This is a tunnel I just happened to stumble across while driving through the south hills of Pittsburgh. Right along the side of Bower Hill Road near the intersection with Painters Run Road sat this tunnel:
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The west portal of the Essen Tunnel |
It looked a little small for a railroad tunnel but a lot of is buried. It's much larger when you get up close to it. I located the tunnel on the USGS 1904 Carnegie quadrangle map and sure enough it was a railroad tunnel.
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The tunnel circled on the 1904 USGS map. |
This tunnel dates back to 1881-82 and this section of the railroad, Junction 2, from Woodville to Essen was opened on January 1, 1883. Eventually it made it to Beadling and was known as the Beadling Branch. It served the coal mines at Essen and Beadling until it was dismantled during WWII to use for scrap metal to feed the war effort.
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An abutment remains from what would have been a bridge carrying the railroad over Painters Run. |
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A close up of the stone and brick work. |
After this I went looking for the east portal. It was pretty easy to find but not very easy to get to. It sits on the hillside behind a pizza shop along Painters Run Road. Between the tunnel and the pizza shop is Painters Run. I got a photo from behind the pizza shop and that's what I'm using. Maybe someday I'll get over there. Today I was working and not dressed for creek fording.
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The east portal. |
What's interesting about this is the sign that sits in front of it. The sign reads "Caution Mine Opening".
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Zoomed in on the previous photo. |
This is a neat little find. I live in the area and have driven by it a good number of times. I have photographed the west portal but have not done such with the east portal. Some nice stonework on the west portal and the pier. The old right-of-way can be seen along Painters Run Road going west and bends towards Bower Hill and Carnegie just as the map shows.
ReplyDeleteMentioning the coal seam, just east of the pizza shop is a good size coal seam exposed along Painters Run Road. From memory, it is at least 5 feet thick and maybe more where it disappears into the earth along the road.
Also of interest, at the Upper St. Clair Post Office, on display, is the old post office box unit from the Beadling Post Office. Today there really is nothing left of the coal mining "town" of Beadling.
Eric Johnson
I drive past this near daily! So happy to know more info about it. I figured it was a railroad tunnel, but the fact it was driven through coal is super interesting.
ReplyDeleteCool Nate! Thanks for commenting.
DeleteVery cool and answers my questions. I've stopped and looked at it and thought it looked too finished just to be a mine opening. So it was a branch of the PC&Y.
ReplyDeleteMike in past weeks I've found new video's on YouTube dealing with Harmony Society which operated P&LE RR, Monongahela Valley Railway and Montour RR.. The video on the Little Saw Mill RR clearly shows line coming off the trestles over Parkway West as line follows Banksville Road out to McFarland and following Cedar Avenue. As I bused out on 36 I was short for time and lost railroads trace as a lake was to be near this area. If line crossed Cedar Blvd. it had to have pulled right towards Bower Hill Road. I saw a retaining wall and will need to follow it walking towards Bower Hill where PAT's 41 comes down from Kane Scott following W&LE RR with PRR's Chairtairs below it along Chartiers Creek to where W&LE RR crosses over PRR line as W&LE RR crosses PA 50, as Chartiers Division crosses under W&LE RR to reach Washington PA near First Student as it follows the Pittsburgh & Sothern Rwy. that became or met Pittsburgh & Castle Shannon RR in Castle Shannon RR that became Pittsburgh Railways. Mellon's pulled out its interests in 1953 ending interurban line from Drake to Washington PA, yet First Student worker told me that Chartiers Division of PRR followed Washington interurban to point as it lead to PA Trolley Museum. At Library Park N Ride Mellon's pulled interests back to Consol Mine from Elco PA where West Penn Railways had plans to meet Pittsburgh Railways after meeting at Washington Junction where both lines met the B&O line at Overbrook Junction onto South Hills Village. According to man in video, it appears what today is Red Line had Pittsburgh & Southern Railway had met the Little Saw Mill Run Creek RR via a trestle through a Cemetery with existing Barn in it with at trestle to reach areas somewhere near Banksville Road with other things I'm trying to connect together near where PAT cut out its loop for past 42/38 Mt. Lebanon-Beachview PCC cars that worked line down to Banksville Road/ Cedar Avenue areas.
ReplyDeleteIn Carrick old mine tunnels where used as railroad tunnels as well as mt Washington are
ReplyDeleteI will definitely be looking for any kind of way in
ReplyDeleteCool site never knew that, much love from bridgeville!
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