BGuthrie Photos: PA -- Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS

PA -- Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. PORT_031109_002_STITCH.JPG: The stuff below ground here is largely original. The top section of rails and boilers is a reconstruction. Most of the machinery of the stations would be below ground. In the middle would be a weight pit. This would be designed to keep pressure on the rope (whether made of hemp or iron) which would naturally stretch with age. Additionally, the rope's length would vary depending on weather. There would be a two-cylinder steam engine on each side of the drive sheaves (wheels). These would turn the wheels which dragged the ropes along. The engines were designed to pull the cars along at about 4 miles per hour. There were three boilers, on the right, in the Engine House. They would burn wood or coal to boil water to produce steam. Each was 30 inches in diameter and twenty feet long. The Engine House had four sets of these triple boilers but there's only one reconstructed here. There were cast iron sheaves (wheels) that carried the rope along its way. There would be two 8-1/2 foot wheels placed vertically powered by the pistons and a series of smaller cog wheels coordinating the various functions. A wheel running horizontally would function as a water brake when necessary.
2. PORT_031109_003.JPG: This is Engine House 6 on the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The building is a reconstruction of the original, mostly here to protect the machinery inside. Imagine a smaller structure with roughly the same shape and smokestacks on either side.
3. PORT_031109_005.JPG: Levels The tracks of the Allegheny Portage Railroad snaked over the mountains in stair-step fashion. The steep inclined planes were connected by sections with gentle grades called "levels". There were eleven levels and, like the inclines, each was identified by number. The railroad trace... was part of Level No 6, or the Summit Level, the high point of the trip. It ran 1.62 miles between inclines 5 and 6. When the railroad opened, horses pulled railroad cars along the levels. Track was usually laid on stone blocks called "sleepers" rather than on crossties which would have made precarious footing for horses. However, steam locomotives soon replaced horses on nearly all levels.
4. PORT_031109_020.JPG: The two samples show you the size of the ropes that were used initially to tug the cars up the hill and, on the right, Roebling's new steel cable which was used here and helped allow for longer suspension bridges. Roebling would go on to use them to build the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
5. PORT_031109_024.JPG: This is a model of a safety car. The ropes that had been used on the pulleys would periodically break. The trains would hurry down the hill, destroying men, machinery, and other trains in their path. The safety car -- the little thing on the right -- would be on the downhill side of the train and would act as a brake if the cars started gong downhill. It didn't always work. Also notice that the car itself has just part of a canal boat. The boats were manufactured in three pieces so they could be taken apart and put on three train cars for their trip over the Allegheny Mountains.
6. PORT_031109_055.JPG: On average, trains being pulled up this particular incline had to go up at a 9.7% rate. A sign here says: Inclined Plane No 6 In front of you is the site of inclined Plane No 6, one of the inclines on the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The track visible today has been reconstructed. From 1834 to 1854, railroad cars bearing canal boats, freight, and passengers were pulled up and lowered down this slope by a continuous rope driven by steam engines located in an engine house.... The rope ran between the rails, supported by idler pulleys every 24 feet. Wherever possible, ascending cars were counterbalanced with descending cars. In an open shed at the foot of the incline, a "hitcher" connected westbound cars to the main rope with a short rope. Up here at the engine house, another hitcher disconnected them for the continuing journey by horses or locomotives along the Summit Level.
7. PORT_031109_066.JPG: The bridge here is located near the bottom of Incline No 6, a 267-rise in elevation. A sign here says: Skew Arch Bridge The Skew Arch Bridge was completed in 1834 to carry travelers on the Huntingdon, Cambria & Indiana Turnpike over the portage railroad. The road also accommodated wagons, horses, and livestock. The railroad closed in 1854, but the road bridge remained in service until 1922. Builders "skewed" the angle of the bridge to allow the road to cross Incline No 6 without making an awkward bend. Today, the bridge with its interwoven diagonal planes and pleasing lines stands as a superb example of stone masonry design and craftsmanship. Another sign: The Skew Arch Bridge This may be the only skewed masonry bridge remaining in the United States. Built in 1932-34 to carry a wagon road over the tracks of Incline No 6, it was constructed on a skewed, or twisted, angle. The road and the railroad could then cross, with each maintaining their straight path up the slope. Notice that the arch ramps are not at right angles with the face of the bridge. The bridge abutments are also offset and not directly across from each other. See how the stones were cut and laid in a diagonal direction. The bridge has withstood the elements for over one hundred and fifty years and is well preserved. Its fine architecture stands in tribute to the skills of the engineers and stone masons who built it.
8. PORT_031109_067.JPG: Look carefully through the arch and you can see the Engine House way back there.
9. PORT_031109_092.JPG: Looking down from Engine No 5 to the Skew Arch Bridge
