls so they wouldn't get hit. They were dirt poor and would go down to the tracks to pick up pieces of coal that fell off the railroad cars, then take it home for their furnace. She also told me stories about (as a little girl) seeing the KKK members parading on top of the coal mounds (that run parallel to RT209) at night with their torches. I asked her if they came off the mounds into Coaldale and she said, "Hell No! They knew Coaldale had a lot of Catholics and we would beat the hell out of them!". Funny, but true. My grandmother did not make this up.

[@ktm42080]

Friend of mine owns land on 54 across from Lake Hauto. We would go out on dirt bikes and ATVs all over there but never saw the bagging plant. Been to some of the ruins of the power plant, tho, not much left. Least that's what we were told it was. Happy wandering 🙂

[@Klesh]

I worked at the Panther Creek Fuel facility across the way from that place from 08-12

[@IrresistibleGrace_Designs]

PLeased I stumbled across you. You have some great videos/content :)

[@Dark_LoreVT]

There was a Wye at the entrance to the tunnel. It allowed trains from both Tamaqua and Coaldale to access the tunnel.

[@tl5108]

If u go north on 81 take a right off the 901 exit then turn left on valley road there's a strip mine a few miles down that I dirt bike in n it has a bunch of old equipment n old buildings

[@cwbest1981]

Cool video. Ive lived in cental PA all my 38yrs. Not too far away from State College PSU. Ive been nearly everywhere throughout the state. I've seen many snakes, a few rattlers, copperheads, black racers, and garters but i have never seen that hognose species and honestly wasnt even aware they were around! That thing would have startled the @#$& outta me if I'd came across it and I'm not afraid of snakes at all. I'm really stoked I clicked your video to watch about old mines/ abandoned places in PA, which is something i enjoy doing once in awhile because my bonus was seeing that cool sepent guy! lol The defense mechanism of puffing its head out almost like mimicking the hood of a Cobra and that loud hiss blew my mind. It kinda sounded like a rattle. Ive been told about a snake by a guy i meant and he called it a Fake/False Rattler, cause it somehow mimics the rattle sound as a defense mech. Do you think maybe he was referring to that Hognose or have you ever heard of a fake rattler being in PA?

[@JPVideos81]

You definitely need to get your flashlight and go back to explore those underground rooms, they were very interesting.

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

I plan on going back and doing some research as well.

[@coalcrackerchris]

There is a way in ... i just peaked in and it looks awsome!! Dont want to explore it alone..33 men died constructing this from a mine portal to a train tunnel( a rock above the south portal has 33 holes drilled in it as a memorial).

[@bigdogpyrotechnics987]

Is the first part on the other side of the mt? Never seen that on the lansford tunnel side, second half of your video.

[@tracyrreed]

I'm having a heck of a time finding that south entrance on google maps. It looks like right around Edgemont Rd, even south of the houses on that road such that some of the houses might be over the tunnel. Is that right?

[@vitchkie]

wow! its interesting. i do remember my dad and bother use to go to tippets along with me. there was a small wooden bridge that went to the house where you rented the boats. i fell off that bridge and into the water. it wasnt deep there, but i spoiled everybody's day. we also fished at night for catfish where the pipe crossed the lake. thats no longer there either.

[@charlesleshko9095]

when are you going to do the stagecoach stop behind the schuylkill mall, there was a old trail from philly to sunbury the

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

I have a long list of places I want to go, but I'll add this one to my list. Have to do some research on it as well.

[@potsandpans960]

what I was wondering is how do you go about your research to find all these places

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

mostly lots of internet research and some good books.

[@timboslice9323]

Cool video

[@yessir9240]

I checked the tunnel out on the Lansford side a while back and it looks like on the one corner to the left there is a hole/entrance that was made by the water running out of the tunnel, but it's probably risky to go in so I wouldn't try it

[@dmiller8425]

I hope you can get or already have a personal locator beacon. Anyone unfortunate enough to fall into one of those holes covered by leaves would need it. How about getting a clip on LED flashlight for your pack? Hope you stay safe!

