Edited by Jim Panza
The Allegheny Valley's beginning was tied to a predecessor of the more commonly known Philadelphia and Erie Railroad called the Sunbury and Erie Railroad. A Pennsylvania legislative act incorporated The Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company to build a line from Sunbury, Pennsylvania via Northumberland and Williamsport to Erie, Pennsylvania. Also authorized by the Act was the building of a branch by the Sunbury and Erie via Warren, Franklin, Mercer and New Castle to Beaver on the Ohio River. As was the case with many new railroads, this line would have been parallel to a canal system, the Erie-Ohio Canal, for much of its route. The Act also incorporated the Pittsburgh and Susquehanna Railroad Company to construct a railroad from Pittsburgh up the valley of the Allegheny River to an intersection with the Sunbury and Erie along either the Allegheny River or Susquehanna River. The governor of Pennsylvania signed the charter authorizing the formation of these railroads on April 3, 1837.
Also during 1837, the Pittsburgh, Kittanning and Warren Railroad was incorporated and authorized to build a line from Franklin, Pennsylvania to Beaver, Pennsylvania. This route appeared to duplicate the branch line authorized to be built by the Pittsburgh and Susquehanna Railroad Company. However, the Pittsburgh, Kittanning and Warren Railroad suffered many false starts and a name change to Allegheny Valley Railroad Company. At that time, it was thought that the railroad would be extended to become an important link between Pittsburgh and the New York State line where it would meet up with that State's canal and railroad systems. It was also believed that the line would provide an alternate route for traffic destined to Philadelphia and New York via a connection with the Sunbury and Erie Railroad. The sale of stock was most disappointing with the result being that only 44 miles of track was laid that connected Pittsburgh with Kittanning. The route followed the east side of the Allegheny River for the length of its route. The Allegheny Valley Railroad was opened for traffic in late January 1856.
The new railroad suffered from poor earnings until 1865 when the railroad began to capitalize on the success of the oil industry in northwestern Pennsylvania. After the first oil well was drilled at Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859, the Allegheny Valley Railroad modified its goal of being a north-south connection in Western Pennsylvania. Plans were made to build a branch line to the oil gathering locations near Franklin and Oil City. However, the financiers of the railroad were not convinced that the railroad was financially strong enough to take on additional debt for construction of the branch line. It wasn't until 1865 that the railroad was able to raise the necessary funds by selling bonds and shares of preferred stock. The branch line was completed in 1868 from Mahoning to Venango City, which is located across the river from Oil City. The completion of the branch resulted in substantial growth for both freight and passenger traffic. The oil was delivered to the railroad via pipes that crossed the Allegheny River. According to the Centennial History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, the company handled 726,000 barrels of crude petroleum and 510,000 barrels of refined oil in 1869.
With the branch line completed and a solid traffic base, the Allegheny Valley management concentrated on its original goal of building a line from Pittsburgh to connections with New York railroads. There was also interest expressed by the Pennsylvania Railroad to build a second route connecting New York and Philadelphia with Pittsburgh. One of the reasons that the Pennsylvania Railroad took such an interest was that the proposed line had a significantly less grade in crossing the Allegheny Mountains than the existing line between Altoona and Johnstown. In fact the name of the line, "Low Grade Line", would appear in Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central and Conrail employee timetables through the 1980's. After much delay caused by financing troubles and construction problems, the Low Grade Line was opened for traffic in May 1874.
Unlike the branch line to Vanengo, the Low Grade Line was destined to be a burden. Questionable accounting practices that understated debt, unpaid workers and less than anticipated traffic levels burdened the Allegheny Valley. Within ten years of the opening of the Low Grade Line, the railroad went into receivership. Even prior to the completion of the Low Grade Line, the Pennsylvania Railroad obtained control of the Allegheny Valley Railroad by purchasing 25,000 shares of stock. But after the Allegheny Valley Railroad emerged from receivership as the Allegheny Valley Railway Company in 1892, the Pennsylvania Railroad's grip on the railroad was stronger. As part of the reorganization, the Pennsy received over $10 MM in shares of preferred stock in the Allegheny Valley Railway as a result of the complex financing arrangement for the Low Grade Line with the State of Pennsylvania. The end of the Allegheny Valley Railway as a separate company came on July 31, 1900 when it was leased to the Pennsylvania Railroad for a 20-year period. This coincided with the lease of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway Company that would form the northern connection for the former Allegheny Valley line to Buffalo and Rochester, New York.
The Allegheny Valley Railroad built a major yard and service facility in the town of Verona, Pennsylvania. Included were a locomotive back shop and roundhouse. Verona is located approximately 10 miles north of Pittsburgh where a relatively wide flat area lay between the Allegheny River and the steep hills.
