No, not the whole track. I walked a section up at the top of Ashland on 61/54 down to the little league field area. A long long time ago.
Up behind there is a place everyone calls the Crystal, a small water filled crevice, that some used to go swimming in.
You can access it by way of a path above the LL field or from walking back from the 2 miler on 61/54 going to Centralia. At the pull in /turn around area.
Been a long time since I was up there.

what were the foundations next to the potts shaft for? they were on the side with the door and slighty up the hill, maybe 10 ft away from the door.

If you mean the cement pieces up on top of the slate wall where the shaft goes down, I think it was some type of ventilation. It is L shaped, there should be another one down on the other side of slate wall. My brother and friends used to play in t hem.
When you ask anyone in Locustdale, how things are in the Dale, you usually get a response about nothing caved in today.
I often wandered how close to the surface they mined there. My gram told me tales of hearing the water dripping and the men working.

Where beith the Oakland Tunnel and the Centralia Tunnel, are they on Big Mine Run??

Okay, the Oakland Tunnel that I know of, there isn't much to see.
If you to to Rite-Aid at the bottom of Ashland, and go to the right of the building and go to the back of it, follow the creek toward the carwash. You'll see the pipe with the AMD water coming out of it.
The other drainage tunnel in Oakland Ave.- On Centre Str; by the M & M Hoagie shop, go down 1 block on the opposite side of street, Turn left onto N Front St, and then immediately turn right onto Oakland Ave.
Right after making the right onto Oakland, on the left you will see a home situated on a triangle like plot. Right behind is the factory, park and walk back behind factory or go on the road directly behind the triangle (this is called Little Mine Run), look for the small stream of water and follow it back.
In the factory lot, if you look on the right side, there is a dirt road going back, walk back it, it will take you near the tunnel and back farther on same road is a small mining pit, I think it is a water filled shaft or slope and a place we called the Echo.
Centralia Drainage tunnel- go up road to Big Mine Run toward Centralia.
There is a bridge that you go across (water from drainage tunnels goes under it) up the road about 1/8 mile, watch for a path going back. There used to be a sign on the right side of road, that it was directly across from.

Another interesting sight- Opening for the Bast.
Same area as Centralia drainage tunnel. Right after you cross the bridge going up to Centralia; on the right there is a yellow gate, park there. You will see a dirt//grass road that goes right along side of macadam road going to Centralia. Walk up this dirt road, until you run into a cement culvert, which usually has mine water running thru it. At cement culvert, look up on the hill to the right, you should see the opening. It doesn't go in very far, my sister and 2 other friends were in it already. Way up behind this area is the Bast shaft that is capped off and fenced off. We used to call this area the Wheel.
If you need further directions let me know

Is the Bast opening concrete? I saw a smallish looking concrete opening that looked to be right under a railroad grade up on the right side of the road in the area you're talking about

I have a pic of it, but not on this computer yet. I just switched over to new one and didn't transfer the stuff over yet.
When I went to plug old one back in, it wouldn't power up so I have to get it fixed.
It is a concrete opening. I don't know if it's below a old rr or not, it looks like it used to be a road over the top of it.

ok i think i might have seen it from a distance then- also i think i saw a small mine entrance cut into the rock further up the road.

Thanks, went to the Bast today and a few other locations. Will get the photos on in a bit.

Thanks Dalado, awaiting your pics

Mines-
http://www.daladophotography.com/gallery/3214191_F3AHZ

AMD-
http://www.daladophotography.com/gallery/3233985_fqb29


So, I did what I call the loop. Started off from my home base of Ranshaw and went towards Ashland. Then I went to Frackville and on to what I call Miners Road (Route 209). I did a turn into Jim Thorpe and through Shendo and such.

Found some new things and still need to go back out again to look at some others.

Great pics

I'm going to do 2 posts on this.

First where is the 1927 in Ashland?

At the Lavelle mine discharge, did you see the slope and t he Bentzel tunnel?

You can get a good shot of the Oakland discharge pipe, if you go between the gararge/house & the next house (to the right of Rite Aid) and walk straight back.

You missed 4 discharges in Lavelle/Locustdale.

Joanne

I found this article pertaining to the Oakland/ Bast tunnel construction

Ashland Daily News- Saturday, June 27, 1936

Work Is Begun on Water Level Tunnel For the Bast Mine

Railroad Track Completed and Tunnel is Dug for Pipe Under Oakland Avenue

Preliminary excavating is under way today at the rock tunnel which the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co. is digging into the hillside opposite Reilly’s Row at the east end in order to draw water out of flooded Bast mine.

A track on which cars will haul the rock and earth dug out of the tunnel has been built and a tunnel has been dug under Oakland Ave. for the placing of a large pipe through which water from the tunnel will be emptied into Mahanoy Creek.

Work has been started only at the face of the tunnel and the digging is not yet as difficult as it will become when the solid rock is penetrated. Company officials plan to drive a tunnel in until they tap water which is rising inside the mine. Then when it reaches water-level, it will flow out thru the tunnel and into the creek and will be carried off without inflicting property damage anywhere.

Officials have made no estimate of the length of time required to complete the tunnel but they will employ three shifts daily in order to get it finished as quickly as possible.

Bast mine has been closed for several years because of an underground fire which caused several explosions. The mine has been permitted to fill completely with water in order to extinguish the fire.

It has been pointed out officially that the biggest job incident to returning Bast to operation is removal of the water.

The nature of mining in Bast is such that not much timbering is necessary. Tunnels are driven in the rock and coal and these will be little damaged by the flooding operation.

Resumption of Bast, obviously will not be considered until such time as officials are sure the entire operation has been sufficiently flooded extinguish the fire. Market demand will also determine when the mine will be restored to working schedules.