[@David-kq9vp]

Your in my town the last time I was there you could walk to hauto we use to use to go swimming

[@Twisted_Adventures2]

We used to explore the Lansford side in the 90s before they sealed it

[@williamm7668]

Hometown.

[@Bob_V]

I measured the tunnel to be 3834 feet long. You can search google maps using location numbers but it must be in this format: 40.844465, -75.892363 The map needs the comma after the first number for this to work in the search box.

[@anthonyshuck4318]

ayeeee my hometown lansford! i live in nesky now lol

[@robertgerman8273]

I live in lansford

[@douglasfreebirdphotography8473]

You should get a police tactical flashlight and keep it with you at all times. Those things are super bright...

[@Westerner78]

Hey if ya give the nice property owners 5 bucks , they will welcome more people! I always leave a few two dollar bills with them.

[@kano8474]

621 to 623 right hand side of the shot. Some anomaly came flying out of the tunnel.

[@vitchkie]

i watched a video of you r that covered lake hauto train tunnel. i know about that tunnel and things you might like to know. i used to go thru the tunnel in 1960's to go fishing at tipetts and lake hauto. so ask many thing you want to know. thanks for the video.

[@frankcostello7527]

I'd like info [e-mail]

[@jkemmerer1993]

Do you know where the water tunnel is?

[@anthonyshuck4318]

@5:00 all them used to be houses

[@Klesh]

Cool video I just found your channel! atb -KG

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

Thanks

[@robertgerman8273]

I live in lansford just couple blocks away from that tunnel

[@Bob_V]

I went to this tunnel today, but I went to the north side. Not much too see, the entrance has been filled in and the rail road bed is now a small swamp. Location 40.844465 -75.892363

[@anthonyshuck4318]

the last house with the tires that used to be my old house :D

[@Connor_Stefanick]

I live in Lansford, if anybodys wondering its pronounced "Hot oh" or some people call it "Hot uh"

[@anthonyshuck4318]

i used to live in lansford now im in nesky nice to know other ppl from lansford are on here aha

[@ericzerkle5214]

Might be the old L&NE tunnel. If so, thats been abandoned since 1961.

[@tggamerboy18]

Where is the tunnel located? I tried to find it but couldn't. Can you drive up to it? My son took over my youtube account lol you are talking to his Mom. Just so you don't think it is a kid commenting.

[@thegreaterbilby2171]

Those hognose snakes sure do a good job of looking menacing. I googled them and they can cause some pretty nasty massive swelling and infection if they bite, which seems to get worse reaction with each subsequent bite in the case of people who keep them as pets (about which I don't know if that's legal or not). Mostly they just retreat, but if pursued they sometimes act all melodramatic and pretend they're dying/dead and release a foul smell.

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

Yeah, I don't try to pick them up, I just enjoy looking at them.

[@darlenegood4101]

beautiful snake, but scare the crap out of me when he puffed up his head... and don't even think about going under that metal wall....too dangerous

[@darlenegood4101]

and ALWAYS take your flashlight..silly

[@jurikurthambarskjelfir3533]

I live near there. I think I found the exit.

[@abbysapples1225]

No one can stop the Ghost Train.

[@abbysapples1225]

I craw under there, and I will not be able to get out. Adding to more urban legend. lol

[@chef5702]

hello wandering man. Do you have an email address that I contact you about some stuff

[@thewanderingwoodsman7227]

[e-mail]

[@cwbest1981]

The Wandering Woodsman I recently posted a comement to your video but didnt find your username til I looked through some replies, but i asked you a couple questions and wondered if you got a chance if you could rply? Cool content. Keep it up?

[@rippitallout149]

I'm responsible for the partial collapse of the tunnel in 1997.

[@anthonyshuck4318]

guys names joe

[@nrgltwrkr2225]

I love snakes.

[@Lalunabreeze]

Snake looks chubby.

[@tr154]

I hate snakes like you hate clowns. 😀