Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel
The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel, also known as the Mount Washington Coal Tunnel, was a 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm) narrow-gauge railway tunnel under Mt. Washington.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°25′41″N 80°00′19″W / 40.42811°N 80.00517°W |
| Status | closed |
| Start | above Carson Street |
| End | above Warrington Avenue[1] |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1825, as a mine |
| Constructed | conversion of former coal mine |
| Opened | November 1, 1871 |
| Closed | 1912[2] |
| Technical | |
| Length | 1,741 feet (531 m), with 1,766-foot (538 m) extension branch |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm) |
| Tunnel clearance | 12.5 feet (3.81 m) |
History edit
This tunnel was originally begun as a coal mine[3] in 1825 by Jacob Beltzhoover.[4]
The mine was extended to the south side of Mount Washington by 1861, and used as part of a system to transport coal from mines along the Saw Mill Run valley to Pittsburgh,[5] connecting with the 850 feet (260 m) Mt. Washington Coal Incline.
The lease to the tunnel was purchased by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad from Mrs. Mary Anne Bailey in November 1871, with the height of the tunnel being increased from 5.5 feet (1.7 m) to 12.5 feet (3.8 m) in 1874.
The tunnel provided passenger service, beginning in 1874, but this was terminated in 1880 when its passenger duties were assumed by the Castle Shannon Incline.
Although the tunnel was declared unsafe for passenger transport in 1893, the tunnel and the Horseshoe Curve continued to be used to transport coal until May 1, 1912.[6]
The southern (Beltzhoover) end of the tunnel temporarily collapsed in a rainstorm in 1901.[7]
References edit
- ^ "The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad (1871-1912)". brooklineconnection.com.
- ^ "Incline Road Is Now But A Landmark". The Gazette Times. April 29, 1912.
- ^ Birdsong, Shelley (1996). (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Wall, J. Sutton (1884). Report on the Coal Mines of the Monongahela River Region from the West Virginia State Line to Pittsburgh, Including the Mines on the Lower Youghiogheny River. Board of Commissioners for the Second Geological Survey. p. 179.
- ^ "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Narrow Gauge Railroad". Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ Baxter, John (July 1952). "Construction of the Charleroi Interurban". Electric Railroads. New York City: Electric Railroaders Association, Inc. 20. OCLC 15074936.
- ^ "Big Storm in Pittsburg" (PDF). New York Times. 27 June 1901. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
External links edit
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-410, "Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon Railroad, South Hills Junction, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA", 31 data pages
- Pittsburgh's Forgotten Tunnel