History records stories of brave men and women who escaped from the red marauders, hiding their families and themselves. The highest point between new york and lake erie in alfred station is appropriately named tip top. Allegheny valley logging railroads locomotives sawmills. It was reorganized as the allegheny valley railway and eventually leased by the. It became part of the pennsylvania railroad prr before the first world war. According to albert j churellas expansive book the pennsylvania railroad.
Allegheny valley railroad company smithsonian libraries. Susquehanna river valley railroads history book pediment. Allegheny valley avr started operations in 1995 and operates 77 miles of track in the greater pittsburgh area, with lines extending. The first, from erie to irvine was purchased from conrail. The allegheny valley railroad ran along the eastern shore of the allegheny river from pittsburgh to new kensington and beyond. Read the history, see the map and view pictures of the dunkirk, allegheny valley. The allegheny valley railroad was originally incorporated april 4, 1837 as the. The entire area of the waterfront was owned by the state of california, and therefore so was the railroad. The plight of massy harbison and her family is history of the times in our valley. There were stations at almond, alfred, andover, wellsville, scio, phillipsville, belvidere, friendship and cuba, and switches at tip top, elm valley, dyke and summit. Jan 11, 20 i started to write a posting about all the railroad shots i had taken over the last year, but like so many things, it morphed into something else before i had finished. This inclined plane railroad operated between 18341854 and was considered a technological wonder in its day.
In october 1995, the allegheny valley railroad began operations when trimax now carload express acquired conrail s valley cluster in the pittsburgh area. History get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming movies tv shows. A low grade division of the allegheny valley railroad was opened eastward from redbank to new bethlehem, a distance of 21 miles, on the 6th of may, 1873. Volume 11 of logging railroad era of lumbering in pennsylvania. We are not announcing a reopening date at this time and will provide updates on a regular and asneeded basis. It was the baltimore and ohio railroad that distinguished the town when a doubledecker railroad bridge was built across the allegheny river at foxburg.
A genuine engineering marvel in its day or even by todays standards. Allegheny valley logging railroads locomotives sawmills pine timber warren forest venango crawford erie counties book no. Used to haul canal boats over the allegheny mountains. The allegheny portage railroad had connected the eastern and western part of the state for twenty years and had allowed for trade that led to great economic development in pennsylvania. The genesee valley canal began with a connection to the erie canal in downtown rochester and extended south to form a connection to the allegheny river and thus provided a waterway link to the ohio and mississippi. The history and geology of the allegheny portage railroad. The historic pittsburgh book collection contains publications from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that document pittsburgharea history and culture. Specific to pennsylvania denotes that the book is available from the pennsylvania state library, harrisburg pa. On february 5, 1862, the pittsburgh gazette and commercial journal published allegheny valley railroadannual meeting of stockholders. Understanding origins of railroads in pittsburgh, pa. Allegheny valley railway company bald eagle valley railroad company.
The pennsylvania railroad company was the largest railroad in the united states in terms of corporate assets and traffic from the last quarter of the nineteenth century until the decline of the northeasts and midwests dominance of manufacturing. The effective date is as shown on each revised page. Allegheny valley railroads pittsburgh rail project lands. He gives testimony to the fact that cattaraugus county had an active part in the underground railroad. Allegheny portage railroad an engineering marvel that. New railroad, county and township map of new york state published by.
Yet, in many respects, the allegheny valley was pittsburghs original valley of industry. Allegheny valley railroad served as a vital connection to the iron, steel, salt. Underground railroad historic path of cattaraugus county. This was the former dunkirk, allegheny valley and pittsburgh railroad line between dunkirk, ny and titusville, pa. Map of allegheny valley railroad 43rd street yard in pittsburgh, pa. Considered a technological wonder in its day 18341854, the railroad played a critical role in opening the interior of the united states to further settlement and additional trade. More than just a warehouse for books, journals, maps, and manuscripts, the. Pennsylvania railroad company records hagley museum and. Use of the sligo spur had been discontinued earlier. The seneca wigwams in the allegheny valley exhibited hundreds of scalps as trophies of their incursions into western pennsylvania. The allegheny railroad began operations on september 3, 1985. I started thinking that maybe i should narrow it down a bit and concentrate on just the avrr.