10. PORT_031109_097.JPG: Various signs: The Decline of the Portage Railroad While the Allegheny Portage Railroad may have opened to acclaim, as time went on, more and more emphasis was placed on its shortcomings. Critics claimed that the inclined planes were dangerous "nuisances" and the cost of operating them was too high. Profits were impossible as long as it required 54 employees, 12 stationary engines, 12 teams of horses, and nine locomotives to move one section-boat from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown. Maintenance was a constant concern. Pine ties and hemp ropes rotted, winter freezes disturbed the roadbed, and heavy rains washed it out until, as one superintendent reported, "the cars fell in between the tracks." Losses in 1836 alone totalled more than $22,000. Even a state lottery, organize to help cover costs, failed. After only five years of operation, alternatives to the Portage Railroad were under consideration. In 1855, the New Portage Railroad was completed without the use of inclined planes. A year earlier, a new rail line was opened by the privately-owned Pennsylvania Railroad over the Allegheny Mountains with the completion of Horseshoe Curve. [The latter is large circular part of the railroad line which covers enough distance to reduce the inclines.] Travelers on the Public Works While providing immigrants and ordinary travelers access to the west, the boldness and vision of the Public Works caught the imaginations of engineers, authors, performers, and newspapermen as well. Politician and presidential candidate Henry Clay, Swedish soprano Jenny Lind, British author Charles Dickens, and missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman all journeyed on the Public Works including the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Sleeping quarters for women and children on canal boats were separated from the men by a curtain. Harriet Beecher Stowe, later the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," traveled the Main Line Canal in 1841. Stowe wrote of the disappointment some travelers felt upon first glancing a canal boat. In her writing, she captured the confusion and sleeplessness in a ladies' cabin overcrowded with women and children, luggage, and one busy chambermaid. "Amusing is the look of dismay which each newcomer gives to the confined [ladies] quarters that present themselves. Those who were so ignorant of the power of compression as to suppose the boat scarce large enough to contain them and theirs, find, with dismay, a respectable colony of old ladies, babies, mothers, big baskets, and carpet bags already established. 'Mercy on us!' says one, after surveying the little room, about ten feet long and six high, 'Where are we all to sleep to-night?' "
11. PORT_031109_100.JPG: This is the Lemon House. Built along the Cresson Summit, the highest point along the Allegheny Portage Railroad (the Cresson Summit) in 1832. It was both the Lemon's home as well as a tavern and business. A sign inside gives you hotel prices. Lodging was 25 cents per night. Meals were 25 cents each (breakfast, dinner, or supper). The stable was 25 cents per night per team of four horses. But then you got to the profit-making items for the house: whiskey punch was 12-1/2 cents a drink, a bottle of whiskey was 31-1/4 per night (!) and playing cards were 25 cents. In 1854-55, once the Main Line was closed, both the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New Portage Railroad bypassed the area which didn't help business any. There was still a toll road through the area but that was it. The builder, Samuel Lemon, died in 1867. Falling into disrepair, the house was renovated in 1899-1900 as Engine No 5 was being torn down. From 1903-1954, it passed from owner to owner, being used as a farm, rental property, and a boarding house. It was refurbished from 1954-1966 and in 1967 was sold to the park service. Sign: The Lemon House Samuel Lemon and his wife Jean moved to this mountain in 1826 and build a log tavern not far from here. As many as fifty Conestoga wagons a night camped at Lemon's first tavern on the old turnpike that crossed this gap. Five years later, in 1831-32, after learning the Allegheny Portage Railroad would cross the summit here, Lemon built the impressive sandstone building in front of you. When the railroad opened in 1834, the "Lemon House" enjoyed a lively business serving food and drink to railroad passengers and workers. The tavern was on the main floor; the family lived upstairs. In addition to his tavern trade, Lemon operated a profitable coal and lumber business. The coal mine shaft was located on the hillside behind you. The four-foot thick vein of coal provided power for the portage railroad's steam engines, and helped to make Samuel Lemon one of the wealthiest men in the Alleghenies. He died in 1867 at age 74.
12. PORT_031109_114.JPG: This is the parlor of the Lemon House. Some items from the sign here: The piano was made by Thomas Chickering of Boston, one of the most popular piano manufacturers of the day. Its serial number, 4713, was found in records showing that it was made in 1840. Pianos gained in popularity after 1825 and were symbols of middle class status from the 1830's to the 1870's. The astral lamp was unique and represented high style during this period. It was the most advanced lighting device because it was powerful enough to illuminate a 360 degree area. As such it was placed in the middle of the room on a circular table, which became the center of social activity. Compare this to candles, the typical source of illumination, which were placed around the perimeter of a room. This lamp was made by the Cornelius Company of Philadelphia.
13. PORT_031109_140.JPG: Various kids toys of the period on the window sill
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Wikipedia Description: Allegheny Portage Railroad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad constructed through the Allegheny Mountains in central Pennsylvania, United States. It was a series of 10 inclines, approximately 36 miles (58 km) long, and operated from 1834 to 1854. It connected two canal divisions of the Main Line of Public Works of the Pennsylvania Canal from Johnstown on the west to Hollidaysburg on the east, thus allowing continuous barge traffic between the Ohio and the Susquehanna rivers. Considered a technological marvel in its day, it played a critical role in opening the interior of the United States beyond the Appalachian Mountains to settlement and commerce. It included the first railroad tunnel in the United States, the Staple Bend Tunnel, and its inauguration was marked with great fanfare.

