Whitehall Branch
Encyclopedia
The Whitehall Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. The line ran from Monongahela Branch near the 30th Street yard to a connection with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
and the Allegheny and South Side Railway
at 21st Street Yard in the South Side of Pittsburgh. The line was abandoned by Conrail and has been removed.
(P&LE) east of downtown Pittsburgh to give competition for traffic from his Oliver Iron and Steel Company, Henry W. Oliver
set about arranging for direct competition for the P&LE, looking back to the Pennsylvania Railroad
to provide that. Under an 1882 charter, sufficient for any railroad purpose but with the stated purpose of building a 7 mile passenger line to the future suburb of Whitehall, a line was constructed parallel to and across sidings of the P&LE serving industries from South 3rd St. to South 21st St. The line was known as the Pittsburgh and Whitehall Railroad. It connected to an existing branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad by traversing an easement in a reservation in the center of South 21st St. obtained from the heirs of the Ormsby estate. The easement in the reservation was adjacent to the existing narrow gauge railroad of the Birmingham Coal Company
, for whom it connected a coal incline leading to the Ormsby Mine opened by Birmingham Coal predecessor Keeling Coal Company
. The mine was near St. Patrick Street. The railroad ran from the base of the incline at Quarry St. to the river. At the time, that part of the South Side was the independent community of East Birmingham and the street was known first as Oliver St., then Railroad St.
The Whitehall Branch consisted of the Pittsburgh and Whitehall, sold by the Oliver interests to the Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway
, predecessor of the PRR Monongahela Branch, on March 27, 1888 (with a certificate of consolidation filed May 14, 1888), including the trackage parallel to the narrow gauge coal line along South 21st St., and additional trackage along Mary St. running east from South 21st St. parallel to the Monongahela Branch until it joined it near 30th St. yard. Later the PRR would lease back the stretch parallel to the P&LE to Oliver Iron's captive Allegheny and South Side Railway
.
Industries served included U.S. Glass Factory B, Gimbel Brothers (formerly Kaufman and Baer) and John Eichleay Jr. Company, near the P&LE railroad at S. 21st St.; Bailey-Farrell Manufacturing, on South 21st at Sidney St.; Armour
, Swift and Morris
butcheries on 3 of the 4 corners of South 21st St. and East Carson St.; the Duquesne Brewing Company
at South 21st and Mary Streets; Iron City Sash Door, Phillips Mill and Mine Supply, and D.O. Cunningham Glass along Mary St.; and the J&L Steel
warehouse on the site of the second Cunningham Glass plant, between South 26th and South 27th Streets. The Morris butchery, at 2101 E. Carson, later became Jersey Farm Products, a food products distributor.
Additionally, the line crossed the Carson St. double track streetcar line of the Pittsburgh Railways
Company until its 1966 abandonment, and the Sarah St. horsecar line until its abandonment in 1923.
The Pennsylvania Railroad, and later Penn Central and then Conrail, operated the line; Conrail filed to abandon it the week of July 3, 1992 as filing AB-167, Sub. 326N.
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....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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 line ran from Monongahela Branch near the 30th Street yard to a connection with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ...
and the Allegheny and South Side Railway
Allegheny and South Side Railway
The Allegheny and South Side Railway is an historic railroad that operated in Pennsylvania.It was incorporated on September 20, 1892, to build from the city of Allegheny to the South Side of Pittsburgh, with a stated distance of 12 miles; A branch of 7 miles from Allegheny to 39th St. in...
at 21st Street Yard in the South Side of Pittsburgh. The line was abandoned by Conrail and has been removed.
History
After encouraging the development of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie RailroadPittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ...
