The Big Savage Tunnel is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

tunnel located about southeast of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. It, as well as the Pinkerton Tunnel,

Borden Tunnel The Borden Tunnel is a 957-foot long, formerly abandoned, railway tunnel located about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Frostburg, Maryland. The tunnel is lit with a series of motion activated LED lights powered by a solar panel located just north ...

, and

Brush Tunnel Brush Tunnel is a railroad tunnel located about west of Corriganville, Maryland. It was built in 1911 by the Western Maryland Railway, and is currently used by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, a tourist railroad running between Frostburg ...

are part of the Great Allegheny Passage trail. It was originally built for the

Connellsville Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and away via the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,637 at th ...

subdivision of the Western Maryland Railway.

Origin of the name

The mountain and tunnel are named for John Savage, an early surveyor who narrowly avoided becoming a victim of cannibalism in the area in 1736. While he was surveying the land in the wintertime, the circumstances became dire and he offered himself up as food, but the rest of the survey party declined.

Renovated for Great Allegheny Passage bicycle trail

The tunnel was renovated for use on the Great Allegheny Passage

. It is the longest tunnel on the trail. The tunnel is closed between roughly December 15 and April 10 each winter to protect it from icing damage.

References

External links

{{commonscat, Big Savage Tunnel
Movie of trip through the tunnel
(YouTube - large file)

- WMWestSub.com Railroad tunnels in Pennsylvania Transportation buildings and structures in Somerset County, Pennsylvania Western Maryland Railway tunnels Pedestrian tunnels in the United States