The Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad is a short line railroad that operates 70 miles (112.7 km) of track in Blair

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...

, Centre

Centre County, Pennsylvania

Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....

, and Clinton

Clinton County, Pennsylvania

As of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...

 counties in 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...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System

North Shore Railroad System

The North Shore Railroad System includes the following short lines:*Juniata Valley Railroad **Lycoming Valley Railroad **Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad **North Shore Railroad **Shamokin Valley Railroad *...

.

The line runs generally northeast between Tyrone

Tyrone, Pennsylvania

Tyrone is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Altoona, on the Little Juniata River. Tyrone was of considerable commercial importance in the twentieth century. It was an outlet for the Clearfield coal fields, and it was noted for the manufacture of paper products. There were...

 (in Blair County) and Lock Haven

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

The city of Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, micropolitan statistical area, itself part of the...

 (in Clinton County). Other communities served include Port Matilda

Port Matilda, Pennsylvania

Port Matilda is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Milesburg

Milesburg, Pennsylvania

Milesburg is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,187 at the 2000 census...

 (both in Centre County), and Mill Hall (in Clinton County). There is a spur at Milesburg that runs southeast to Bellefonte

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, then splits, with a track going northeast to Pleasant Gap

Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania

Pleasant Gap is a census-designated place in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and another going southwest to Lemont

Lemont, Pennsylvania

Lemont is a census-designated place in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States and is the location of the only remaining granary in Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and State College

State College, Pennsylvania

State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...

 (all in Centre County). There are 5 miles (8 km) of track in Blair County, 60 miles (96.6 km) in Centre County, and 5 miles (8 km) in Clinton County.

The rail line follows Bald Eagle Creek

Bald Eagle Creek (West Branch Susquehanna River)

Bald Eagle Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River mostly in Centre County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It runs through the Bald Eagle Valley at the foot of the Bald Eagle Mountain ridge to Lock Haven....

 northeast in Centre and Clinton counties, and runs roughly parallel to U.S. Route 220

U.S. Route 220

U.S. Route 220 is a long U.S. Route in the eastern United States.US 220 is a spur route of U.S. Route 20 but at present, the two routes do not intersect nor do they connect via other spurs of US 20. The former U. S. Route 120, which was signed in Pennsylvania between 1926 and 1967, intersected...

 between Tyrone and Milesburg, and parallel to Pennsylvania Route 150

Pennsylvania Route 150

Pennsylvania Route 150 is a 41.10-mile-long highway in Central Pennsylvania. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 220 in Avis, Pennsylvania...

 between Milesburg and Lock Haven. The spur to Bellefonte follows Pennsylvania Route 144

Pennsylvania Route 144

Pennsylvania Route 144 is a state highway located in the US state of Pennsylvania, covering a distance of 109.3 miles . The southern terminus is located at U.S. Route 322 in Potter Township while the northern terminus is located at U.S. Route 6 in Galeton.- History :PA 144 was first designated by...

 and the line from Lemont to Pleasant Gap follows Pennsylvania Route 26

Pennsylvania Route 26

Pennsylvania Route 26 is a highway in the south-central area of Pennsylvania. Its northern terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 150 northwest of Howard, Pennsylvania; its southern terminus is at the Maryland state line near Barnes Gap in Union Township...

.

There are connections to the Norfolk Southern Railway

Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

 at both Tyrone and Lock Haven as well as an indirect connection to Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

.

The system has trackage rights

Trackage rights

Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....

 via the Norfolk Southern line. These allow the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad to connect via Lock Haven to the east and south with the Lycoming Valley Railroad at Muncy

Muncy, Pennsylvania

For other places named 'Muncy', please see Muncy .Muncy is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The name Muncy comes from the Munsee Indians who once lived in the area. The population was 2,663 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania...

 and the village of Linden in Woodward Township, Lycoming County

Woodward Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Woodward Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 2,397 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, the Union County Industrial Railroad

Union County Industrial Railroad

The Union County Industrial Railroad is a short line railroad that operates on approximately 12 miles of track in Union County in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System....

 at Milton

Milton, Pennsylvania

Milton is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg. Settled in 1770, it was incorporated in 1817, and is governed by a charter that was revised in 1890...

, the North Shore Railroad

North Shore Railroad

The North Shore Railroad is a short line railroad that operates of track in Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania in the United States...

 at Northumberland

Northumberland, Pennsylvania

Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...

, and the Shamokin Valley Railroad

Shamokin Valley Railroad

The Shamokin Valley Railroad is a short line railroad that operates 27 miles of track in southern Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System....

 at Sunbury

Sunbury, Pennsylvania

Sunbury is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and West branches. The population was 9,905 at the 2010 census...

.

History

The line operated by the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad was formerly the Bald Eagle Valley Branch of 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....

 Tyrone Division, later part of the Penn Central, and then Conrail. SEDA-COG JRA (Susquehanna Economic Development Association - Council of Governments Joint Rail Authority) was formed in July, 1983 to continue to provide rail service to communities whose rail lines Conrail had decided to abandon. In 1984 the JRA took over the line when Conrail abandoned it, and the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad was born (along with the North Shore Railroad). In 1989, more track was purchased, extending the Nittany and Bald Eagle line to Lock Haven. The name of the railroad comes from Mount Nittany

Mount Nittany

Mount Nittany is the common name for Nittany Mountain, a prominent geographic feature in Centre County, Pennsylvania. The mountain is actually part of a complex of ridges that separates Nittany Valley from Penns Valley, with the enclosed Sugar Valley between them...

 in Centre County and Bald Eagle Creek.

Bellefonte Historical Railroad (BHRR)

The Bellefonte Historical Railroad is a tourist/excursion railroad that also uses the line operated by the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad. Because Norfolk Southern also uses the line increasingly for coal and other traffic, the Bellefonte Historical Railroad "is thought to be the only volunteer operation in the country that runs in conjunction with a Class I railroad". Unfortunately this also hampers their ability to operate on the main line at times, as Class I traffic has the right of way.

The Bellefonte Historical Railroad is non-operational at this time but hosts special excursion runs. Their website is http://www.bellefontetrain.org.

Awards

• In 2003, the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad won the American Shortline & Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) 2003 marketing
  Marketing
  Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
  
   award.
• In 2004, it was named "Short Line Railroad of the Year
  Short Line Railroad of the Year
  The Short Line Railroad of the Year is an annual award presented to North American short line railroads by rail transport industry publication Railway Age.Past recipients of this award are:* 1992 - RailTex...
  
  " by Railway Age
  Railway Age
  Railway Age is an American trade journal for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. The magazine's original title was the Western Railroad Gazette, and was renamed the Railroad Gazette in 1870...
  
   magazine

See also

• List of Pennsylvania railroads
• Stourbridge Railroad
  Stourbridge Railroad
  The Stourbridge Railroad is a shortline railroad that operates a route between Honesdale and the village of Lackawaxen in Lackawaxen Township . It was owned for many years by the Lackawaxen-Honesdale Shippers Association and operated under contract by Robey Railroads...
  
  (also operated by Robey Railroads)

External links

• Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad