PA -- Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS:
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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:
- PORT_050602_012.JPG: At the Allegheny Portage was completed, stationary steam engines raised and lowered trains on the inclines while horses pulled the cars on the levels. A year later, steam locomotives, similar to this full-size model, appeared and by 1850 had replaced horses along the full length of the portage.
- PORT_050602_029.JPG: The wheel at the bottom is the horizontal sheave. It has a tow rope attached to the various wheels. There's a chain attached to a weight which is designed to keep the tow rope, made of hemp or iron, taut. The row naturally stretches with age.
The gears, sheaves, carriage, and other fittings were the heart of the engine house. These actually pulled the endless rope which hauled the trains up the incline.
- PORT_050602_174.JPG: Through the skew arch bridge, you can see the engine house in the distance.
This may be the only skewed masonry bridge remaining in the United States. Built in 1832-34 to carry a wagon road over the tracks of incline 6, it was constructed on a skewed, or twisted angle. The road and railroad could then cross with each maintaining their straight path up the slop.
Notice that the arch jambs 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.
This 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.
- PORT_050602_192.JPG: This monument was erected on the 100th anniversary of the opening of the old portage rail road on March 18, 1864.
- PORT_050602_208.JPG: This is not the original engine house. While its shape helps recall the historic scene, the building serves an even more important purpose: to protect the remaining structure of the original engine house.
- PORT_050602_226.JPG: These are stone "sleepers". They put these in the ground, then put iron "chairs" into the stone, attaching the piece with iron spikes in oak plugs.
- 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 ascent from Hollidaysburg was 1,399 feet (426 m). The barges were drawn by horses along level sections, which included a tunnel 900 feet (274 m) long as well as a viaduct over the Little Conemaugh River upstream from Johnstown. A typical voyage took between six and seven hours. The entire Main Line system connecting Pittsburgh and Philadelphia was 400 miles (644 km) long.
In 1854 the portage railroad was rendered obsolete by construction of a locomotive railroad over the Alleghenies by the Pennsylvania Railroad, a private company. Despite this, construction on the New Portage Railroad, a $2.14 million realignment to bypass the inclines, continued, opening in 1856. On July 31, 1857, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the portage railroad from the state, abandoning most and using the rest as local branches. In 1904 the part east of the Gallitzin Tunnels was reopened as a freight bypass line via the "Muleshoe Curve".
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