Mahanoy Plane, Frackville, Schuylkill County

Happy New Year, friends and readers! I hope that this year, there will be more opportunity for me to get out and about to photograph subjects for this blog. I meanwhile have had some people inquire about being guest photographers - if that's something you'd find interesting, thank you! Please send a message to me at markerquestblog@gmail.com and let me know what you have in mind.

Now, let's head for the coal country.

The marker is on the western side
of PA Route 924, 1.2 miles south of
Main Street, Frackville.

The story begins with the Mahanoy and Broad Mountain Railroad, which later became the Reading Company - yes, the Reading Railroad on a Monopoly board. (I'm sure I'll think of that next time I draw the "Take a ride on the Reading" card from the Community Chest.) Broad Mountain is part of the Broad Ridge, which traverses both Schuylkill and Carbon Counties, and is very rich in anthracite coal. Anyone who read my post about the Switchback Railroad in Carbon County might remember how coal became one of the dominant industries of the area, which is commonly identified as the Anthracite Coal Region.

By the 1860s, the Civil War had a tremendous impact on the coal industry, requiring swift improvements to the way it was mined and transported. But while the Switchback Railroad brought coal down from the mountain, the M&BM Railroad had the opposite problem - they needed to haul coal up the mountain, from the Mahanoy Valley to Frackville, which is near the summit of Broad Mountain. For this purpose, they created the Mahanoy Plane.

The plane opened on July 16, 1861. It stood 524 feet tall, and stretched a staggering 2,460 feet in length. Three cars of coal would be drawn up the plane by a 2,500 horsepower train engine, which at the time were regarded as being among the most powerful engines in the world. It's said that between 800 and 900 cars passed over the plane every day.

Interestingly, the plane had a rival of sorts. The Mahanoy Tunnel, which was completed in 1862, is a 3,500-foot tunnel passing under Buck Mountain. It connects Mahanoy Township with Ryan Township, and was used just as much as the plane to transport coal; unlike the Mahanoy Plane, the tunnel is still used by the railroad even today.

Over time, the tunnel became the more popular way to ship the coal. Technological advances also led to a decline in the coal industry, as other forms of fuel became more prevalent. Finally, the plane was closed altogether on February 27, 1932.

The plane itself is, of course, gone. Ruins of the buildings which surrounded it, however, are still standing. I couldn't view them on my visit to the marker, as the sun was getting low and I didn't fancy exploring in the dark; but luckily, the Wandering Woodsman has taken care of that for me. This very nice gentleman posted his video of the ruins of today's subject, so instead of waiting around for me to make another trip and photograph them, you can enjoy his tour. You'll find a link in the sources section below. As someone who finds abandoned places fascinating, I found it really amazing to see the way nature has reclaimed the place.

Lacking another photograph, however, I do have a different image to share. This comes to us from the Library of Congress, and is a drawing of the coal operations near Mahanoy City. The illustration, which comes from the 1864 map of Schuylkill County, shows the colliery as viewed from the north, and depicts some of Mahanoy City in the backdrop. Observe the train departing the colliery, with its cars loaded with coal - quite possibly on its way to the Mahanoy Plane. The image was shared on Facebook by Wynning History and I thank Jake Wynn for making it available. (If you're interested in anthracite history, definitely check out his website!)

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Sources and Further Reading:

Heydinger, Earl J., The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin, No. 107. The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, October 1962.

Author unknown. "Mahanoy Tunnel Still In Use Today." AnthraciteMiners.com, July 10, 2019.

Wandering Woodsman, The. Abandoned Historic Ruins of the Mahanoy Plane, Frackville, PA. YouTube, January 30, 2019.

Mahanoy Plane at the Historical Marker Database 

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Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.