Tracking the William Henry Vanderbilt South Pennsylvania Railroad right of way along the Historic Pennsylvania Turnpike.
....The Sideling Hill one is easy to spot....both sides of the tunnel, but the Somerset picture.....That one has me really looking. Just studyed it a bit here this morning and can say, I don't completely have all of what I'm seeing identifyed yet.
And I thought I was pretty familiar with the Somerset area. One thing I don't understand {if this photo was made in {May, '39}, is the fact I can't see any turnpike construction underway, and for that date, I think some earth movement should be visible.
Believe the picture shows {dark line}, SPRR crossing of Stoysown road near Geiger and then as it works west passes around the long sweeping {left}, turn and heads to cross {now, 985}, but the locations of the other RR's in the shot....I just don't have that totally clear yet.
For May of 1939, we should see some action of construction of the Penn Turnpike....That has me puzzled.
Quentin
Here are a few more with the SPRR in then W/O the Pike
Below Just to the west of the Sideling Hill Tunnel in Valli High. Showing the CCC camp @ the railroad curve.
Below just west of Somerset
....Another thought. I'm going to bring up Donegal on a Satellite photo and do some comparisons to your pic Russ....
....Good picture. At first I thought it was a satellite rendition of the area, but when I enlarged it and noted the date on the pic. and the dark line you show, I realized it's a photo from an airplane of the bygone era.
I believe the light colored line {highway}, is present day rt. 31, east / west, which we just traveled thru there on a few days ago. Believe just beyond that location {west}, the RR contemplated digging a tunnel....But it doesn't seem to indicate that on this photo.
When we headed east last week, and was about to get on the turnpike at New Stanton, the traffic was lined up about a mile moving at a snail's pace and then we noted signs of construction work on the turnpike and could be delays. So I continued on north to Greensburg and got on rt. 30 east...{and found some construction there too}, but we really didn't get held up much at all.
Yes, I believe you had commented once before on this thread that you thought Donegal was the western terminus of SPRR actual construction.
New tool used to discover new sites of the SPRR has been passed over to me and I now know where the South Penn was compared to where the turnpike was. Here is an example of the one shot I saved showing how much of the turnpike right of way actually existed at the town of Donegal. Exit 9.
I'm going to say that this was furthest the end of the work grade west of Harrisburg was done. Look at the dark line just to the south of the town. That is the turnpike today.
....Yes, Russ...I do remember the penny / mile charge at opening and for some time after that before the toll was raised. Believe it was at that rate for quite a while.
Well, tomorrow morning we'll head that way {Somerset}....Back about Tues. evening.
.....Location of original Penn. Turnpike was from Irwin extending east to Carlisle, Pa. Opened Oct. 1st, 1940. {At midnight}. Roughly 160 miles in length. W / max. 3% grade.
poneykeg:
Can you be more specific about your post....What area are you addressing....?
...Sorry to hear you had such unfortunate contact there.
I had never had a chance to see the painting of my family's gas station there, and I emailed the Curator at Westmoreland Museum of American Art asking when that painting might be on display {they rotate them}, and she copied it {the image}, onto the computer and sent it to me.....I was very grateful.
....If you don't have a book published or collect your documented items and get them in some order to....someone that might carry it on farther....You might consider an appropriate museum curator.
How about the one {museum}, in Greensburg....There is a painting in that museum of my family's gas station...{Mong's Esso Station}, as it was closed "for the duration"....{WWII}. It was located along rt. 30 at Stoystown, Pa., and the painting was made in I believe it was about 1942 or 43.
Sold the property in '82 or so and later it was turned into a 24hr ambulance station.
....Yes, and that one fellow was saying something about stopping and seeing {female}, along the way out to the tunnel....and I believe he even said something about made it back to the same place and stayed all night. Probably worked late by the oil lamp on papers and then went straight to bed.....Right....
....Well that is a conglomeration of stories....dynamite, angrly farmers, and tunnel casualities.....Big bucks for fences, houses...etc.
Wonder how much $1000 ='s in 2007 dollars....? I do not have any info on inflation {or deflation}, thru time to make the comparison.
One question I do have though....How did these folks we're reading about move about....Like one saying "I'm going out to the tunnel today" , etc....."Or I was in Pittsburgh yesterday"....How did they move about these distances...It had to be horses and only horses and maybe at times, horse and buggy...But out in these territories there were next to no roads....!
The Pennsylvania RR was in across Pennsylvania at that time, but these Engineers, etc....had to move about in rough terrain where no means of transport existed. And probably almost no roads.
AlleghenyTunnel blast... Fatality!!
The railroad didn't pay a fair price for the property being taken. Read these next documents and how they cheated John Snyder. John Snyders property is located near Horse Track Road.
What about the fencing in of farms against the railroad? Let this document answer that. Also what the population was like in 1884 in the eastern section of Somerset County.
What about the fencing problem for the South Penn and the farmers especially in the east end of Somerset County. Ans:....
That was my liking about the letter as well. decietful they were.
...The writing is a bit hard to read, due to his writing, but sounds like cash in hand was going to be necessary to overcome the ROW difference, etc....Liked the part where it was mentioned "we should not have mentioned the discovery of needing to be off the ROW a bit....
Waltz Mill just west of New Stanton, Pa. This is about the original alignment into Pittsburgh but later rejected in favor of the alignmentto just south of the Irwin interchang. This letter speaks of the Sweickley Creek line which would have led it to the Seweickly tunel just above the bluff north of West Newton to a connection with the PMcK & Yough RR which Vanderbilt owned.
In reverse, but showing the difficulties the South Penn had with property owners as well as work needed to be performed just outside the Laurel Hill Tunnel on the then Miller property. Also the keep quiet about using extra property not belonging to them (the railroad) oops!!!
....Russ, missed your question last night regarding the comparison of the S P grade to the B&O at the two places. My answer to that, without trying to follow along on the topo maps would be....they are in the same bracket of difference.
I'd say the difference there at Gieger where the B&O went under {CSX still does}, the S P fill would be just a bit shy of the difference over near Edi....{deep cut site}, between the two. But it is surprisingly close.
Russ, you mentioned the Western Maryland trail....Have you been to the WM trestle over just beyound Garrett and just west of Meyersdale....? It now carries the trail across that wide valley..{about 2000'}, and they really did a nice job of converting to Trail use. Rises roughly 100' above the valley and the sight is great from up there. B&O passes right under it along with a river, new rt. 219. old 219 and farm land....Highly reccomend it if you get into the area.
At that point the B&O passes about 80 to 100' under the WM, yet for the most part, they both followed along the river east and west making their way across southern Pa.
.....I probably had that address before, but who knows where it is now....so I just wrote your listing down. Thanks. {For Topo}
....Computer just messed up...I wrote a note and clicked to post and nothing but BS...So....Again, I mentioned of being in that area one week from now and maybe we'll take a run out there to the deep cut and give it another eyeball. Refresh my thoughts on it. Maybe even get a pic or two....Digital, this time.
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