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the first gravity railroad. Coal cars were placed on rails and lowered by gravity from the mines to the river, which was nine miles away. Mules were then used to draw the empty cars back up to the mines. To conserve the animals’ energy, they were put on specially built cars that carried them down the mountain along with the coal and, in order to save time, they were fed on those cars. Many years later, Josiah’s nephew claimed that the “Switchback Railroad,” as it was called, wasn’t only the first railroad, but had the first dining car as well. 19

    Josiah White’s Switchback Railroad was used to bring coal from the mines to the awaiting coal boats, and it became one of America’s premier attractions and its first “roller coaster.” Courtesy of Pennsylvania Canal Society Collection, National Canal Museum, Easton, PA .
    Josiah’s plans became the model for future railroad construction. He designed the rails of wood with an iron plate rail, and the track was bound by crossties. It would be easy and inexpensive to build and easy to repair. Twelve miles of tracks were laid over a period of four months, supplemented by four miles of branch roads to the different mine entrances.
    The gravity railroad quickly became a tourist attraction, and the company decided to allow a local businessman to run “pleasure carriages” during the off times. He charged a toll of fifty cents to strangers, twenty-five cents to Mauch Chunk residents and all LC&N employees could ride for free. Approximately 50 percent of the profits were given back to the company. And so Josiah White’s first railroad also became the country’s first roller coaster.
    With an elevation of 664 feet and 2,322 feet long, it offered spectacular views from the top of Mount Pisgah of the Lehigh River and the mountains surrounding it. It was so popular that special excursions from New York and New Jersey brought people to see it and experience the thrill of what could easily be called a “runaway train ride.” It wasn’t until 1884 that an amusement park roller coaster was created and introduced to American society at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Until that time, Mauch Chunk’s Switchback Railroad was the only one of its kind.
    Mauch Chunk (now called Jim Thorpe) became a wealthy town as more people came to work in the mines and on the arks that brought the coal to major markets. The company erected 120 dwellings and buildings, including a hotel, a store, a schoolhouse and two iron furnaces. There was one tavern—governed by strict rules and controlled by the company (which had a strong Quaker influence). Even the physician was an employee of the company.
    During the years that Josiah was involved in the establishment of the LC&N, the improvements of the river and the building of the gravity railroad, he spent many long months away from his family. Elizabeth had given birth to five children: Josiah Jr. (who died at the age of five of yellow fever), John, Rebecca, Solomon and Hannah, all of whom stayed with their mother in Philadelphia while Josiah worked in Mauch Chunk. In letters written by him and to him, collected in Josiah White: Quaker Entrepreneur by Norris Hansell, we are able to take a peek into what this brilliant man thought and felt, and it is clear that despite his many accomplishments and bitter disappointments, he took great comfort in his relationship with his family and dearly loved his wife and children.
    When old enough, Josiah’s son Solomon became an apprentice in the LC&N. Josiah was very pleased and wrote to his wife:
    I find Solomon useful here. I have no doubt his service here will be of as much use to him as any he might experience in another situation. Now is the time for him to learn. I trust he is in his place . 20
    Sadly, Solomon took ill when he was nineteen and died. Josiah pulled back from his work and affairs in the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company,