The two most popular reasons for wishing to consult railroadrelated land records are property ownership investigations and historical research. Map of the allegheny valley rail road and connections accompanying report february 1854 description. The company was formed during a period of rivalry among the northeastern seaport cities to secure the trade of the great lakes and the ohio valley. In some cases yards, stations, repair facilities, etc. Allegheny portage railroad national park foundation. It served small farm towns in upstate new york and reached into the oil field region of northwestern pennsylvania. Allegheny valley logging railroads volume 11 of logging railroad era of lumbering in pennsylvania. The allegheny valley railroad reporting mark avr is a class iii railroad that operates in western pennsylvania, and is owned by carload express, inc. A history of the lumber, chemical wood, and tanning companies which used railroads in pennsylvania. This issue also contains about 40 pages on logging locomotives and equipment in general, including a locomotive roster of local. Smithsonian libraries, natural history building, 10 th st. Allegheny valley railroad company tariff avr 8100 16th revised page 1 check sheet switching services tariff original pages and revised pages named below contain all changes from the original tariff.
Chartered in 1867, its first passenger train ran in 1871. Allegheny valley logging railroads issue 11 of logging railroad era of lumbering in pennsylvania. Recounting the development of public transit in pennsylvanias industrialized allegheny valley, this new book from the pennsylvania trolley museum is a great new addition to any northeast railfans library. The pennsylvania railroad company was incorporated under the laws of pennsylvania on april, 1846. The central susquehanna river valley has a rich railroad history which has helped build many communities and create thousands of jobs and industries in our area. Information for this article was obtained through newspaper articles found in the files of the ischua valley historical society, the writing of helen c. The redbank valley rail trail is located on former railroad rightofway and follows redbank creek much of the way, extending to sligo via lawsonham. Historic pittsburgh book collection historic pittsburgh. The dunkirk, allegheny valley and pittsburgh railroad is a historic railroad company that operated in pennsylvania and new york chartered in 1867, its first passenger train ran in 1871. Read more about report on the surveys of the allegheny valley rail road.
Joint application of valley railroad company to abandon operation and to remove that part of the valley railroad from a point near staunton at or near lexington about 35. The allegheny portage railroad apr was the first railroad over allegheny mountain the allegheny front. The erie railroad was chartered in april of 1832 and was finished in 1851. The daily item is pleased to present susquehanna river valley railroads, a hardcover pictorial book that captures the history of the central susquehanna river valley. Glimpses of the past people, places, and things in letchworth park history. Hopkins company maps, 18721940 historic pittsburgh.
Allegheny valley railroads by casler, no 11 of the pennsylvania logging series,108 pages. Railroad maps, 1828 to 1900, available online, pennsylvania. I am looking to interchange with the various railroads that were in pittsburgh, pa in 1953. Report on the surveys of the allegheny valley rail road allegheny valley railroad company. Dunkirk, allegheny valley and pittsburgh railroad wikipedia.
The allegheny valley railroad was begun in 1853 and completed to kittanning in 1856. This map shows what remains of the pennsylvania railroad in 2005 compared with the system of 40 years ago. The allegheny portage railroad was an incredible achievement in early travel, and even boasted of carrying the likes of several famous individuals. Browse maps, pictures and histories of abandoned railroad lines in the state of pennsylvania. Both documents are in the files of allegheny portage railroad national historic site, here after referred to as the historic site. Map shows railroad routes across michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, maryland, new. Redbank valley rail trail railtrail history traillink. On the 23rd of june, trains commenced running regularly to brookville, a distance of 40 miles from redbank, and on november 5 a further section of 16 miles was opened, to reynoldsville. I am protofreelancing a railroad that existed but became part of the prr. Sep 30, 2011 allegheny valley railroads plan to establish commuter rail service from tarentum into downtown pittsburgh, a project more than 10 years in the making, has chugged closer to reality, securing a.
It was later wholly absorbed by the new york central. I noticed that i had taken a lot of pictures of the allegheny valley railroad. Trains magazine offers railroad news, railroad industry insight, commentary on todays freight railroads, passenger service amtrak, locomotive technology, railroad preservation and history, railfan opportunities tourist railroads, fan trips, and great railroad photography. Glimpses of the past exploring letchworth park history. All smithsonian museums and smithsonian libraries locations continue to be closed to support the effort to contain the spread of covid19. A railroad built as part of the pennsylvania canal system in the 1840s. It extended 90 miles from the nyc mainline at dunkirk, ny southsouthwest to titusville, pa.
