Cresco and the Railroad
1851 - Delaware Lackawanna &Western formed from the Lackawanna and Western (formerly Ligget's Gap) railroad and the Delaware and Cobb's Gap railroad. Construction began from Scranton north to Great Bend. The railroad was built to six foot gauge (the distance between the rails). [1]
1856 – DL&W builds the “Southern Division” from Scranton toward New Jersey; all double track. This portion includes what eventually became Cresco. Timetable shows no stop at Oakland / Cresco. [1]
1857 – Oakland station (later Cresco) is reported to be a pile of ties with a tarp roof.
1876 – Entire railroad re-gauged to standard gauge (4' - 8-1/2") in one day – March 15. [1]
ca. 1880 (date not confirmed) – the present station is built.
ca. 1902 – Track connection to Mountainhome branch realigned; freight house near road on branch removed; freight house west of station built. [11]
1920's – complaints about lack of parking at Cresco station. [2]
July 1925 – DL&W buys the hotel across the track from the station and associated land (88 acres?) [2]
24 June, 1928 – Post Office moves out of Seguine Souvenir Store and (temporarily) into hotel; the old post office / store is razed, and the area behind is filled in to create the present parking area. A 100 foot canopy is also built at this time; within a few years, the canopy is extended another 100 feet. [2]
11 April 1950 – Automatic crossing gates placed in service at grade crossing next to station. [11]
1 September 1954 – Construction of new bridge for Route 171 (191/390 as of 2018) by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is sufficiently advanced so that Western Union circuits may be restored on a permanent basis. [10]
12 October 1954 – Contractor is installing barricades across the road at the Cresco crossing (presumably bridge is finished) [10]
18 – 19 August 1955 – Hurricane Diane follows Hurricane Connie, and causes extensive flooding in the Poconos. DL&W Train No. 5, the westbound Twilight, is marooned at the Cresco station. Pictures show the canopy and freight house still in place.
20 March 1958 - The canopy collapsed due to heavy snow and high winds. Canopy not replaced. [11]
April 1960 – Freight House demolished [11]
17 October 1960 – the Lackawanna (DL&W) and Erie railroads merge to form the Erie-Lackawanna. [1]
[ca. 1960-61 – last freight car delivered to T. B. Price (per employee George Traugh) – this appears incorrect]
29 October 1967 - Station open per Employees Timetable No. 7 – listed with “D” (Open part time) in timetable; listing of “Train Order Offices - not open twenty-four hours daily” shows Cresco open Monday-Friday 8:15am – 12:45 pm and 1:45 pm- 5:15 pm. Timetable lists two passenger trains a day; No. 5 (WB) at 9:51 pm, and No. 6 (EB) at 6.29 am. Thus, station not open when passenger trains stop.
27 April, 1969 - Employees Timetable No. 2 not clear if Cresco open or not. Timetable includes “D” note on Cresco, suggesting not open 24 hours, but the listing of “Train Order Offices - not open twenty-four hours daily” does not include Cresco. [3]
3 July 1968 – Cresco station to close [4]
1969 – high level eastbound platform still present (based on photo)
6 or 7 January 1970 – Last passenger train
Ca. 1970 – Weiler Corp leases Cresco Station from Erie-Lackawanna for storage of cardboard boxes [5]
Ca. August 1971 - freight car still being delivered on the branch, per photo in Lackawanna Facilities, Volume 2 by Bob Hart.
1 April 1976 – Conrail takes over operation of Erie-Lackawanna railroad
1985 or before – Conrail removes second track [8]
8 August 1989 – Extensive damage to station by vandals [5, newspaper articles]
24 January, 1994 – Conrail sells “...approx. 16.4 miles of the subject [Scranton] branch, from Mile Post 101.0, in Mt. Pocono, to Mile Post 84.6 at Analomink, Monroe Co., Pa. to the Monroe County Railroad Authority.” [5, 6] (Subsequent review of [8] suggests that this portion of the “branch” had been closed. Conrail seems to have continued operating Scranton – Mount Pocono, and Portland – East Stroudsburg or Gravel Place, at least in 1985.)
