Altoona and Beech Creek Railroad
Encyclopedia
Blair County, Pennsylvania
-Significant Topographic Features:*Brush Mountain*Logan Valley*Morrison Cove*Tussey Mountain-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 129,144 people, 51,518 households, and 34,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 246 people per square mile . There were 55,061...
and Cambria
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Cambria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It comprises the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 143,679....
Counties, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
which operated during the late 19th and early 20th century. It carried passenger traffic up from the vicinity of Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
to Wopsononock and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
down from Wopsononock and Dougherty to Altoona. Originally constructed to develop coal mines and resort traffic atop the Allegheny Plateau
Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...
, it became involved in a complicated and ultimately unsuccessful scheme to break the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's control over the Clearfield Coalfield
Clearfield Coalfield
The Clearfield Coalfield is a bituminous coal mining area in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, USA. The coal seams are found in most parts of Clearfield County, with the notable exception of the northern part of the county.-Mining history:...
. Never very profitable, it went through several reorganizations, the last in 1913. Conversion to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
in 1916 did not improve the situation, and the railroad was abandoned in 1919.
Charter and construction
Shellenberger and his fellow bondholders had good reason to seek control of the railroad. After their failure to deliver control of the road to Langdon, he brought suit against them. In exchange for his dropping the suit, they agreed to lease the Altoona and Beech Creek to the Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Ebensburg and Eastern RailroadPittsburgh, Johnstown, Ebensburg and Eastern Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Ebensburg and Eastern Railroad was a railroad corporation in Pennsylvania, intended to unite two local short lines in Clearfield, Blair and Cambria Counties and create a coal-hauling railroad to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad . Highly speculative, the railroad...
, a holding company formed by Langdon, on highly favorable terms. The new company was to operate the Altoona & Philipsburg Connecting, planning to convert to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
and extend the two railroads to a junction at East Frugality, near Dougherty. The PJE&E would be extended further south through Ebensburg
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania
Ebensburg is a borough located in, and is the seat of, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, west of Altoona and surrounded by Cambria Township. It is situated in the Alleghenies about 2025 feet above sea level. Ebensburg is located in a rich bituminous coal region. In the past, saw mills, tanneries,...
and then down to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
at Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
. During this period, the line was known as the "Altoona Division" of the PJE&E. On December 17, 1898, Langdon chartered the Altoona and Beech Creek Terminal Railroad, which would extend the Altoona and Beech Creek from Juniata to a new terminal at 9th Street and 15th Avenue in Altoona. However, he was unable to carry out these plans, and his lease was invalidated on March 27, 1900. Through appeals and legal maneuvers, Langdon was able to hold out until December 27, 1901, when the Sheriff of Blair County ejected the PJE&E employees and returned the Altoona and Beech Creek to its stockholders. The Altoona and Beech Creek Terminal was dissolved in 1905–6.
The Altoona and Beech Creek reported itself in the Official Guide of 1903 as having been extended to Fallentimber, 5 miles (8 km) beyond Dougherty. However, it does not appear that this extension was, in fact, built. By 1909, the railroad had built two short branches of 1.4 miles (2.3 km) each at the Juniata end of the line. The Kipple Branch left the main line near Broadway and Penn Avenue, Juniata, and circled around to the north, serving a few local industries and reaching the PRR's main line at Juniata Junction, near 2nd Avenue and 10th Street. The Fairview Branch ran southwest from a wye near 25th Avenue and Broadway to end in the Fairview neighborhood of Altoona, at 23rd Avenue and 10th Street.
Despite the battle waged for possession of it, the railroad had not been very profitable. Passenger traffic to Wopsononock had been declining, and coal traffic from Dougherty was rather limited. Shellenberger installed a rock crusher atop the mountain, which also provided revenue. A major forest fire destroyed both the Wopsononock Hotel and the coal tipple at Dougherty on April 30, 1903. When the railroad became insolvent again, Shellenberger was appointed receiver on June 4, 1909. It was once more sold under foreclosure on April 30, 1910 to H.A. Davis, and reorganized as the Altoona, Juniata and Northern Railway.
