Community Corner
Dillinger Only Lehigh County Train Tunnel Still in Use
Located south of Vera Cruz, 136-year-old passageway is a living piece of history.
You may not know much about history, but Emmaus Patch is going to help change that. Every Friday in July, you're invited to join Peggy Heminitz for a brief history lesson. Peg will share a local photograph and some historical fact about the place we call home. We promise there won't be any tests!
This week, we're focusing on the Dillinger Tunnel:
Completed in 1875, the Dillinger Tunnel is located south of Vera Cruz and still used today. The 1,793-foot tunnel was built on the Reading Railroad’s Perkiomen Line, which originally ran from Emmaus to Philadelphia. It once carried freight, as well as passenger trains on a daily basis.
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The Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike crosses 40 feet above the tunnel.
It is now owned by East Penn Railways and carries freight from Pennsburg to the Emmaus Junction on 16 miles of track. Dillinger Tunnel is the only train tunnel still in use in Lehigh County.