25 August 1998 – Weiler Family Foundation presents keys to the Station to Jackie Magann of the Barrett Township Historical Society, for use as a museum (Aug 25 was Tuesday) [5] [date confirmed from newspaper articles and [9]]
13 December 1998 – BTHS held an “Old Fashioned Christmas” Open House at the Cresco Station [9]
18 December 1998 – Agreement between Weiler Corporation (Karl Weiler) and the Barrett Township Historical Society to use the station as a museum [5]
30 May, 1999 – BTHS opens the Museum in Cresco Station – Grand Opening Celebration [5]
24 October, 2005 – Cresco Station building and grounds purchased by Weiler Family Foundation [5]
May 2006 – Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority created from the Monroe County and Lackawanna County railroad authorities [7]
19 May, 2007 – Cresco Station Museum re-opened after extensive rebuilding and repair performed by the Weiler Family Foundation [5]
May – June, 2019 – Floor structure replaced; Museum closed; re-opened May 2020
Sources:
[1] – Taber, The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western in the Nineteenth Century; ibid, ...in the Twentieth Century (2 volumes)
[2] - Papers apparently from the DL&W Division Engineer’s office, ca. 1925 – 1930; from Warren “Mickey” Miller, found in Theo. B. Price store, 2016
[3] – Erie-Lackawanna employee’s timetables, collection of Kendrick Bisset
[4] – Pocono Record articles June 27, 28 and 29, 1968; copied from MCHA
[5] – Weiler Corporation and Karl Weiler files, loaned to Kendrick Bisset
[6] – Conrail letter to Weiler Brush Co., February 22, 1994
[7] – Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority website, http://pnrra.org, retrieved 16 October 2017
[8] – Conrail Maintenance Program and Track Chart, Eastern Region, New Jersey Division, 1985
[9] – BTHS Newsletter
[10] – Copies of (apparently) DL&W engineer's correspondence in BTHS collection
[11] – Scans of DL&W files and drawings from Steamtown NHS
24 April, 2019
30 May 2019
1856 – DL&W builds the “Southern Division” from Scranton toward New Jersey; all double track. This portion includes what eventually became Cresco. Timetable shows no stop at Oakland / Cresco. [1]
1857 – Oakland station (later Cresco) is reported to be a pile of ties with a tarp roof.
1876 – Entire railroad re-gauged to standard gauge (4' - 8-1/2") in one day – March 15. [1]
ca. 1880 (date not confirmed) – the present station is built.
ca. 1902 – Track connection to Mountainhome branch realigned; freight house near road on branch removed; freight house west of station built. [11]
1920's – complaints about lack of parking at Cresco station. [2]
July 1925 – DL&W buys the hotel across the track from the station and associated land (88 acres?) [2]
24 June, 1928 – Post Office moves out of Seguine Souvenir Store and (temporarily) into hotel; the old post office / store is razed, and the area behind is filled in to create the present parking area. A 100 foot canopy is also built at this time; within a few years, the canopy is extended another 100 feet. [2]
11 April 1950 – Automatic crossing gates placed in service at grade crossing next to station. [11]
1 September 1954 – Construction of new bridge for Route 171 (191/390 as of 2018) by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is sufficiently advanced so that Western Union circuits may be restored on a permanent basis. [10]
12 October 1954 – Contractor is installing barricades across the road at the Cresco crossing (presumably bridge is finished) [10]
18 – 19 August 1955 – Hurricane Diane follows Hurricane Connie, and causes extensive flooding in the Poconos. DL&W Train No. 5, the westbound Twilight, is marooned at the Cresco station. Pictures show the canopy and freight house still in place.