Today, the remains of the railroad are preserved within the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service. The site was established in 1964 and is about 12 miles (19.3 km) west of Altoona.

The Lemon House, a tavern located alongside the railroad near Cresson that was a popular stop for railroad passengers, has been converted into a historical museum by the National Park Service. The park service also operates a visitor center with interpretive exhibits near the Lemon House.

The Staple Bend Tunnel is preserved in a separate unit of the historic site 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Johnstown.

History:

Construction of the railroad began in 1831 and took three years to complete. The project was financed by the State of Pennsylvania as a means to compete with the Erie Canal in New York and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland. The work was done largely through private contractors. The railroad used ten inclined planes, five on either side of the summit of the Allegheny Ridge. The vertical ascent from Johnstown was 1,172 feet (357 m). The vertical ...More...
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (PA -- Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
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- 2005_PA_Portage: PA -- Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS (21 photos from 2005)
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [History 1800s (excl wars)] [Park (National Park Service)] [Transportation (Rail)]
2003 photos: Equipment this year: I decided my Epson digital camera wasn't quite enough for what I wanted. Since I already had Compact Flash chips for it, I had to find another camera which used CF chips. That brought me to buy the Fujifilm S602 Zoom in March 2003. A great digital camera, I used it exclusively for an entire year. Trips this year: Three-week trip this year out west, mostly in Utah. Number of photos taken this year: 68,000.
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