The town of Lansford, PA, is located between Tamaqua and Nesquehoning, PA, just south of the former CNJ line that so many Reading & Northern steam excursion chases occur while en route to nearby Jim Thorpe. A Lehigh & New England Railroad (owned by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. (LC&N)) route eventually paralleled part of this route. In 1849, the LC&N built a rail line from Lansford to connect with a Reading Company line in Tamaqua. Around the same time, planners saw possibilities of a direct route to take coal from what was known as the "Panther Valley" to market. A tunnel, they thought, could connect Lansford to Hauto, which would open up possibilities with the former Nesquehoning Valley Railroad (which later became part of the Central Railroad of New Jersey). Drilling and blasting was begun, and according to early accounts, the two tunnel headings met on September 15, 1871. The first train passed through on February 1, 1872. The Lansford-Hauto line, called the Panther Creek Railroad, was built to move coal to these connecting railroads. The freight house featured above, build date (?) was originally built by that railroad. Side note: the Number 9 Coal Mine tour is located along this line and today offers fascinating tours into the mine - well worth a visit! From 1904 to 1912, the L&NE made many improvements, particularly in providing rail service to the cement and slate industries in the Lehigh Valley. An extension from its main line in Danielsville (somewhat midway between Bethlehem and Jim Thorpe, PA) reached Tamaqua during this time. With those improvements in place, the L&NE bought the Panther Valley Railroad in 1913 and made the route between Hauto and Maybrook, NY, its main line. Today, the tunnel has been sealed and tracks through it removed, though the tracks up until the freight house above still remain. The Reading & Northern had begun brush cutting of the line for storage of freight cars. (Whew..! Clock on my name above and scroll through my photos and read through some captions - you'll see the fabric that connects so many images to each other!)