This book covers the logging railroads in warren, forest, venango, crawford, kinzua, and erie counties. Aug 23, 20 this post was contributed by a community member. The prr was the largest railroad in the us through the 20th century by traffic and revenue and was headquartered in philadelphia, pennsylvania. In this lecture, we explore, the history of the railroad, through a photographic journey, noting the important strides made by the metals, oil, and manufacturing enterprises historically located in the allegheny valley during its era of growth. Moore was born in pittsburgh and had the reputation of being the leading expert accountant in that city. Centennial book committee, 1971, page 5, the allegheny valley railroad. The corridor was known most recently as the mountain laurel railroad low grade corridor. Much of the land in southwestern pennsylvania was depreciation land, tracks of land land auctioned and sold off to servicemen in the late 1700s at a time when this area was the wilderness of the west. We are the allvolunteer group that maintains trails along the monongahela river between the glenwood bridge and clairton. Hopkins company for pittsburgh that show lot and block numbers, dimensions, street widths, names of property owners, churches, cemeteries, mills, schools, roads, railroads, lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.
What is the history of the allegheny valley railroad. These records provide nearly comprehensive coverage of corporate matters for the entire time span and reasonably complete coverage of the functional. Allegheny portage railroad national historic site is located in southwestern pennsylvania approximately 12 miles west of altoona. The two most popular reasons for wishing to consult railroad related land records are property ownership investigations and historical research. The pennsylvania center for the book allegheny portage railroad. Its place in the main line of public works of pennsylvania, forerunner of the. Foxburg quickly grew with the addition of two rail lines, the northsouth allegheny valley railroad a division of the pennsylvania railroad and the eastwest baltimore and ohio railroad. After several mergers and name changes, it was leased to the new york central and hudson river rr in 1873 for a term of 501 years.
Little is reported about boating on the allegheny, however much has been written. Oil was first drilled there in 1859, and this began the modern petroleum age. Avr acts as a feeder line connecting its many and varied customers to class i railroads such as csx transportation csx and norfolk southern railway ns, and regional lines such as the. The allegheny valley railroad bonds of jefferson county building of low grade division history of the road in the county statement of business for 1886 the rochester and pittsburgh road the toby branch the reynoldsville and falls creek road coal production in jefferson county the wallston mines the clarion mines the beechtree mines. The best and most detailed large scale model railroad layout in the world 4k uhd duration. Phelan, the center for the study of canada at suny plattsburgh and internet websites. Avr brilliant cutoff viaduct allegheny county, pennsylvania built 1903 stone arch bridge over silver lake drive on allegheny valley rr formerly prr. Avrs multiple interchange connections offer a wide variety of routing options for your shipments, allowing your industry to maximize transportation savings. Harrison township history harrison township, allegheny. Railroad maps pennsylvania historical and museum commission. Primary resources company history annual reports dredge, james. Report on the surveys of the allegheny valley rail road. The original allegheny valley railroad avrr was formed in 1853, and it was constructed to transport oil from oil creek and titusville to market. In this lecture, we explore, the history of the railroad, through a photographic journey, noting the important strides made by the metals, oil, and manufacturing enterprises historically located in the allegheny valley during its era of.
Foxburg history allegheny riverstone center for the arts. Chapter xxxi railroads and coal, history of jefferson. Map shows railroad routes across michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, maryland, new jersey, and new york. Pennsylvania through truss bridge over allegheny river on allegheny valley railroad open to traffic. To create the new railroad, five individual segments were assembled. The dunkirk, allegheny valley and pittsburgh railroad is a historic railroad company that operated in pennsylvania and new york. This book explains the history of the railroad that served san franciscos waterfront for over a century.
The allegheny railroad was an american railroad company operating in northwestern pennsylvania. Map of the allegheny valley rail road and connections. It is an attempt at providing a unique overview to local pittsburgh and western pennsylvania history. Understanding origins of railroads in pittsburgh, pa model. Allegheny valley railroad train historic pittsburgh.
The name was changed in 1852 to the allegheny valley railroad. In 1965, the base year of this map, the prr operated 9,600 miles of railroad and stretched to its historic geographic limits. Train, railroad, transportation books from karens books. Allegheny valley railroad receiving grant to repair bridges. Avr has also begun to conduct transloading operations within glenwood yard itself, handling limestone unit trains and also sand for fracking. Allegheny valley avr started operations in 1995 and operates 77 miles of track in the greater pittsburgh area, with lines extending from pittsburgh to new kensington, washington, and allison park. A map of cambria county constructed according to law by walter b. A history of the lumber, chemical wood, and tanning companies which used railroads in pennsylvania, walter casler. All of this property was longowned by the mighty pennsylvania railroad, which tapped the regions extensive natural resources. Allegheny valley railroads plan to establish commuter rail service from tarentum into downtown pittsburgh, a project more than 10 years in the making, has. Railroad history specific to pennsylvania pennsylvania historical. Book of the lehigh valley railroad and its several branches and connections. It played a critical role in opening the interior of the united states to trade and settlement. The allegheny valley railroad was originally incorporated april 4, 1837 as the pittsburgh, kittanning and warren railroad.