September 20, 2013 Tunnels

Today was Tunnel Day so we packed a lunch and headed to the Staple Bend Tunnel.

A little history from the NPS Site (http://www.nps.gov/alpo/historyculture/staplebend.htm):

“History of the Tunnel

Finished in June 1833, the Staple Bend tunnel was advertised as the first railroad tunnel in the United States. It was the third tunnel of any kind built in the US, the first tunnels were for other canals in Pennsylvania.

Work began on November 21, 1831 and often occurred during inclement conditions. The men were paid $13 per month plus room and board for 12 hour days 6 days per week. Workers chipped and blasted 901 feet of solid rock to make the tunnel.

Approximately 14,900 cubic yards of bedrock was removed using black powder blasting. This was done by drilling three feet long holes and packing them with powder. Drilling one typical hole took up to three hours of hard effort using a three man crew. Nine to ten holes, each one-inch in diameter and thirty-six inches in length, were made before blasting. One pound of explosive powder wrapped in paper was pushed into each hole, tamped down, punctured with a sharp needle, and a fuse added. Fuses were lit with explosions to occur at mealtime. Workers would eat while the dust settled then get to work cleaning (mucking) the tunnel. Of the 36-inch hole drilled only 18 inches, or half of the hole, was blasted.

The tunnel grew about 18 inches each day, with both sides moving toward the center. On December 21, 1832 the workmen broke through the final barrier and connected the two ends of the tunnel. There was much celebration with speeches and toasts. The full tunnel excavation was completed in April 1833.

The ends of the Staple Bend Tunnel were lined with cut stone for safety. Rock and dirt might fall due to rain or other weather, or from the effects of the portage railroad going through the tunnel. The fancy entranceways to the tunnel were to impress the travelers and the general public. The style was described as a " Roman Revival style with low relief lintel supported by Doric pilasters on each side." Of the money spent (the total cost was $37,498.85) nearly half was to build the fancy entrance ways.

After the Portage
In 1907 Henry Storey wrote that the east entrance facade of the tunnel had been removed for building purposes. He gave no indication of a date or the building on which the stones were used. The west entrance facade remains and has been restored to its former grandeur.

After the demise of the old Portage Railroad the tunnel had other uses. Neither the "new Portage" nor the Pennsylvania Railroad used the tunnel. It was instead a popular carriage route until the Flood of 1889. Afterward, Flood damage and other concerns made the tunnel a less desirable driving spot although local residents continued to visit, and even go courting at the tunnel up until the 1940s.

In the 1940s a concrete liner was added to the east portal of the tunnel and large water lines as well as a water vault structure were built. The Manufacturer's Water Company closed the tunnel to the public, the water lines were used by Bethlehem Steel. In 2001 the tunnel became part of Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. Rock bolts, shoring posts, and other reinforcements' were added as well as a thin mortar between the historic blocks.”

The tunnel was located 2.1 miles from the trailhead.  The trail was on one of those levels called the Long Level between the inclines.

So away we went.....:

This was one of those culverts - some were very ornate and beautiful.

Sleepers still in place:

And we arrived:

The tunnel is 901’ long and here we are at the start.  Check out that stonework - Oh my.

At this point, Andy and I realized we left the flashlight in the car - 2.1 miles back.  Let me tell you it was REALLY DARK in there.  But we did see a light at the end of the tunnel :

The west entrance - WOW again with that stonework:

Before we went back in, I download a flashlight app for my tablet so at least we had a little light.  We found that the stone work did not go all the way through the tunnel.

Back out on the other side.

We enjoyed our walk to the trailhead where we had lunch and went on to our next tunnel - The Gallitzin Tunnels.

“The Gallitzin Tunnels

In 1848-49, the Pennsylvania Railroad laid out and adopted the Sugar Gap Route which was the beginning of industrial development at the top of the Alleghenies.

The mountains' extremely high grade made it necessary to build tunnels through the mountain. In 1850, at a cost of half a million dollars, the E. Rutter & Sons firm was hired to do the job. Using picks and shovels, it took over three hundred immigrants to complete it.

The first tunnel, a bit shorter than the "Twin Tunnels", is situated under Tunnelhill. It is known as the Portage Tunnel. The second tunnel, first of the "Twin Tunnels", is known as the Allegheny Tunnel and was completed in 1854. The third tunnel was begun in 1902 and completed in 1904. This is known as the Gallitzin Tunnel. There is a magnificent view of this amazing architectural accomplishment from the Jackson Street Bridge.

These tunnels are the highest and longest tunnels on what was once the Pennsylvania Railroad. They are 3, 605 feet long and at an elevation of 2,167 feet. The first of the "Twin Tunnels" completed the railroad west, after passing around the Horseshoe Curve. This factor made the tunnels so important that they were guarded by Pennsylvania Railroad Police during the war years.

In July of 1902, a blast set off near the tunnels showered the central part of town with large stones, killing one person and injuring another. The building of the second twin tunnel caused the school directly above the tunnels to weaken and a new school had to be built. The new school was completed in 1906. The tunnels remained unchanged until June, 1994.

The Conrail Pennsylvania Clearance Improvement Project began on June 20, 1994. This project consisted of modifying the Allegheny Tunnel in an effort to lower the track and give clearance for the higher, double-stack trains now being used by the railroads. This is a major economic strategy to accommodate rail traffic that until the completion of this project was being rerouted around Pennsylvania. Using much more sophisticated equipment than the pick and shovel, with a crew of approximately 90, the project was completed in August of 1995.

Railroad buffs have identified the Gallitzin Tunnels as a "must" stopover. It offers to the visitor a glimpse of the fascinating railroad "past and present."

Trains run through the tunnels 24 hours a day and are part of Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line.”

