The coal trains ascended the rise of Spring Mountain from Quakake Junction along a switchback spur of Spring Mountain, (or Locust/Mahanoy Mountain, depending upon your orientation). Upon reaching Lofty (once called Summit), they were switched to an even higher 300 foot ascent to the coal works on the Spring Mountain plateau, or westward to Delano and the western Mid-Anthracite coalfrields.

The vicinity of these pictures lies near the foot of "The Mile Hill", that segment of today's Rte 309 which climbs the approximately 1000 feet between the Quakake Valley and the southern front of the sprawling Spring Mountain ridge. A now gated turnoff to the right, going south on that highway takes one to the old road to Lofty, now blocked along most of its length by reforesting woodland. It had been somewhat passable as late as 1987, but that was accomplished using a 4WD vehicle.

At this location, once called "Switchback" or "Camp Breezy" (after an old Boy Scout camp), there are two distinct railroad grades. The lower one at approximate Rte 309 level once carried the tracks of the Mahanoy branch of the LVRR across the Tamaqua to Hazleton Turnpike and the beginning of the Schuylkill River. The overpass used a stone arch to span both the beginning Schuylkill River and the turnpike. The upper grade, which can be seen at the telegraph pole toward the top of the "Switchback Spur" picture was double-tracked for the Delano branch of the LVRR and the Philadelphia and Reading railroads. Here the switchback loops around the crest of the ridge, which is about 300 feet above Rte. 309 level and 500 feet above mean valley contour. It was a favorite lookout point, a three mile hike from McAdoo. The sassafras roots found there made a good herbal tea.

A still earlier railroad grade existed directly to the left of the Schuylkill River picture that even in the 1950s was nothing more than a long abandoned, nearly hidden path through a beautiful hemlock forest. We suspect that this was the earliest route of the Catawissa Railroad passing from Port Clinton to Catawissa through this convenient Schuylkill gap in the Spring Mountain.

When the Quakake/Mahanoy branch of the LVRR was dismantled, (late 1950s to mid 1960s), the vicinity of the Arch was dynamited for whatever odd reason. The aftereffects of this can easily be seen on picture LVRR Arch (3).