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Thread: WTF is this?

  1. #1
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    WTF is this?

    I went out on the mountain bike today, to a site I found on Google Earth that I thought was interesting. I took some pictures. I have NO IDEA what this place was. Maybe you guys can help me out.

    This place is about the size of a football field. There's three sections to it, with concrete walls creating each section and a trench between them about 6 feet wide and 15 feet deep. There are metal rods in the ground everywhere, bent over at an angle. There are several strips of thin concrete about five feet wide and hundreds of feet long. There are steel cables coming vertically out of the concrete retaining wall/foundations about every three feet, which are now sheared off and frayed. There are three pits with concrete retaining walls at the south end of this, about 40 feet across and sort shaped like Oklahoma turned 90 degrees. They are mostly filled in with trees and reeds now.

    I got some pics, plus a topo map showing this from 1948. There is a lot of iron at this site (I brought a metal detector). Lots of HUGE bolts and washers and other iron pieces everywhere.

    There is no record of this place anywhere I can find, which may indicate what it was. Anthracite coal is all over the site as well, so I thought maybe it was a locomotive works, but I can't find any history of anything like that there. It is sandwiched between the still operational NYC main line and the abandoned Lehigh Valley line.

    Here's the topo map from 1948. Arrow points to three red lines which are where this site lies. I see nothing else marked in red like that on any topo map.



    The site on Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.921...3KJQ-w&split=0


    And finally, the pics I took: http://storage.kellimcmillan.com/kmc...8_-78.36.5.43/

    What do you think this is???

  2. #2
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Kelli, it's kind of hard to tell for sure and your photo site crashed my browser but my best guess is that it's the remains of an old coal tipple that was used for refueling steam locomotives.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  3. #3
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    Well, I'm pretty sure there was at one time an underground missile silo somewhere near that area. But I doubt the thing you saw is it. Since it has coal all over and since it's between the two railroads I would guess it probably had something to do with the railroad. A coal yard perhaps. What is the exact name of the town its in ?
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

  4. #4
    Orca Whisperer kf0rt's Avatar
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    No idea here, but Carl's coal idea makes sense. It's also pretty near an airport, but it doesn't look like that's related.

  5. #5
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Found it! It is the remains of an old Lehigh Valley Coal storage facility but it's not directly related to the railroads. Check it out, Kelli--it's pretty cool. If you scroll up a bit, you'll see something that fits your description pretty well.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  6. #6
    "Island Bartender" KG4CGC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KJ6BSO View Post
    Found it! It is the remains of an old Lehigh Valley Coal storage facility but it's not directly related to the railroads. Check it out, Kelli--it's pretty cool. If you scroll up a bit, you'll see something that fits your description pretty well.
    You Da Man kudos street creds! Brilliant!

  7. #7
    Orca Whisperer kf0rt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KG4CGC View Post
    You Da Man kudos street creds! Brilliant!


    That's some damfine research, Carl.

  8. #8
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    Cool! I can't view the site right now- posting from my Blackberry while waiting to get my hair colored and cut, lol! When I get home I will check it out.

  9. #9
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    Funny coincidence--I just noticed that the book is actually located right here, at UC San Diego.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  10. #10
    Conch Master W7XF's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by N2KKM View Post
    Cool! I can't view the site right now- posting from my Blackberry while waiting to get my hair colored and cut, lol! When I get home I will check it out.
    OK Kelli.... what colour??? Pink with purple polkadots???? Green with yellow highlights???? Electric blue???
    Encrypt everything. Even if you have nothing to hide. It increases the noise floor.

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