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Danville & Pottsville Railroad (1826)

The Danville & Pottsville Railroad (1826) (D&P) was one of the earliest railroad enterprises to be undertaken in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, the project was also one of the most complicated, requiring a railroad tunnel (Wadesville Tunnel – the second railroad tunnel in America when it opened in 1833 in order to reach the Mill Creek Valley) along with six inclined planes to reach new coal fields (Middle Coal Field). Undertaken in sections, the railroad was built in two phases, with an eighteen-mile gap that was never closed. The eastern end of the railroad was officially opened with a coal train passing over it on September 24, 1834[1]. On August 15, 1837, the western section was formally opened[2]. The western section extended a distance of 20 miles, beginning at the Susquehanna River at Sunbury and ending at Shamokin.

The financial difficulties of 1837 along with the difficulty of developing the railroad and coal infrastructure for the second coalfield (cost overruns) led to essential closure of the Mahanoy Valley development for some 27 years.

Development of the Railroad

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One purpose of the 1826-proposed D&P was to open the Shenandoah and Mahanoy valleys (also known as the “second – or middle - coalfield”), connect them to existing transportation infrastructure via a tunnel (at Wadesville), and mine the coal from the lands. The project was the brainchild of prominent Pennsylvania businessmen including Stephen Girard of Philadelphia, Burd Patterson of Pottsville (both with interests in the second coalfield), Judge Alexander Jordan of Sunbury, John Boyd of Northumberland, and Daniel Montgomery Jr. of Danville[3]. The railroad was also to link the Susquehanna and Schuylkill rivers allowing anthracite coal, iron, and timber to be transported in large quantities to established and growing markets via the Susquehanna River as well as the existing transportation infrastructure to Philadelphia via the Schuylkill River. On April 8, 1826, the Pennsylvania legislature passed the act which incorporated the D&P and granted it the right to hold up to 1,000 acres of coal lands[4]

Moncure Robinson, formerly employed by the Pennsylvania Canal Commissioners, was hired to make a survey and determined the route of the railroad. Girard, learning of the engineering capabilities of Robinson, then also an engineer for the Little Schuylkill Railroad, offered him the position as engineer of this enterprise, which Robinson undertook.

The company received a temporary but significant setback when both Montgomery and Girard died in December 1831, leaving the project relatively leaderless[5]. At the time of his death Girard had not completed providing the funds under his company subscription. However, Girard's executors ultimately agreed to provide the money due[6].

1831 Plan and Profile of the Danville & Pottsville Railroad. Points of interest include the Wadesville Tunnel and the six inclined planes towards present-day Girardville. Parts of this railroad were not constructed. The portion from Wadesville to Girardville was built but later abandoned. Present day Girardville is at the confluence of the Mahanoy and Shenandoah Creeks

The construction plan envisioned the railroad being built in three sections. Commercial considerations indicated that in the interest of producing immediate revenue, work on the railroad began at Wadesville where the proposed conveyance was to connect with the Mount Carbon Railroad which had handled coal traffic since April 19, 1831[7]. While the construction of the railroad was in progress the officials of the company made an application to the Philadelphia City Council - under whose control the operation of the Girard Estate had been placed — for permission to begin mining operations on Bear Ridge by drilling a tunnel through Bear Ridge to reach the coal seams known to exist there[8]. Moncure Robinson's plan included another tunnel (later called the Old Girard Tunnel). After several attempts by management to obtain the required capital, all of which proved to be fruitless, the work on the tunnel was terminated.

However, construction included excavating a tunnel near Wadesville (December, 1831-December 1833) which was only the second railroad tunnel constructed in America when it opened in 1833. On September 24, 1834, the Pottsville Miners Journal reported the excursion to witness opening of the 345-foot-high original Mahanoy Plane[9]. These inclines were self-acting water-powered planes. Planes 1 to 4 were between Pottsville and today's Frackville. The Old Mahanoy Plane (Plane 5) was at right angles to the later (1861) Mahanoy Plane used until 1932. Plane 6 was at the junction of Shenandoah and Mahanoy Creeks. Both Robinson and his wife rode over these planes to demonstrate faith in the machinery and construction[10].

During the early months of 1834, the company found itself in an unusual situation. The eastern portion of the railroad had been completed, but no coal was being uncovered and mined. However, with the Pennsylvania legislature’s guarantee, development persisted and a coal seam was opened on the northern side of Bear Ridge. Work in this location proceeded at a rapid rate, and the company was soon in the coal business. The eastern end of the road was officially opened with a coal train passing over it on September 24, 1834[11].

