Life on the Allegheny Portage Railroad - Cresson, Pennsylvania, USA
Posted by: 
ted28285
N 40° 27.437 W 078° 32.952
17T E 707807 N 4481398
The park rangers and volunteers conduct a variety of daily jobs and chores of life on the railroad/canal system of the mid 1800's.
Waymark Code: WM16ETQ
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/16/2022
Views: 3
The park staff and volunteers dress in period clothing to demonstrate what life on the Mainline Canal/ Allegheny Portage Railroad was like. Demonstrations of the trades and militia are held daily throughout the summer. The events are free and generally last for about two hours. During our visit there were ten or more participants in costume each demonstrating a craft/ trade. Today's event was 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. reenactment. Usually, the demonstrations are scheduled for 2 hours at 10 A.M. and then at 2 P.M.
" The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad constructed through the Allegheny Mountains in central Pennsylvania, United States; it operated from 1834 to 1854 as the first transportation infrastructure through the gaps of the Allegheny that connected the midwest to the eastern seaboard across the barrier range of the Allegheny Front. Approximately 36 miles (58 km) long overall, both ends connected to the Pennsylvania Canal, and the system was primarily used as a portage railway, hauling river boats and barges over the divide between the Ohio and the Susquehanna Rivers. Today, the remains of the railroad are preserved within the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service.
The railroad was authorized as part of the Main Line of Public Works legislation in 1824. It had five inclines on either side of the drainage divide running athwart the ridge line from Blair Gap through along the kinked saddle at the summit into Cresson, Pennsylvania. The endpoints connected to the Canal at Johnstown on the west through the relative flats to Hollidaysburg on the east. The Railroad utilized cleverly designed wheeled barges to ride a narrow-gauge rail track with steam-powered stationary engines lifting the vehicles. The roadbed of the railroad did not incline monotonically upwards, but rose in relatively long, saw-toothed stretches of slightly-sloped flat terrain suitable to animal powered towing, alternating with steep cable railway inclined planes using static steam engine powered windlasses, similar to mechanisms of modern ski lifts.
Except for peak moments of severe storms, it was an all-weather, all-seasons operation. Along with the rest of the Main Works, it cut transport time from Philadelphia to the Ohio River from weeks to just 3–5 days. Considered a technological marvel in its day, it played a critical role in opening the interior of the United States beyond the Appalachian Mountains to settlement and commerce. It included the first railroad tunnel in the United States, the Staple Bend Tunnel, and its inauguration was marked with great fanfare." Wikipedia