The Allegheny Valley Railroad became the Pennsy's Valley main line of the West Penn Division. The West Penn Division was a shortened version of the line's former name: Western Pennsylvania Railroad. The Western Pennsylvania was built along the Conemaugh River from New Florence, Pennsylvania near Johnstown to the Allegheny River at Freeport, Pennsylvania. The line became a low-grade alternative to the up-and-down Pittsburgh-Johnstown mainline via Wilkinsburg, Latrobe and Greensburg. From its crossing of the Allegheny River at Freeport, the West Penn followed the west side of the river down to Pittsburgh. On the east side of the Allegheny River, the West Penn crossed the tracks of the former Allegheny Valley at Kiskimentos Junction. Later the junction name would be shortened to Kiski Junction and the West Penn would become the Main Line Conemaugh. A yard complete with engine facilities was built along the West Penn tracks to the east of the crossing.
By 1960, the importance of the Allegheny Branch from Pittsburgh to Kiski Junction had diminished. While local industries kept traffic at acceptable levels, through traffic was reduced significantly. The opening of Conway Yard west of Pittsburgh as the Pennsy's major classification yard resulted in the down sizing of operations at Pitcairn Yard located east of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh-Buffalo traffic that once traversed the portion of the Allegheny Branch south of Kiski Junction to and from Pitcairn now traveled via the Conemaugh Mainline from Pittsburgh north to Kiski Junction. At Kiski Junction, these trains would use a wye track that connected the Conemaugh mainline with the Allegheny Branch. The Allegheny Branch was single tracked from Verona to Kiski Junction around 1960. Later the former southbound main track was downgraded to become the Verona Industrial track. The last scheduled passenger train, part of the Pittsburgh commuter service, ended on November 28, 1964. General Order No. 106 annulled the schedules of trains, 913 and 914, which operated between Pittsburgh and Aladdin.
There remained one bright spot in the Allegheny Branch regarding through service. Train PG-5, was one of the most photographed trains at Horseshoe Curve had in its consist a block of perishables for the Pittsburgh Produce Market. The train traversed the Main Line Conemaugh to Kiski Junction then turn south on the "horn" track at AJ to enter the Allegheny Branch to Verona. At DN tower in Verona, the train would be routed to the Verona Industrial track to Coleman Yard then use the102 Secondary Track to the Produce Yards located just north and west of Pittsburgh Station. From the Produce Yards, the train would cross the Allegheny River on the lower deck of the double deck bridge just west of Pittsburgh Station. At Federal Street tower, the train would join the Pittsburgh-Chicago mainline to continue its journey westward.
An industrial track connected with the Allegheny Branch at Verona. Known as the Plum Creek Branch, it traveled east to the town of Unity where a Consolidated Coal mine was served. From Unity, the line continued to another mine at Renton and also connected with the Unity Railroad. The Unity was a short line that connected to the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad at North Bessemer. The Unity was taken over by the Bessemer & Lake Erie sometime in the mid-1960's. The Plum Creek Industrial track was abandoned at the time of the B&LE take-over of the Unity Railroad. A new tipple was built at the Consolidated Coal mine that was served by the B&LE.
In early August 1968, DN tower was closed in Verona. The Allegheny Branch became a secondary track and then an industrial track through the Penn Central and Conrail years. Operator William Kirkpatrick at UY Tower issued the final train order (No. 328) to Penn Central engine 8492 to run extra from Edgewater (Oakmont) to AJ Block Station on July 9, 1970 at 9:01 PM. By the early 1990's, what was once the Allegheny Branch was severed south of Kiski Junction. The south end of the Allegheny Branch (1.5 miles) that used the lower deck of the Fort Wayne Bridge to reach the mainline at Federal Street on Pittsburgh's North Side was abandoned in February 1984. Service to local industries between Verona and New Kensington was by a local train operated from Pittsburgh. Many of the heavy industries of the Allegheny Valley were closed including several steel foundries in the Verona area. In a bit of twist in history, Conrail sold the former Allegheny Branch to a new shortline operator known as the Allegheny Valley Railroad. It operates local service between Pittsburgh and New Kensington.
"Centennial History of The Pennsylvania Railroad Company 1846-1946", Burgess & Kennedy, 1949, The Pennsylvania Railroad
"The Early Oil Trade and 'A' Series Tank Cars On The PRR 1859-1929", Richard Burg, The Keystone, Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society, Vol. XV, No. 1
Copyright 1996 - 2008
Last modified: November 23 2007.
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