Looming over the Mahanoy Creek Valley, the old Saint Nicholas breaker of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company is still relatively intact in this January, 1992 view. Built in 1932, old St. Nicholas was the largest breaker in the world at the time of its construction, capable of processing 12,500 tons (250 twin hopper cars) of anthracite per day, meaning that this mine alone could generate several trains a day for sister company Philadelphia & Reading Railway to haul to far-away markets. Conflicting information that I could find shows the breaker closing in 1965 or 1972, but I believe 1972 to be correct. The buildings still looked pretty good in 1992, but more recent photos show more deterioration. Demolition was finally planned for 2015, but I have not found confirmation of this being completed.
