The Allegheny Valley Railroad was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1852 and constructed its original line between

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, and

Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( ) is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The population was 3,921 at the 2020 census. The name is ...

, between 1853 and 1856. It eventually owned , including its main line between Pittsburgh and

Oil City, Pennsylvania Oil City is the largest city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. Known for its prominence in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry, it is located at a bend in the Allegheny River at the mouth of Oil Cre ...

. The company entered receivership in 1884 and was reorganized as the Allegheny Valley Railway in 1892. That company was leased by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

in 1900 and merged in 1910.

History

What became the Allegheny Valley Railroad was authorized as the Pittsburg, Kittanning and Warren Railroad on April 4, 1837. Nothing was done until April 14, 1852, when the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

reauthorized the railroad under the new name. This renewed interest was prompted by the exploitation of oil in the vicinity of

Titusville, Pennsylvania Titusville is a city in the far eastern corner of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,262 at the 2020 census. Titusville is known as the birthplace of the American oil industry and for a number of years was the le ...

, to the north. The line opened between

, and the

Kiskiminetas River The Kiskiminetas River (commonly referred to as the Kiski by locals) is a tributary of the Allegheny River, approximately long, in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. The region stretching from the northern side of Harmar Township, Penn ...

in 1855. It was further extended to Crooked Creek on December 11, 1855, and

, on January 23, 1856. Financial problems prevented further construction until 1863. Construction continued north, reaching the Mahoning Creek, in April 1866, and Venango City, on January 8, 1868. Venango City sits across the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

from

. The Allegheny Valley Railroad completed a new bridge over the river on February 2, 1870. In Oil City, it connected with the

Oil Creek and Allegheny River Railway The Oil Creek and Allegheny River Railway was an American railroad company that was located in western Pennsylvania. History and notable features Initially incorporated under a special act of Pennsylvania on April 17, 1861 as the Warren and Tidio ...

. The total length of the main line (or "River Division") was . The

purchased a stake in the Allegheny Valley Railroad in 1868, and at its urging the railroad undertook the construction of a "low grade" line between the mouth of

Red Bank Creek Red Bank Creek is a major stream in Tehama County, California, and a tributary of the Sacramento River. About long, it originates in the foothills of the Coast Ranges (California), Coast Ranges, near the boundary of the Mendocino National Fores ...

and Driftwood, Pennsylvania, and a junction with the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad main line. This line was completed on May 4, 1874. The company constructed two other branches. The first, the Plum Creek Branch, was completed between

Verona, Pennsylvania Verona is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is northeast of downtown Pittsburgh, along the left bank of the Allegheny River. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 2,492. History Verona was named ...

, and

Plum, Pennsylvania Plum is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 27,144 at the 2020 census. A suburb of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, it is located northeast of the city in what is commonly referred to as the East Hill ...

, in October 1872. The second, the Sligo Branch, was completed between Lawsonham, Pennsylvania, and Sligo, Pennsylvania, in 1874. The Allegheny Valley Railroad entered receivership on May 2, 1884. It was reorganized as the Allegheny Valley Railway on January 21, 1892. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased that company in 1900 and merged it in 1910.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allegheny Valley Railroad (1852-1892) Predecessors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Railway companies established in 1852 Railway companies disestablished in 1892