Welcome to the revised


Check out the NEW Franklin/Huntingdon Counties book in the store section.

This now brings the route from the Cumberland County Line to Westmoreland County Line into book form.

Of course you can still get the whole route on DVD for viewing on your computer.



web page

  120 years of sitting in the countryside of Pennsylvania is an unfinished, incomplete and abandoned railroad route that the Pennsylvania Turnpike purchased about fifty years after the railroad stopped work. Most travelers along the new highway known as the Pennsylvania Turnpike are either aware or slightly aware of its history but not many know what your about to see here on this web page. For thirteen years I have been searching for the exact alignment of the railroad and I only research this railroad. If you ever came across the topic of the turnpike either on the internet or even in books you will notice as I have that the topic of the railroad is slightly looked at but then the topic quickly goes into the Pennsylvania Turnpike route. My reply to that was Hey what about the railroad? Where is it. What is left. Was it all used by the turnpike? What makes up the real history of the railroad that Turnpike bought.
Many people have hobbies but I wanted something that would dwarf others collections. Here and as far as I know is the only place where you could learn about what went on in the railroad construction period. If I do come across other railroads, I barely come off the South Pennsylvania Railroad to explore its connection with the historic route. But soon I am back on track searching for any and all items that is pertanant to this route.



Above left: The actual east portal of the South Pennsylvania Railroad, Allegheny Mountain Tunnel in 1884.

Above right: Hiring surveyors for the South Pennsylvania Railroad by Oliver Wendel Barnes.

Below: The instructions for bid proposals





Above: Standing directly above the South Pennsylvania Railroad right of way looking west across Amberson valley from atop the Kittatinny Mtn. to Timmons Mtn on the left and Knob Mtn in the distance.



Above: Does this map look familiar? It should as it is the bend you see in the far distance on the above photo as the west bound turnpike passes beneath the bridge and curves around Timmons Mountain (left). The two structures (House and Barn) on the map are also standing today belonging to Wm. Stake. The road to Roxbury crossing the railroad on this map is today the bridge you see in the turnpike photo.

Gentlemen-- I submit herewith a Report to the surveys and Location of the main Line of your Railroad. These surveys were commenced in the month of December,1881, and continued under my charge during the year 1882 and until October 1st,1883, when the work was put under contract for construction to the American Construction Company. The object of these surveys was the exploration of the ground between the east bank of the Susquehanna River and the Youghiogheny River; thence to the state line of West Virginia in the direction of Wheeling, and the selection of a route upon which to locate, construct and operate under the provisions of the act of incorporation of the South Pennsylvania Railroad Company, approved May, 5, 1884, and the several supplements thereto, and Acts of the Legislature of Pennsylvania amending and enlarging the powers of the said company, a railroad with one or more tracks with such laterals as it may be authorized to construct in the counties through or into which its main line may pass. The surveys took a wide range and every practical route which present favorable features was instrumentally examined or carefully reconnoitered and considered. Detail reports have been made, accompanied with maps and profiles of all the lines surveyed from time to time as the work progressed, and it is therefore not necessary now to describe any other lines than those finally selected as the most eligible for the purpose of the company.

The complex questions arising from the diffrent characteristics of several of the most favorable routes, made it necessary to actually place on the ground several located lines on diffrent rates of gradient between the summits of each of the mountain ranges and the depressions on either side of them. These gradients were carefully fitted to the ground and the results adjusted, compared and estimated upon before the adoption of the line described as follows:

Go to the 1884 report for the rest of this report.

 

Above left: Somerset Walmart site: South east corner of the parking lot showing a SPRR fill crossing this open field.

Above right: The newly acquired aerial photo of the South Pennsylvania Railroad just north (right) of the Pennsylvania Turnpike as they both race for the east portal of the Blue Mountain Tunnel in the top of this shot.

Our latest find.

Hoosac Tunnel/ SPRR Allegheny Tunnel Connection/Charles Webster

On a trip on October 17th, Sue and I were able to get our own shot of the east and west portals of the Hoosac Tunnel and approach. Now we have a picture to connect with the letter seen beneath this shot. The tunnel is 4.75 miles long and at the time was the largest in the US.



Charles Webster was an engineer who worked at the Hoosac Tunnel in NW Mass during the expansion of the Hoosac Tunnel. Here we are able to connect Charles Webster with the Hoosac Tunnel and the Allegheny Tunnel part of the South Pennsylvania Railroad along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Charles Webster's name is seen on the bottom line on each of these letters.

Below center: The east portal of the Hoosac Tunnel. False tunnel on the left.

  

Below: The three USGS maps which make up the Hoosac Tunnel. Enjoy!



Negro Mountain West Portal Location

Its all in how you view it. Look close and follow the depression to the right side of the farm house and then follow it back to the base of this Negro Mountain as the red lines show.



End of the line

We know that the original end destination for the South Pennsylvania Railroad was to be at Wheeling West, Virginia. However just where is the proof ? Well the web page finally shows that proof.  My readings and research has shown that the original route from the main line was to utilize the south bank of Jacobs Creek to just one mile east of Laurelville on route 31 & 982 to north Connellsville to Brownsville to Marianna to Prosperity to Middle Wheeling Creek to Wheeling.

Read the 1884 report posted on this web page to see this alignment as written by Oliver Wendel Barnes. It has all been documented in letters and maps.

Below: The map of the South Pennsylvania Railroad into the community of Fulton and eventually into North Wheeling.



Wheeling Railroad Yards





Below; Imagine the head engineer William Shunk, hired by Oliver Wendel Barnes after he finally completed the whole survey of the South Pennsylvania Railroad and his view of this whole route. I have been researching letters of the South Pennsylvania for many years and I once had a letter written by Wm. Shunk and his view of the opening survey was of disbelief that this was even being thought of. This next letter shows his view after the route was on paper.


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Mountain Craft Days

Every year I travel sixty miles to the east up the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a great place north of Somerset to Mountain Craft Days. This year the event will be Fri/10/11-Sun/10/12. This year I  focused on the 1938-1939 aerial photos against the South Pennsylvania Rairload Survey Maps. You will be able to compare the remaing work on the aerial photos against the survey maps. I enjoy this event and even the day after the previous showing I look forward to the next year.

Thanks to all.

Once again Mountain Craft Days was a great success and I want to thank all who came to the display and listened intently to the information shown. I enjoyed talking with everyone and thank all who purchased the book and DVD's and a few maps I had on the subject. The next coming year I will expand my display to show the areas south into the Western Maryland area that was surveyed by the South Penn in 1883. This will once again be compared to the 1939 aerial photos of that area including the Pinkerton Bend Tunnel and Confluence as well as Ohio Pyle and Connellsville.

See you next year at Mountain Craft Days. Somerset, Pennsylvania.



What's the difference between Obama & GOD? GOD doesn't think he is Obama.

Don't blame me I voted for the AMERICAN


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