Turn Hole Tunnel (Jim Thorpe, PA)
Turn Hole Tunnel (1865-1956)
Glen Onoko, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
This 496-foot tunnel was built by the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (later Central Railroad of New Jersey) in 1864-65 on its route between Jim Thorpe and Wilkes-Barre. Flooding of the Lehigh River in June 1862 led to the closure of the Lehigh Navigation Canal above Jim Thorpe and replacement with the railroad.
Deteriorating conditions of the double-track tunnel resulted in its bypass in 1912, though it remained as a passing siding into the 1950s. The north portal now opens to a cliff at the site of a former bridge over the Lehigh River. The south portal is publicly accessible from Glen Onoko within Lehigh Gorge State Park.
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
Read MoreGlen Onoko, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
This 496-foot tunnel was built by the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (later Central Railroad of New Jersey) in 1864-65 on its route between Jim Thorpe and Wilkes-Barre. Flooding of the Lehigh River in June 1862 led to the closure of the Lehigh Navigation Canal above Jim Thorpe and replacement with the railroad.
Deteriorating conditions of the double-track tunnel resulted in its bypass in 1912, though it remained as a passing siding into the 1950s. The north portal now opens to a cliff at the site of a former bridge over the Lehigh River. The south portal is publicly accessible from Glen Onoko within Lehigh Gorge State Park.
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
