The Pittsburgh and Western Railroad was a nineteenth-century,
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railroad connecting
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
with coal supplies and the oil field around
Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville is a city in the far eastern corner of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,601 at the 2010 census and an estimated 5,158 in 2019. Titusville is known as the birthplace of the American oil industry and fo ...
. Its right-of way formed the main line of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad west from Pittsburgh. It was reorganized in 1889 under Malcolm A. McDonald.
The railroad constructed another
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
line from
Callery Junction to
Foxburg, Pennsylvania. This line would later become known as the
Northern Subdivision of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). In 1883 the railroad took control of the line from Foxburg to
Mount Jewett after the Pittsburgh, Bradford and Buffalo Railroad had financially flopped. The railroad would later merge with the Bradford, Bordell and Kinzua Railroad, and the Big Level and Kinzua Railroad. These mergers would prove to be ineffective; by 1902 these joint railways were in financial ruin.
The Bradford, Bordell and Kinzua Railroad handled significant interchange traffic with
standard gauge lines by use of
truck exchange. Cars were hoisted at interchange points and
trucks
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
were rolled out and replaced with new ones of the appropriate gauge. On at least one occasion, the
blocking used to adapt a standard-gauge car to narrow gauge trucks failed, leading to a fatal accident.
In 1902, the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) took control of the P&W. By 1911, the P&W was dissolved, and the B&O took over all operations. That same year, most of the narrow gauge was
converted to
track. The B&O would continue to operate the line until 1982 when it was acquired by Sloan Cornell of the
Knox and Kane Railroad
The Knox and Kane Railroad (K&K) was a short-line railroad in Pennsylvania that operated between Knox, in Clarion County, to Kane and then on to Mount Jewett, in McKean County.
History
Early years
The track and right of way was bought fr ...
.
Trackage between
Ribold and
Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Pittsburgh and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 13,502.
History
Butler was n ...
, as well as the
Petrolia Branch is used by the
Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad. The Clarion Junction-Kane section ceased operations in 2006; it was abandoned in 2008 when the
Knox and Kane Railroad
The Knox and Kane Railroad (K&K) was a short-line railroad in Pennsylvania that operated between Knox, in Clarion County, to Kane and then on to Mount Jewett, in McKean County.
History
Early years
The track and right of way was bought fr ...
was sold at auction.
See also
*
Northern Subdivision (Pennsylvania) The Northern Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR), which is owned by Genesee and Wyoming Industries, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line is one of the oldest in Pennsylvania, and ...
*
P&W Subdivision
The P&W Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation, the Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR), and the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Rankin north through Pitts ...
References
Further reading
*Burns, Robert W., ''Ex-Baltimore & Ohio Lines in Northwestern Pennsylvania'', Robert W. Burns, 1999.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittsburgh Western Railroad
History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Defunct Ohio railroads
Defunct Pennsylvania railroads
Transportation in Pittsburgh
Narrow gauge railroads in Pennsylvania
3 ft gauge railways in the United States
Predecessors of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Railway companies established in 1879
Railway companies disestablished in 1887
Railway companies established in 1902
American companies disestablished in 1887
American companies established in 1879