The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad was a 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm) narrow-gauge railroad in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Originally built in 1871, it may have been the first American common-carrier narrow-gauge railroad.[1] It purchased a rail line called the Coal Hill Coal Railroad from the Pittsburgh Coal Company, and used a coal mine under Mt. Washington as a tunnel to transport coal from Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh.[2] Passenger traffic was added soon afterwards, and the train carried passengers during the day and coal at night. The original plan was to extend the line to Finleyville, Pennsylvania, but the original narrow-gauge line ran only as far as Castle Shannon. The right of way continued as the Pittsburgh, Castle Shannon and Washington Railroad, later to become part of the Pittsburgh Southern Railroad.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Allegheny County, Pennsylvania |
| Dates of operation | 1871–1950 |
| Predecessor | Coal Hill Coal Railroad |
| Successor | Pittsburgh Railways |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm) |
| Length | 6.5 miles (10.5 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | http://liquala.com/pcs.html |
In spite of its location above the rivers in Pittsburgh, it sustained flood damage on at least one occasion.[3] The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel was closed to passenger traffic in 1880, but coal trains continued to use it until 1912. Passengers continued to travel over Mt. Washington via two inclines, the Castle Shannon Incline and a "back" incline. The right of way, excluding the tunnel through the coal mine, was leased by Pittsburgh Railways in 1905, and later purchased in 1950. The railroad ran with a dual-gauge system, with coal trains continuing to run on the narrow gauge, and at night, and trolleys on a wider gauge (5 ft 2+1⁄2 in or 1,588 mm).[4] The right of way is part of the Pittsburgh Light Rail transportation system today, from South Hills Junction to Library, Pennsylvania.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 493–494. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9.
- ^ "Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad HAER no. PA-410" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ "The Pittsburg Flood.; Incidents of Dire Calamity" (PDF). New York Times (July 30). 1874. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ^ Cridlebaugh, Bruce S. "Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel". Retrieved 2008-11-02.
External links
edit
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-410, "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, South Hills Junction"
- HAER No. PA-410-A, "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, Warrington Avenue Bridge"
- HAER No. PA-410-B, "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, McKinley Park Bridge"
- HAER No. PA-410-C, "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, Reflectorville Viaduct"
- HAER No. PA-410-D, "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, Oak Viaduct"
- Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Narrow Gauge Railroad
- The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad
- Notes on the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad
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