When was all of the P&LE abandoned except what CSX needed to get through Pittsburgh? In the 90's did P&LE still reach the great lakes?
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The P&LE never reached Lake Erie on its own rails. It used trackage rights on the New York Central Youngstown Line from Gateway Yard in Youngstown to Ashtabula. The P&LE was a subsidiary of the NYC. I was a brakeman on the P&LE back in the mid-60s.
The P&LE is totally gone west of New Castle, PA to the end of the railroad in Youngstown. The Gateway Yard hump yard is also totally gone. I don't know about abandonments on the rest of the line.
In a nutshell, the P&LE was an independent subsidiary of the New York Central until the Penn Central merger. Then they were an independent railroad until CSX officially took over in 1992. A good book to read on this is Pittsburgh and Lake Erie railroad by Harold Mclean.
I have a book on the P&LE and I would have to look at that. I do know they owned the line along the Mon River that went to the mines around Waynesburg and W. Va. I was videoing coal trains and the track was in terrible shape. The track from West Pittsburg(New Castle, Pa) was torn up. The road bed is still there right along the old B&O line that CSX uses so I doubt if they went to the Great Lakes. Their big Lowellville Yard in Ohio is completely gone but the shell of the gutted tower still stands. The P&LE stations were certainly nice buildings. Some still exist, the one in West Pgh. is being restored plus in Beaver, Pa.
This railfan caught probably one of the last "official" P&LE trains to run through Beaver falls in June '92;
Nice video ! Thanks. I have been there many times. The stations(pass. & freight that were near the photographer are gone but just further north the 'College station" is there but derelict.
Thanks for the info. So the now abandoned western portions of P&LE to Youngstown were done in the 80's and 90's? the P&LE makes a good route for CSX to get through Pittsburgh. Funny how the B&O was well engineered until Pittsburgh where it went the high and circuitous route.
The PLE tracks in the Pittsburgh area are active by CSX from New Castle to Sinns (Port Vue) on the Pittsburgh Subdivision, and from McKeesport to W. Brownsville on the Mon Subdivision (?). East of Sinns, the Pittsburgh Sub crosses the Youghigeny River on to the former B&O for the rest of the trip to Cumberland. The remainder of the PLE Connellsville Branch to its namesake town are now part of the Pittsburgh-Cumberland bike trail, which also uses the former WM.
Mike W. posted:...Funny how the B&O was well engineered until Pittsburgh where it went the high and circuitous route.
That's what happens when you are the last company to build a railroad in a geographical area. By the time the B&O got to Pittsburgh, the P&LE and the PRR had already built their railroads in the river valleys. The route which the B&O took over Bakerstown Hill was the only route to the west available to them.
Hey, Rich, just out of curiosity, did you ever work the College-Pittsburgh commuter train? I have the MTH set and have been trying to gather info on the real thing.
No sir, I never worked that train. It took a LOT of seniority to hold that job!
Bike trail from the Boston Bridge, McKeesport, PA to Connellsville, PA, (P&LE), first days ride was to Ohiopyle, PA. Connellsville to Ohiopyle, was on the Old Western Maryland. Switched railroads, Main Street, Connellsville. We would bike the second day to Frostburg, MD. First day of downhill. Finished the Old Western Maryland RR in Cumberland, the next morning. Third day, we were on the C&O Canal Path trail to Hancock, MD , spent the night, Beckley, WV. We did spend part of the day back on a beautiful paved trail, on Old Western MD grade. Early morning we were still on the Old Western MD paved trail, then back to the Canal path. Continued on the canal tow path to Shepherdstown, WV. 4th Day. Side ride that day to Antietam, civil war battle field. We spent the next night in Leesburg, Virginia. Trains that day at Harper's Ferry. Leesburg to DC was the last Day.
That is pretty country in that area, have done a lot of rail photos there.
Mike,
I was on the same trail. Really nice biking and hiking area back in 93. Thanks for the links it brought back allot of memories.