20 March 1958 - The canopy collapsed due to heavy snow and high winds. Canopy not replaced. [11]
April 1960 – Freight House demolished [11]
17 October 1960 – the Lackawanna (DL&W) and Erie railroads merge to form the Erie-Lackawanna. [1]
[ca. 1960-61 – last freight car delivered to T. B. Price (per employee George Traugh) – this appears incorrect]
29 October 1967 - Station open per Employees Timetable No. 7 – listed with “D” (Open part time) in timetable; listing of “Train Order Offices - not open twenty-four hours daily” shows Cresco open Monday-Friday 8:15am – 12:45 pm and 1:45 pm- 5:15 pm. Timetable lists two passenger trains a day; No. 5 (WB) at 9:51 pm, and No. 6 (EB) at 6.29 am. Thus, station not open when passenger trains stop.
27 April, 1969 - Employees Timetable No. 2 not clear if Cresco open or not. Timetable includes “D” note on Cresco, suggesting not open 24 hours, but the listing of “Train Order Offices - not open twenty-four hours daily” does not include Cresco. [3]
3 July 1968 – Cresco station to close [4]
1969 – high level eastbound platform still present (based on photo)
6 or 7 January 1970 – Last passenger train
Ca. 1970 – Weiler Corp leases Cresco Station from Erie-Lackawanna for storage of cardboard boxes [5]
Ca. August 1971 - freight car still being delivered on the branch, per photo in Lackawanna Facilities, Volume 2 by Bob Hart.
1 April 1976 – Conrail takes over operation of Erie-Lackawanna railroad
1985 or before – Conrail removes second track [8]
8 August 1989 – Extensive damage to station by vandals [5, newspaper articles]
24 January, 1994 – Conrail sells “...approx. 16.4 miles of the subject [Scranton] branch, from Mile Post 101.0, in Mt. Pocono, to Mile Post 84.6 at Analomink, Monroe Co., Pa. to the Monroe County Railroad Authority.” [5, 6] (Subsequent review of [8] suggests that this portion of the “branch” had been closed. Conrail seems to have continued operating Scranton – Mount Pocono, and Portland – East Stroudsburg or Gravel Place, at least in 1985.)
25 August 1998 – Weiler Family Foundation presents keys to the Station to Jackie Magann of the Barrett Township Historical Society, for use as a museum (Aug 25 was Tuesday) [5] [date confirmed from newspaper articles and [9]]
13 December 1998 – BTHS held an “Old Fashioned Christmas” Open House at the Cresco Station [9]
18 December 1998 – Agreement between Weiler Corporation (Karl Weiler) and the Barrett Township Historical Society to use the station as a museum [5]
30 May, 1999 – BTHS opens the Museum in Cresco Station – Grand Opening Celebration [5]
24 October, 2005 – Cresco Station building and grounds purchased by Weiler Family Foundation [5]
May 2006 – Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority created from the Monroe County and Lackawanna County railroad authorities [7]
19 May, 2007 – Cresco Station Museum re-opened after extensive rebuilding and repair performed by the Weiler Family Foundation [5]
May – June, 2019 – Floor structure replaced; Museum closed; re-opened May 2020
Sources:
[1] – Taber, The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western in the Nineteenth Century; ibid, ...in the Twentieth Century (2 volumes)
[2] - Papers apparently from the DL&W Division Engineer’s office, ca. 1925 – 1930; from Warren “Mickey” Miller, found in Theo. B. Price store, 2016
[3] – Erie-Lackawanna employee’s timetables, collection of Kendrick Bisset
[4] – Pocono Record articles June 27, 28 and 29, 1968; copied from MCHA
[5] – Weiler Corporation and Karl Weiler files, loaned to Kendrick Bisset
[6] – Conrail letter to Weiler Brush Co., February 22, 1994
[7] – Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority website, http://pnrra.org, retrieved 16 October 2017
[8] – Conrail Maintenance Program and Track Chart, Eastern Region, New Jersey Division, 1985
[9] – BTHS Newsletter
[10] – Copies of (apparently) DL&W engineer's correspondence in BTHS collection
[11] – Scans of DL&W files and drawings from Steamtown NHS
24 April, 2019
30 May 2019