From left to right, the tunnels are Portage, Allegheny and Gallitzin.  The opening for the Allegheny and Gallitzin is the same.  The Portage is now closed.

This is the closest we could get to them.  From here we walked to the museum that was unfortunately closed.  .  They rely on volunteers and today they did not have one.  Bummer.

So we headed home with a short stop to Wal-Mart.  It has been a busy four days for us and tomorrow we are just taking it easy.

I will leave you with the my wildflower pictures from the trail today.

Enjoy today.

September 19, 2013 Railroads

There are five National Monuments/Memorials in this part of Pennsylvania and today we set out to see the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.

First a little history from the NPS site (http://www.nps.gov/alpo/index.htm):

In the early 1800’s travel and trade was done by Conestoga wagons. This was the best means of transportation at that time. It took 23 days to get from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, when the dirt roads were in good condition.

In the mid-1820’s the state of New York built a canal system which let trade become more efficient. This was known as the Erie Canal. Pennsylvania’s business in trading relations dropped and plans began for building their own canal system. In February 1826 the Mainline of Public Works was authorized by the Pennsylvania legislature to begin the building of canals from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. There was only one problem with the building of the canals: the Allegheny Mountains. How could a canal system be built through or over the mountains?

The first plan was to build a four mile tunnel through the bottom of the mountain, but this was found costly and unrealistic. Tunnel building was new and it was questionable if water could be kept in the tunnel. It was decided to build a railroad system of ten inclined planes, 5 ascending and 5 descending. This system was modeled after a similar system in England.

The railroad was equipped with ten incline planes, five on each side of the mountain. At the head of each inclined plane were stationary engines, which moved endless ropes to pull the railroad cars up the mountain. This incline system was used because the locomotives of this time did not have the power to pull the cars up the steep mountains. Locomotives were used on the more level areas of the mountain. The Allegheny Portage Railroad was 36 miles in length connecting the Hollidaysburg Canal Basin with the basin at Johnstown where canals finished the Public Works system into Pittsburgh.

The Portage Railroad officially opened March 18, 1834. It then became possible to travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in 4 days. The total cost of the Public Works system was $16,504,655.84. The railroad system was $1,828,461.38. The railroad and canal system spurred trade in Pennsylvania. The system carried raw materials to the east and manufactured goods to the west. With the building of the Mainline of Public Works Pennsylvania began an era of prosperity leading to the creation of one of the greatest industrial states in the nation. The Allegheny Portage Railroad and the Public Works system ran for twenty years, from 1834-1854.

On February 15,1854, the Pennsylvania Railroad company had completed its all rail line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The completion of the Pennsylvania Railroad took business from the Public Works system. The new Pennsylvania Railroad had no inclines and was only on rails, no water. The Public Works system was unprofitable. May 16,1857 the legislature passed an act for the sale of the Main Line of the Public Works. On June 15, 1857 the PA railroad company purchased the system for $7,500,000 and took possession on August 1,1857.

Our first stop was to the visitor center for their exhibits and another great movie about the history and building of the Portage Railroad.

From there we took the trail to Incline Plane No. 6 and the Engine House.

Looking down the incline towards the Skew Arch Bridge.  Can you imagine pulling the canal boats up this incline?:

The Engine House:

Inside the Engine House:

Out the other side on to the Level:

An example of one of the sleepers.  These rocks were hand drilled and were many places throughout the site:

The first floor is open to the public and most of it has been restored to its original based on their research.  The second floor houses the archives.  According to the one Ranger, the second floor was the living quarters of all the owners and was extensively changed (it would take too much money to bring back to the original),

The main foyer:

The main dining area:

The fancy parlor (oo-la-la ):

The tavern:

That yellow is the original color - and it was not pretty.  I asked the Ranger about the color and was told that this yellow hid the cigarette/cigar smoke stains plus it reflected candlelight quite well.  Interesting.

From there we went to the Skewed Arch Bridge:

The stonework is beautiful.  Imagine this was built over 150 years ago and still stands.  When US-22 first came through this area, engineers changed their plans in order to preserve the Bridge.  The highway now bends around the Bridge (although it is now old US22).

Looking up the Incline to the Engine House:

Our last stop for the day was Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark.

“In the mid 1840's the use of steam locomotives to move people and goods westward was beginning to replace canal systems in Pennsylvania. Under the leadership of John Edgar Thompson, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company began to put railroad infrastructure across the Commonwealth, but were stopped in their tracks at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains near Altoona. In order to conquer the massive land blocks, Thompson devised an engineering plan that used the landscape and the hands of 450 Irish immigrant workers to create what is known today as the Horseshoe Curve. Opened officially on February 15, 1854, the Curve remains one of the most important components of the mainline, owned and operated by Norfolk Southern. For over 150 years the Curve has shipped freight and passengers to the west, and because of its location, the Curve offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain landscapes and of the valley below. It also offers trackside viewing of trains, which has made it a destination for rail lovers for decades. Since its renovation in 1992 with the help of the National Park Service, the viewing area beside the tracks of the Horseshoe Curve offers a ride on the incline to go trackside, upper and lower picnic areas, and a visitors center.”

View from the air:

We had lunch at the picnic area then took the tram to the top:

The view from the top:

There were quite a few folks watching the trains - really cool.   Here is one of the trains coming round the bend:

And continuing around the other bend:

We hung out for a while, watched a few trains, talked to a few folks, then walked back down to the museum where we went thru the exhibits and saw a movie on the building of the curve.

One of the exhibits that I found interesting:

Another great day in Pennsylvania’s History!

Back home, we started a campfire, cooked supper over the fire, and enjoyed the rest of the evening at the fire.  We did get some new neighbors and spent some time chatting with them.

Tomorrow is Tunnel Day so stay tuned and enjoy today.