The Lehigh Valley had several yards in the geographic region that inspired its name. Between the small yards near the passenger station and passenger car shops in Easton, and the division point at Packerton (Lehighton), were three other yards. Calypso yard and Florence yard were both in Bethlehem, with Florence serving the interchange with Bethlehem Steel’s ambitiously-named switching road, the Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England. Midway between Easton and Bethlehem was Richards yard. The 1972 Jersey Central retrenchment to be self-contained in New Jersey, left the LV in control of the much larger, more modern Allentown yard, hastening the demise of Calypso and Richards. Here, seven years later, the abandoned yard office at Richards proudly displays the identity of its builder. Looking at Google Maps, the building may still exist, but is now inaccessible, due to a quarrying operation now occupying the property that was home to a dairy farm at the time of this photo.
