South Mountain Railroad (Cumberland) Explained

South Mountain Railroad
Locale:Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Yearcompleted:[1]
Event1label:Chartered
Event1:1865 (SM Iron Co)
Event2label:Acquired
Event3label:Merged
Event3:1891 (Gett. & Harr. Railway)
Linelength Mi:17.78
Map Name:map_name
Map State:uncollapsed

The South Mountain Railroad was a southcentral Pennsylvania railway line for "connecting the Pine Grove works to the Cumberland Valley R. R."[2] and which provided mining and passenger services via a southwest section from Hunter's Run, Pennsylvania, and a northern section from Hunter's Run to the CVRR junction northeast of Carlisle. The northern section merged with the Gettysburg & Harrisburg Railroad line south from Hunter's Run to the Gettysburg Battlefield in 1891 to create the Gettysburg & Harrisburg Railway line, while the branch southwest from Hunter's Run became the Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad line.

Modernized sections of the South Mountain Railroad remain north of Hunter's Run; while parts of the railbed are available for hiking and biking such as near Carlisle (Letort Spring Run Nature Trail)[3] and the Pine Grove Furnace State Park (Cumberland County Biker/Hiker Trail with section of the Appalachian Trail.)

History

The South Mountain Railroad was authorized by the South Mountain Iron Company legislation in 1864/1865, and company bonds were issued in 1869.[4] The junction with the Cumberland Valley Railroad was laid east of Carlisle near Ashland Cemetery, Carlisle Barracks, and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. By June 2, 1874, the railroad had 8 scheduled stops between the terminus and South Mountain Junction; and in December 1875, the railway had sidings of 2.26miles; 9 passenger, 6 freight, & 3 wood/water stations; and 2 engine houses.[5]

The South Mountain Railway and Mining Company acquired the line in 1877, considered extending the railway line west of Pine Grove in 1880,[6] and "commenced a preliminary survey" in 1881 for a branch southward to Gettysburg. Instead on August 20, 1883; the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad (with the same president, Colonel Jackson C. Fuller) commenced a junction at Hunter's Run for a line to the battlefield.[7] As a result, the South Mountain Railroad's connection near Carlisle at the CVRR's "South Mountain Junction" (named "Carlisle Junction" in the South Mountain RR schedule)[8] was subsequently renamed "Gettysburg Junction".[9] The tracks to Pine Grove Park were used by the first G&H excursion train from Gettysburg on May 28, 1884;[9] and the stop at Laurel Forge was added to the G & H's July 3, 1884, schedule.[10]

By May 1891, the competing Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburg Railroad extended to Harrisburg from the crossing with the South Mountain RR "about six miles south of Carlisle" north of Mount Holly Springs[11] (named "Carlisle Junction" on both lines' 1904 schedules).[12] The South Mountain Railway and Mining Company's northern section and the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad southward line merged on July 20, 1891, to become the railway line of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway, and the southwest South Mountain RR section from Hunter's Run was leased by the Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad.[13] The lease was terminated on November 11, 1910 and the Reading Company took up operation of the line from Hunters Run to Pine Grove Furnace.[14]

