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The Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railway (also known as the Cannon Ball〔) was an electric railway in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania connecting the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. It operated from 1903 to 1933 using a third rail and had no grade crossings. It was approximately thirty miles long and had one tunnel between Warrior Run and Nuangola through Penobscot Knob which Interstate 81 now crosses. Prominent Hazleton banker and coal-mine owner Alvan Markle obtained a railway-company charter in 1892 and the Wilkes-Barre & Hazleton Railroad incorporated in New Jersey in 1899. Service opened from Hazleton to Ashley in 1903 but did not reach Wilkes-Barre until the 1907 completion of a 3rd-floor downtown station with a viaduct 34 feet in height and 1040 feet in length. General Electric had the contract for providing the electrification infrastructure. The completion of Route 309 greatly shortened the trip between Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton by road, leading to the Interstate Commerce Commission approval of abandonment in 1933. The Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railroad allowed faster travel between Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre the 50-mile journey along the Lehigh Valley Railroad that was used previously.〔 The Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railway consisted of 24.76 miles of railway line for the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railway Company, 3.3 miles of railway line for the Wilkes-Barre Terminal Railroad Company, and 1.64 miles of railway line for the Lehigh Traction Company. This totalled to 29.70 miles of railway line. ==History and operation== The charter for the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railroad was granted on November 7, 1892. The railroad was incorporated in New Jersey in 1899. The railroad obtained a New Jersey charter on May 8, 1901. The railroad's power, generating station, sub-stations, and transmission lines were designed by the General Electric Company. In 1921, the Pennsylvania Power and Light company started to do the job of powering the railroad instead, as part of an attempt for the railroad to reduce its expenses.〔 The railroad stopped bringing in profit in the middle of the 1920s.〔 The railroad company defaulted its bonds in 1929. Henry S. Drikard, a businessman from Philadelphia, bought the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton railroad company for $165,000 in February 1930. Briefly in 1932, several railbusses were used on the railroad. Power to the rail line was removed on October 3, 1933, after a final attempt to save the railroad from bankruptcy. All service on the railroad stopped on September 17, 1933, following a ruling from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.〔 Construction of the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railroad started in 1901. Nine railroad bridges were required for the construction of the railroad. Most of the bridges were made of concrete, but some of the largest ones were not. The grade of the railroad on hills was 3%. The rails used weighed 95 pounds per yard. These rails were 30 feet (9 meters) long and on top of 8-inch by 6-inch ties. The ties for the third rails were 9 feet (3 meters) long. Wooden cars were used until 1916, when they were replaced by steel cars.〔 The Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railroad opened for business in 1903. However, at that time it only ran from Hazleton to Ashley. In 1907, trains began running all the way to Wilkes-Barre via a 1040-foot long viaduct that was 34 feet (10 meters) high over the steam railroads of Wilkes-Barre.〔 The Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railroad ran freight trains and passenger trains alternately. The railroad started operation at 6 a.m. and stopped operation at 2 a.m.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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