Farms: Abandoned Pittsburgh Harmony Butler Railway Streetcar line Ellwood City Pennsylvania
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Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway The railway was developed by business partners Russel H. Boggs and Henry Buhl as an adjunct to their department store in Pittsburgh. Mr. Boggs already had a business relationship with many of the farms between Evans City and Pittsburgh and proposed exchanging the right of way across their land for one dollar, a guaranteed trolley stop and an electricity supply.[2] The first trolley ran to Ellwood City on 2 July 1908. At the southern end of the line Pittsburgh Railways took over the trolley for the run into Pittsburgh, as the final few miles was over their rails. In 1914 an extension along the Beaver Valley was opened. This left Ellwood City heading south west and crossed the Beaver River on Koppel Bridge which was built for the purpose. This bridge also carried vehicle and pedestrian traffic and was subject to a toll.
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there are piers next to 351 across beaver creek. In the same area there is an old trestle going across the creek. also the say they have a street car at the penn. museum ,that was used on that line,which also was used for a time as a Diner. till they rescued it.
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if the line goes on your side of the duck run and who owns this part of the land
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I believe what you're looking at was the P&LE Railroad short-line service to Park Gate and Ellwood City. I think this was heavy rail (as depicted on the Rock Point Park website), not light-rail. Completed in 1890. See the history section of the site for details. And the postcards section for view of the train on that line.
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Couldn't answer that one if my life depended on it.
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I wonder who plants the flag on the old pier?
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Agreed 100% about Hartman's piers... The way I wrote it didn't exactly come out correctly. After numerous failed attempts to get the state to build the (Koppel) bridge to extend the shortline, Hartman finally decides to build his own electric railway and bridge. His piers lean in the quicksand, and then the state goes through with the original (Koppel) bridge plan anyways. I'd have been a little PO'd at that point!
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The Harmony Shortline crossed the present-day Koppel Bridge. The piers below, with the American flag, were for Hartman's bridge, which was never built. Those piers were never used.
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Part 3. Back at the "Y" in Ellport, it crossed Grimm's Bridge over the Connoq into Ewing Park, then across 65 and followed Joffre St. down behind the bowling alley. (RR bed can be seen at the end of Joffre). It followed Hollow Road where lots of RR bed can be seen in Spring & Fall. A station was located at Harmony Baptist and Station Roads in Castlewood, then parralleled to the west of 65, crossing Rose Stop, Shenango Stop and Gardner Stop. End of the line was Cascade Park/ New Castle Traction.
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Part 2. The "Y" for changing direction to either Ellwood or NC was located at at 488 and RR St. in Ellport (remnants can still be seen). To Ellwood was down 488/Fountain Ave to the station at the corner of 5th and Spring. Only short cars (gunboats) could clear the subway before heading west on Lawrence Ave. Then across Koppel Bridge (which was built by the shortline, original piers still stand with American flag flying on top). End of the line was Morado where it met the Beaver Valley Traction.
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Part 1. This was the first of 3 crossings for the HSLine over the Connoq on this section. This part of the line came from Zelie and followed 588 along the creek, hence Spruce Hill Stop, Eckert Stop, etc... It went thru Dambaugh's Tree farm and followed the Connoq past Rustic Park and to the point of your video. It then parralleled Harmony Fisher road where the track bed can be seen plainly by Word Alive Church driveway. Crossed 288 thru Frisco, over the Connoq again to Railroad St. (Inmetco).
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I think thats the remains of the North Sewickley Bridge. I have Ghost Rails VI in front of me, and it would appear to be the only one around the country club. However there were something like 4 or 5 different crossing across Connoquenessing Creek by PHB&NC railway. It gets a littel confusing. Tracks (or a horizontal road) look like they appear on the far side of your video and that would match the pictures I am looking at as well (tracks in the book).
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@SomeRandomDude213 I guessed a lot of it obviously...Hoped you enjoyed regardless!
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I would love to see some detailed maps of exactly where the Shortline Ran. There are some old bridge supports around Evans City. Maybe I'll go spend a day and film the locations in Evans City.
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Is this the same line that ran on through McCandles and Ross Townships? I grew up in a house that sat adjacent to the old road bed and we use to ride our bikes on it and even hike it. In the early 1970s there was an elderly woman who lived in an old farm house. She told us stories of riding the train when it ran. It must have been a ver expensive line to build and it did not run for very long. Too bad! How valuable would it be now as a commuter train! Your film looks like Roman ruins to me.
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I bought a house just outside of Butler a few years ago, and as part of the sale, I acquired 2 landlocked acres of land that the line once ran through. I'd love to go back there and see if there's any trinkets lying around, although it would be difficult. It's heavily wooded, and like everyone else, I'm too busy with the usual day to day stuff.
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You always have great videos and great finds. the supports by the water I've found bigger versions of them that one carried a Seabord line. If I was still making picture videos I would post one of them. Now I just post my pictures on Flickr.
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Hi, Did you get the message I sent you last week?
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1.05 miles north of this remnants had to be a second bridge. If you follow the line from your bridge into Elwood city . Look out for "Railroad Street @ 488 1.3 miles north of this video. GoogleEarth
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Very interesting.
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nice remnants. I'm gonna try to do a video similar as yours in the next few days. I found the vestiges of the train roundhouse of Sherbrooke in Canada.