The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel, also known as the Mount Washington Coal Tunnel, was a narrow-gauge railway tunnel under Mt. Washington.

History

It was originally begun as a coal mine in 1825 by

Jacob Beltzhoover Jacob Beltzhoover was a pioneer of St. Clair Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He and his family received a land grant from the Penn family. He was one of six sons of Melchior Beltzhoover, a tavern keeper from Hagerstown, Maryland wh ...

. 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 Saw Mill Run is a tributary of the Ohio River in Pennsylvania. It is an urban stream, and lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The stream enters the Ohio just downstream from the Forks of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, at a place that ...

valley to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, connecting with the Mt. Washington Coal Incline. The lease to the tunnel was purchased by the

Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad was a narrow-gauge railroad in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Originally built in 1871, it may have been the first American common-carrier narrow-gauge railroad. It purchased a rail line called the Co ...

from Mrs Mary Anne Bailey in November 1871, with the height of the tunnel being increased from to in 1874. The tunnel provided passenger service beginning in 1874, but this was terminated in 1880, and its passenger duties assumed by the

Castle Shannon Incline The Castle Shannon Incline was a funicular railroad in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was originally part of the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad route to the suburb of Castle Shannon. It replaced an earlier incline dating to 1825 that brou ...

. The tunnel was declared unsafe for passenger transport in 1893. However, the tunnel and the Horseshoe Curve continued to be used to transport coal until May 1, 1912. The southern ( Beltzhoover) end of the tunnel temporarily collapsed in a rainstorm in 1901.

References

External links

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Pittsburgh's Forgotten Tunnel
Railroad tunnels in Pennsylvania Tunnels in Pittsburgh 1825 establishments in Pennsylvania {{US-tunnel-stub