Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel, also known as the Mount Washington Coal Tunnel, was a narrow gauge railway tunnel under Mt. Washington.
.
The mine was extended to the south side of Mount Washington by 1861, and used as part of a system to transport coal from mines along the Saw Mill Run
valley to Pittsburgh, connecting with the 850 feet (259.1 m) Mt. Washington Coal Incline.
The lease to the tunnel was purchased by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad
from Mrs Mary Anne Bailey in November 1871, with the height of the tunnel being increased from 5.5 feet (1.7 m) to 12.5 feet (3.8 m) in 1874. The tunnel provided passenger service beginning in 1874, but this was terminated in 1880, and its passenger duties assumed by the Castle Shannon Incline
.
The tunnel was declared unsafe for passenger transport in 1893. However, the tunnel and the Horseshoe Curve continued to be used to transport coal until May 1, 1912.
The southern (Beltzhoover
) end of the tunnel temporarily collapsed in a rainstorm in 1901.
History
It was originally begun as a coal mine in 1825 by Jacob BeltzhooverJacob Beltzhoover
Jacob Beltzhoover was a pioneer of St. Clair Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He and his family received a land grant from the Penn family...
.
The mine was extended to the south side of Mount Washington by 1861, and used as part of a system to transport coal from mines along the Saw Mill Run
Saw Mill Run
Saw Mill Run is a tributary of the Ohio River in Pennsylvania. It is an urban stream, and lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The stream enters the Ohio just downstream from the Forks of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, at a place originally founded as the town of Temperanceville in the...
valley to Pittsburgh, connecting with the 850 feet (259.1 m) Mt. Washington Coal Incline.
The lease to the tunnel was purchased by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad
Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Originally built in 1871, it may have been the first American common carrier narrow gauge railroad. It purchased a rail line called the Coal Hill Coal Railroad from the Pittsburgh Coal...
from Mrs Mary Anne Bailey in November 1871, with the height of the tunnel being increased from 5.5 feet (1.7 m) to 12.5 feet (3.8 m) in 1874. The tunnel provided passenger service beginning in 1874, but this was terminated in 1880, and its passenger duties assumed by the Castle Shannon Incline
Castle Shannon Incline
The Castle Shannon Incline was a funicular railroad in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was originally built in 1890 as part of the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad as a means of transporting passenger traffic over Mt. Washington, rather than using the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel...
.
The tunnel was declared unsafe for passenger transport in 1893. However, the tunnel and the Horseshoe Curve continued to be used to transport coal until May 1, 1912.
The southern (Beltzhoover
Beltzhoover (Pittsburgh)
Beltzhoover is a neighborhood in southern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in an area known as the South Hills.The area is named for George Beltzhoover who was a farmer there in the early portion of the 19th century. The community contains a park called McKinley Park...
) end of the tunnel temporarily collapsed in a rainstorm in 1901.