(P&LE) east of downtown Pittsburgh to give competition for traffic from his Oliver Iron and Steel Company, Henry W. Oliver
Henry W. Oliver
Henry W. Oliver was an American industrialist.-Biography:Henry W. Oliver was born in Ireland in 1845. Two years later his family settled in Pittsburgh. Oliver began working at the age of thirteen as a messenger boy for the National Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh. Oliver worked at various jobs...
set about arranging for direct competition for the P&LE, looking back to 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....
to provide that. Under an 1882 charter, sufficient for any railroad purpose but with the stated purpose of building a 7 mile passenger line to the future suburb of Whitehall, a line was constructed parallel to and across sidings of the P&LE serving industries from South 3rd St. to South 21st St. The line was known as the Pittsburgh and Whitehall Railroad. It connected to an existing branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad by traversing an easement in a reservation in the center of South 21st St. obtained from the heirs of the Ormsby estate. The easement in the reservation was adjacent to the existing narrow gauge railroad of the Birmingham Coal Company
Birmingham Coal Company
The Birmingham Coal Company was a coal mining company in the Pittsburgh Coalfield area. It operated mines along Becks Run, as well as other mines south of the Monongahela River, such as the Bausman Mine and the American Mine. It is named for Birmingham, Pennsylvania, a town which was later...
, for whom it connected a coal incline leading to the Ormsby Mine opened by Birmingham Coal predecessor Keeling Coal Company
Keeling Coal Company
The Keeling Coal Company was a nineteenth century mining company in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its mines were part of the Pittsburgh Coalfield.-Ormsby Mine and Gravity Plane:...
. The mine was near St. Patrick Street. The railroad ran from the base of the incline at Quarry St. to the river. At the time, that part of the South Side was the independent community of East Birmingham and the street was known first as Oliver St., then Railroad St.
The Whitehall Branch consisted of the Pittsburgh and Whitehall, sold by the Oliver interests to the Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway
Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway
The Pittsburgh, Virginia and Charleston Railway was a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. By 1905, when it was merged into the Pennsylvania, it owned a main line along the left side of the Monongahela River, to Pittsburgh's South Side from West Brownsville...
, predecessor of the PRR Monongahela Branch, on March 27, 1888 (with a certificate of consolidation filed May 14, 1888), including the trackage parallel to the narrow gauge coal line along South 21st St., and additional trackage along Mary St. running east from South 21st St. parallel to the Monongahela Branch until it joined it near 30th St. yard. Later the PRR would lease back the stretch parallel to the P&LE to Oliver Iron's captive Allegheny and South Side Railway
Allegheny and South Side Railway
The Allegheny and South Side Railway is an historic railroad that operated in Pennsylvania.It was incorporated on September 20, 1892, to build from the city of Allegheny to the South Side of Pittsburgh, with a stated distance of 12 miles; A branch of 7 miles from Allegheny to 39th St. in...
.
Industries served included U.S. Glass Factory B, Gimbel Brothers (formerly Kaufman and Baer) and John Eichleay Jr. Company, near the P&LE railroad at S. 21st St.; Bailey-Farrell Manufacturing, on South 21st at Sidney St.; Armour
Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...
, Swift and Morris
Morris & Company
Morris and Company, whose president was Edward Morris, was one of several meatpacking companies in Chicago, Illinois, and in South Omaha, Nebraska....
butcheries on 3 of the 4 corners of South 21st St. and East Carson St.; the Duquesne Brewing Company
Duquesne Brewing Company
The Duquesne Brewing Company was a major brewery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from its founding in 1899 until its dissolution in 1972. The brand was revived under the name Duquesne Bottling Company in 2008, in order to re-establish the beer in Western Pennsylvania starting in the summer of...
at South 21st and Mary Streets; Iron City Sash Door, Phillips Mill and Mine Supply, and D.O. Cunningham Glass along Mary St.; and the J&L Steel
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company were the American Iron Company, founded in 1851 by Bernard Lauth, and B. F. Jones founded in 1852a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin...
warehouse on the site of the second Cunningham Glass plant, between South 26th and South 27th Streets. The Morris butchery, at 2101 E. Carson, later became Jersey Farm Products, a food products distributor.
Additionally, the line crossed the Carson St. double track streetcar line of the Pittsburgh Railways
Pittsburgh Railways
Pittsburgh Railways was one of the predecessors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. It had 666 PCC cars, the third largest fleet in North America. It had 68 street car routes, of which only three are used by the Port Authority as light rail routes...
Company until its 1966 abandonment, and the Sarah St. horsecar line until its abandonment in 1923.
The Pennsylvania Railroad, and later Penn Central and then Conrail, operated the line; Conrail filed to abandon it the week of July 3, 1992 as filing AB-167, Sub. 326N.