The South Mountain Railroad was an American railroad 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...

.

The railroad was incorporated May 5, 1854 by a group of largely local investors. It was to run from Harrisburg

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...

 to Jonestown

Jonestown, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Jonestown is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,028 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jonestown is located at ....

, from thence along the south side of Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)

Blue Mountain is a ridge that forms the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountain range in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It cuts across the eastern half of the state from New Jersey to Maryland, providing a distinct boundary between a number of Pennsylvania's geographical and cultural regions...

 to Rehrersburg

Rehrersburg, Pennsylvania

Rehrersburg is a location in Tulpehocken Township in northwestern Berks County, Pennsylvania. Rehrersburg was founded on April 4, 1803, by John Jacob Rehrer. Residents celebrated the towns's bicentennial on Saturday, September 20, 2003....

 and to Hamburg

Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Hamburg is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,114 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Hamburg, Germany.-Geography:Hamburg is located at ....

. The name was changed to the Harrisburg and Hamburg Railroad on March 17, 1859, but was changed back to "South Mountain Railroad" on May 21, 1873. On April 11, 1868, the South Side Railroad was incorporated to connect the South Mountain Railroad, at the border of Berks

Berks County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...

 and Lehigh Counties

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

-Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year....

 (near Hamburg) to the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

, via Lehigh, Moore, or Plainfield Townships in Northampton County

Northampton County, Pennsylvania

As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...

.

Around 1872, these lines were taken over to become part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route

Poughkeepsie Bridge Route

The Poughkeepsie Bridge Route was a passenger train route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts, via Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

. Grading began on the South Mountain Railroad between Rockville

Rockville, Pennsylvania

Rockville is an unincorporated community in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, at latitude 40.336 and longitude -76.905. The elevation is 328 feet...

 and Linglestown

Linglestown, Pennsylvania

Linglestown is a census-designated place in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1765 by Thomas Lingle....

, and the corporate enrollment tax was paid for the South Side Railroad in 1873. However, the collapse of the Bridge Route plans in the Panic of 1873

Panic of 1873

The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...

 brought work to a halt. On February 16, 1874, President William H. Bell announced that the company would also build a branch from Strausstown

Strausstown, Pennsylvania

Strausstown is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 339 at the 2000 census.-Geography and history:Strausstown is located at ....

 to Reading

Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...

, via Bernville

Bernville, Pennsylvania

Bernville is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population in year 2000 was 865 according to the U.S. census. Bernville is surrounded by Penn Township to the north, east, and south and by Jefferson Township to the west.-History:...

, and claimed that two-thirds of the line between Harrisburg and Strausstown was complete. However, the financial climate made it impossible to raise significant funds. Further work appears to have been performed, sporadically, by local interests, who hoped to connect the town of Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Fredericksburg is a census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 987 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fredericksburg is located at ....

 with the Lebanon and Tremont Branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad at Jonestown. Bridge piers were erected for the crossing of Swatara Creek

Swatara Creek

Swatara Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in east central Pennsylvania in the United States. "Swatara" is an Indian word meaning "Where we feed on eels."...

, a cut was excavated to the north of Jonestown, and some culverts were constructed and grading done on the route to Fredericksburg. However, the company was forced to auction off its personal property in October 1877, and in February 1880, "the rights-of-way, leases and passenger cars were sold." The company does not appear to have laid track or operated. The remaining assets of the company were sold to the Pennsylvania and New England Railroad later that year. Another account claims that the charter was sold to the Harrisburg and New England Railroad at a sheriff's sale on November 30, 1888.

Despite its financial collapse and dismantling, the shell of the company was reorganized on August 8, 1893 as the Blue Mountain Railroad, on August 12, 1901 as the Harrisburg and South Mountain Railroad, which was inactive by 1912.

While the piers and grading west of Fredericksburg are still visible, the cut through Jonestown was used as a garbage dump and later filled to form Swatara Drive.

External links

• John Hower's article on the railroad
• Bridge piers in Swatara Creek: 40°24′58"N 76°29′21"W
• Culvert over tributary of Little Swarata Creek: 40°25′12"N 76°27′50"W
• Culvert over tributary of Elizabeth Run: 40°25′44"N 76°26′50"W