Conversion and abandonment
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, electrify it to make it an interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
, and extend it to connect with the Beech Creek Railroad
Beech Creek Railroad
Beech Creek RailroadIn 1890 the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad took out a long term lease of the Beech Creek Railroad yet the Beech Creek maintained independent operations until July 1899...
(a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
) at Patton
Patton, Pennsylvania
Patton is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, northwest of Altoona, in an agricultural region. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1900, 2,651 people lived here, and in 1910, 3,907 people inhabited Patton. The population was 2,023 at the 2000...
. However, Morris was unable to execute these plans. A group of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
investors took over the railroad about 1916. They converted the railroad to standard gauge, operating initially with ex-Pennsylvania Railroad 2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
s, but replacing them with Heislers
Heisler locomotive
The Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted...
when the 2-6-0s were found to be unsuitable for the track.
The conversion failed to make the railroad pay, and the company went into receivership again on August 8, 1918. The last passenger train was operated on July 16, 1919 and the last coal train on July 30. Negotiations with the bondholders to resume service were not successful, and the rails were removed in 1921.
Engines
The Altoona & Wopsononock initially owned two engines. #1 was a National 2-6-02-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
, and #2 a Baldwin
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
, both of which were purchased used from the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad. In 1892, the Altoona, Clearfield & Northern bought #3, a Baldwin 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
. However, due to the depleted state of the railroad's finances, it was unable to pay for #3. Samuel Langdon forestalled legal proceedings by having the locomotive transferred to his United Collieries Co., which paid Baldwin in coal. Nothing is known of #4, if it ever existed. The Altoona & Beech Creek bought #5 and #6, both Baldwin 2-6-0s, in 1901, while still under Pittsburg, Johnstown, Ebensburg & Eastern control. After the PJE&E lost its lease on the railroad, litigation ensued over the ownership of #3; by the time the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
declared in favor of the A&BC in 1903, United Collieries had sold it to the Surry, Sussex and Southampton Railroad. #5 and #6 were sold to the Ohio River and Western Railroad and the Tacajo Sugar Company, respectively, when the railroad was converted to standard gauge in 1916.
The Altoona Northern initially purchased three ex-PRR 2-6-0s (built at Juniata Shops), numbered #101–103. They were found to be unsuitable for the light track and steep grades, and were sold in 1917. They were replaced by #104 and #105, new two-truck Heislers
Heisler locomotive
The Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted...
, and the railroad bought #106, a three-truck Heisler, in 1918. They were sold to various lumber companies when the railroad was abandoned.
Passenger and freight equipment
Details of the railroad's rolling stock are obscure. In 1891, it owned five passenger and three freight cars. In addition to the coaches that supported passenger runs to Wopsononock and Dougherty (fourteen trains per day during the 1899 season), the railroad had at least one parlor car and several Brill-built observation carObservation car
An observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
s. Contemporary photographs show that the railroad built some of its own open-air cars for excursion service. Photographs taken after the destruction of the Wopsononock Hotel and the decline in passenger traffic show a number of gondola
Gondola (rail)
In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...
cars for coal traffic. The railroad continued to maintain a standard-gauge gondola fleet in the last years of its existence.
Stations
The following stations existed along the line, going from south to north:| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Juniata | Across from PRR's Juniata Shops |
| Coleman | |
| Ivyside | Site of an amusement park; now the Penn State Altoona Penn State Altoona Penn State Altoona is a commonwealth campus of The Pennsylvania State University. It is located in Logan Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Altoona, Pennsylvania, although some of its buildings are located in the heart of Altoona's downtown.-History:... campus |
| Gwin | |
| Parks | |
| Juniata Springs | |
| Homer | |
| Wopsononock | Site of the Wopsononock Hotel, a popular resort |
| Richland | |
| Highland | |
| Walker | |
| Dougherty | Site of coal mines |
Scenic points along the road included Mule Shoe Curve, the trestles and cut at Sandy Gap Bend, and the high bluffs along the right-of-way at Butcher Knife Point.