The tracks between Mount Holly Springs toward Carlisle were removed,[15] and the tracks near Carlisle branching southward from Gettysburg Junction were abandoned . The line's depot and freight station at Gettysburg Junction were subsequently used by the Estep Electric Services Co.[16] The remaining tracks from Hunter's Run to the Mount Holly Springs area are part of the Gettysburg & Northern Railroad.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Beers, Warner . 2009 . 1886 . South Middleton Township and Borough of Mount Holly Springs . Chapter XXXV, Part II . History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania . http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/history/local/beers1886/beers-35.txt . USGenWeb Archives . 2011-05-17.
  2. Keefer . Horace Andrew . written after January 29, 1927 . October 1934 . Recollections, Historical and Otherwise, Relating To Old Pine Grove Furnace . Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Bulletin . 2011-05-14. (Keefer also authored Early Iron Industries of Dauphin County)
  3. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-05-20 . 2011-09-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110929231438/http://www.ccpa.net/DocumentView.aspx?DID=181 . dead .
  4. (image from 2011 sales listing)
  5. Web site: 1876 . South Mountain Iron Company's . officer's report Google Books . Annual report of the Auditor General of the State of Pennsylvania . 524–529 . 2011-05-17 . South Mountain Iron Company's railroad.
  6. News: December 2, 1880 . News of Neighboring Counties . Google News Archives . Gettysburg Compiler . 2011-05-18 . It is reported that President Fuller, of the South Mountain Railroad, contemplates extending the road to the new ore banks about two miles west of Pine Grove Furnace in the near future. The new banks are very productive, the ore is of an excellent quality, and should the road be extended, they will be operated extensively... (from Echo newspaper)
  7. News: Gitt . Joseph S . February 9, 1884 . February 19, 1884 . Baltimore and Harrisburg Railroad . Google News Archive . Gettysburg Compiler; Adams County Railroads: Concluded . 2013-11-07 . in December, 1881, the South Mountain Railroad commenced a preliminary survey for the extension of their road from Hunter's Run to Gettysburg, with a view to approximating the cost of the undertaking..
  8. Book: September 1874 . Travelers' Official Railway Guide… . RR listing 231 . Google Books . 2011-05-17.
  9. News: May 13, 1884 . First Gettysburg Excursion to Pine Grove Park . Google News Archives . Gettysburg Compiler . 2011-05-16 . “South Mountain Junction” at Carlisle will hereafter be known as “Gettysburg Junction.”.
  10. May 26th & July 3d, 1884
  11. Cumberland V. R. R. v. R. R. Companies . (volume 177) . Kress, William C . Pennsylvania State Reports . Pennsylvania Supreme Court . 1896 . 1897 . https://books.google.com/books?id=p8IaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA534 . Google Books . 534 . 2011-05-18. "The line … between Shippensburg and Harrisburg, which is that of the Philadelphia, Harrisburg & Pittsburg Railroad Company, … crosses the Gettysburg & Harrisburg Railway at Carlisle Junction about six miles south of Carlisle … opened May 1891"
  12. Book: 1904 . The Official Railway Guide: North American Freight Service Edition . Google Books . 2011-05-19.
  13. Cumberland V. R. R. v. R. R. Companies . 177 . Kress, William C . Pennsylvania State Reports . Pennsylvania Supreme Court . 1896 . 1897 . https://books.google.com/books?id=p8IaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA528 . Google Books . 528 . 2011-05-18. "on July 13, 1891, the Hunter's Run & Slate Belt Railroad Company … entered into a lease and traffic contract [with the] South Mountain Railway & Mining Companyp. 528 … eight miles of leased road.p. 546
  14. Book: Taber, Thomas T. III . 1987 . Railroads of Pennsylvania Encyclopedia and Atlas . Thomas T. Taber III . 0-9603398-5-X . 105.
  15. Web site: Interview with ed Shenk and Herb Wiegle . www.letort.org . 14 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120175532/http://www.letort.org/LetortHistoricalProject.html . 20 November 2008 . dead.
  16. Web site: Cathell . David . March 2002 . Cumberland Valley Railroad . D_Cathell.tripod.com . 2011-05-17.
    • p. 1 Web site: Cathell . David . 2 . May 2002 . Mount Holly Springs . South Mountain Branch . 2011-05-17.
    • p. 2 Web site: Cathell . David . 2 . May 2002 . Pine Grove Furnace . South Mountain Branch . 2011-05-19.
    • p. 3 Web site: Cathell . David . 2 . May 2002 . Craighead . South Mountain Branch . 2011-05-17.
    • p. 4 Web site: Cathell . David . 2 . May 2002 . Carlisle-Bonny Brook . South Mountain Branch . 2011-05-17.
  17. Web site: Gettysburg Northern Railroad Co . 2010-12-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101218235951/http://www.pioneer-railcorp.com/Subsidiaries/GET/get.html . 2010-12-18 .

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