Cool video! Looks like there was an ex Rock Island (B&LE) car in the mix.
J Daddy posted:Mike,
I was on the same trail. Really nice biking and hiking area back in 93. Thanks for the links it brought back allot of memories.
There was a detour on the Canal Path trail, that the last few years has been eliminated. The Canal Path trail is complete Cumberland to DC. Most don't realized that the canal had a tunnel, which is part of the trail.
Pawpaw tunnel.
Took these pictures, Point of Rocks. Water level route does apply. 
Mike CT posted:Bike trail from the Boston Bridge, McKeesport, PA to Connellsville, PA, (P&LE), first days ride was to Ohiopyle, PA. Connellsville to Ohiopyle, was on the Old Western Maryland. Switched railroads, Main Street, Connellsville. We would bike the second day to Frostburg, MD. First day of downhill. Finished the Old Western Maryland RR in Cumberland, the next morning. Third day, we were on the C&O Canal Path trail to Hancock, MD , spent the night, Beckley, WV. We did spend part of the day back on a beautiful paved trail, on Old Western MD grade. Early morning we we
re still on the Old Western MD paved trail, then back to the Canal path. Continued on the canal tow path to Shepherdstown, WV. 4th Day. Side ride that day to Antietam, civil war battle field. We spent the next night in Leesburg, Virginia. Trains that day at Harper's Ferry. Leesburg to DC was the last Day.
On your 3rd day, sure you didn't spend the night in Berkeley Springs,WV? Beckley,WV is in Raleigh County in Southern WV, about 5 hours driving time from the Hancock,MD. area.
I biked the canal in 1973 as a 13 yr. old. Our B.S.A. troop did it in a total of 6 days from D.C. to Cumberland, hampered by lengthy detours caused by Tropical storm Agnes damage (6/1972). We also had an interruption of 1 week after a theft of equipment from staged vehicles parked at Edwards Ferry in Montgomery County,MD.
Truly one of the most grueling experiences of my youth...
Borden Tunnel posted:Mike CT posted:Bike trail from the Boston Bridge, McKeesport, PA to Connellsville, PA, (P&LE), first days ride was to Ohiopyle, PA. Connellsville to Ohiopyle, was on the Old Western Maryland. Switched railroads, Main Street, Connellsville. We would bike the second day to Frostburg, MD. First day of downhill. Finished the Old Western Maryland RR in Cumberland, the next morning. Third day, we were on the C&O Canal Path trail to Hancock, MD , spent the night, Beckley, WV. We did spend part of the day back on a beautiful paved trail, on Old Western MD grade. Early morning we we
re still on the Old Western MD paved trail, then back to the Canal path. Continued on the canal tow path to Shepherdstown, WV. 4th Day. Side ride that day to Antietam, civil war battle field. We spent the next night in Leesburg, Virginia. Trains that day at Harper's Ferry. Leesburg to DC was the last Day.
On your 3rd day, sure you didn't spend the night in Berkeley Springs,WV? Beckley,WV is in Raleigh County in Southern WV, about 5 hours driving time from the Hancock,MD. area. Correction noted, Thank you, Mike CT
I biked the canal in 1973 as a 13 yr. old. Our B.S.A. troop did it in a total of 6 days from D.C. to Cumberland, hampered by lengthy detours caused by Tropical storm Agnes damage (6/1972). We also had an interruption of 1 week after a theft of equipment from staged vehicles parked at Edwards Ferry in Montgomery County,MD.
Truly one of the most grueling experiences of my youth... There are sections of the C&O Canal Path Trail, that 5 years ago, were a bit much. There have been improvements made. 1973 it may have been a wilderness adventure. We did some rain, one day, enough to mud things, to the point, that we were not allowed to check in at the hotel, Shepherdstown, WV, until we hosed-off at a designated spot provided by the Bavarian Inn, one of the nicest hotels, on the trip. Bikes were locked in the tennis court over night.