During 1837, work proceeded at a rapid rate on the remaining western section of the road, and on August 15, 1837, this section was formally opened[12]. The western section extended a distance of 20 miles, beginning at the Susquehanna River at Sunbury (and not Danville as originally planned) and ending at Shamokin. This terminus extended about 2 miles into the newly developing Shamokin Coalfield[13], also part of the Middle Coal Field.

Financial Difficulties / Successor Railroads

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As the railroad construction continued, the Panic of 1837 took place. The coal markets suffered quite a bit during this period and most large coal mining operations ended. Even after financial conditions improved, the demand for anthracite did not increase according to industry estimates. In fact, the markets were overstocked with coal as almost every remaining producer attempted his re-entry into the supply system.

The legislature again came to the rescue and provided funds to complete the western line. The railroad was opened for use in August 1838, and the Shamokin field was connected to the river-transportation facilities at Sunbury[14]. The coal trade from this region actually got in full swing the following year, 1839. While this effort proved satisfactory for the mines located along the western section of the railroad, the eastern end was idle and no coal moved over the recently constructed tunnel, rails and planes. The track and planes eventually deteriorated and, thereby, ended the company's effort there. In 1844, Rupp's History of Schuylkill County reported the road's east segment "rotting in the sun)[15]”. The portion constructed to transport the coal from the Girard Estate lands and its extensive coal-bearing areas was to lay idle for over two decades[16].

The collapse of the canal system and railroad’s precarious finances - including bankruptcies in 1849 and 1857 - prevented the linking of the two disconnected sections or the reopening of the eastern part. This company eventually became the Philadelphia & Sunbury Railroad in 1851, and in 1858 the line became the Shamokin Valley & Pottsville Railroad (SV&P)[17]. The SV&P was leased by the Northern Central Railway, a north-south Baltimore-to-Sunbury line that was allied with the Pennsylvania Railroad - in 1883, then passed to the Pennsylvania Railroad’s control, but continued its separate corporate existence as the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad (under the Lehigh Valley Railroad)[18] until acquired by Conrail in 1976.

Although not really a successor railroad, the Mahanoy and Broad Mountain Railroad was built in 1861 and 1862 to replace and expand the abandoned portion of the D&P from north of Port Carbon to Girardville and continuing further east to Mahanoy City and financed in part by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company[19]. This expansion finally opened this part of the Middle or Second Coalfield to full development.

References

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  1. ^ Hoffman, John N., Girard Estate Coal Lands In Pennsylvanis 1801-1834, Smithsonian Institution Press:Washington DC (1972), p. 64
  2. ^ Hoffman, 1972, p. 65
  3. ^ The Danville News, Bumpy Start for Danville Pottsville Railroad by Cindy Ikote, January 26, 2009
  4. ^ Laws and By-Laws of the Danville and Pottsville Railroad Company (Philadelphia: L. R. Bailey, (1832), p.19
  5. ^ Baer, Christopher T., A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY ITS PREDECESSORS AND SUCCESSORS AND ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT 1831, May 2015 Edition, p. 43
  6. ^ Hazard's Register of Pennsylvania (vol. 9, no. 23, June 9, 1832), p. 365. Annual Report of the President and Managers of the Danville and Pottsville Railroad, 1832 (Philadelphia: I. Ashmead, 1833), p. 5
  7. ^ Hoffman, 1972, p. 63
  8. ^ Hazard's Register of Pennsylvania (vol. 11, no. 21, May 25, 1833), p. 321
  9. ^ See Pottsville Miner's Journal, September 27, 1834
  10. ^ Heydinger, Earl J., The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin, No. 107 (OCTOBER 1962), Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, p. 36
  11. ^ Hoffman, 1972, p. 64
  12. ^ See Pottsville Miner's Journal, August 22, 1837
  13. ^ Hoffman, 1972, p. 65
  14. ^ See Pottsville Miner's Journal, August 18,1838
  15. ^ Heydinger 1962 p. 38
  16. ^ Hoffman, 1972, p. 66
  17. ^ Heydinger 1962 p. 38
  18. ^ GROUP VIII. Railroads of the Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania Railroad Groups, Earl J. Heydinger, The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin No. 109 (OCTOBER 1963), pp. 25-26
  19. ^ Hoffman, 1972, p. 68
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