Profile of the original line

The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad constructed through the Allegheny Mountains in central Pennsylvania, USA. It was a combination of a towpath canal and an inclined plane railroad, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long, and operated from 1834 to 1854. It connected the two branches of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal from Johnstown on the west to Hollidaysburg on the east, thus allowing continuous barge traffic between the Ohio and the Susquehanna rivers. Considered a technological marvel in its day, it played a critical role in opening up the interior of the United States beyond the Appalachian Mountains to settlement and commerce, including what may be the oldest railroad tunnel in North America, the Staple Bend Tunnel. Its inauguration was marked with great fanfare. Diesel and electric trains and locomotives replaced steam in many countries in the decades after World War II. Many countries since the 1960s have adopted High-speed railways. ... The Allegheny Mountains are a part of the Appalachian mountain range located in the eastern United States. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... A towpath is a road or track that runs alongside the banks of a river, canal or other inland waterway. ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ... Angels Flight, Los Angeles, California with gantlet track configuration A funicular, also called funicular railway or inclined railway, inclined plane, or in the United Kingdom a cliff railway, consists of a system of transport in which cables attach to a tram-like vehicle on rails to move it up and... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Johnstown is a city located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. ... Hollidaysburg is a borough located in Blair County, Pennsylvania. ... Carl D. Perkins Bridge in Portsmouth, Ohio with Ohio River and Scioto River tributary on right. ... The Susquehanna River is a river in the northeastern United States, approximately 410 mi (715 km) long. ... The Appalachian Mountains are a system of North American mountains running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to Alabama in the United States, although the northernmost mainland portion ends at the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. ... Several railroads have been called the oldest in the United States. ...

Construction of the railroad began in 1831 and took three years to complete, financed by the State of Pennsylvania as a means to compete with the Erie Canal in New York and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland. The work was done largely through private contractors. The railroad used ten inclined planes--five on either side of the summit of the Allegheny Ridge. The vertical ascent from Johnstown was 1,172 ft (355 m). The vertical ascent from Hollidaysburg was 1,399 ft (424 m). The barges were drawn by horses along level sections, which included a 900 ft (273 m) tunnel, as well as a viaduct over the Little Conemaugh River upstream from Johnstown. A typical voyage took between six and seven hours to complete. The entire Main Line system connecting Pittsburgh and Philadelphia was 400 miles (640 km) long. 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The white section highlights the general area of the canal, with the actual canal shown in blue The Erie Canal (later replaced by the Barge Canal, and subsequently renamed to the Erie Canal) is a canal in New York State, United States, that runs from the Hudson River to Lake... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Canal at Swains Lock The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, also known as the C&O Canal, operated from 1850 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, DC. The total length of the canal is about 184. ... 1876 map The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) is one of the oldest railroads in the United States, with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland west to the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia and Parkersburg, West Virginia. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission into... An inclined plane is a system used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. ... The Allegheny Mountains are a part of the Appalachian mountain range located in the eastern United States. ... Torontos Bloor Street Viaduct bridges the Don valley; road traffic uses the upper deck, rail traffic uses the lower deck. ... The Little Conemaugh River is a tributary of the Conemaugh River, approximately 30 mi (48 km) long, in western Pennsylvania in the United States. ... Nickname: The Steel City Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Founded  -Incorporated 1758   County Allegheny County Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... Independence Hall Philadelphia (sometimes referred to as Philly or the City of Brotherly Love) is the fifth most populous city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, both in area and population. ...

Map of the railroad and newer alignments built to replace it

In 1854 the portage railroad was rendered obsolete by the construction a locomotive railroad over the Alleghenies by the Pennsylvania Railroad, a private company. Despite this, construction on the New Portage Railroad, a $2.14 million realignment to bypass the inclines, continued, opening in 1856. On July 31, 1857, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the portage railroad from the state, abandoning most and using the rest as local branches. In 1904 the part east of the Gallitzin Tunnels was reopened as a freight bypass line via the "Muleshoe Curve". 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

A small portion of the portage railroad is preserved at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, established in 1964 and located approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Altoona. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Altoona is a city located in Blair County, Pennsylvania. ...

See also

• Morris Canal
• Horseshoe Curve
• Kittanning Path

The Morris Canal was a canal and series of water-driven inclined plane railroads that ran across northern New Jersey in the United States from the middle of the 19th century until the 1920s. ... Satellite view of Horseshoe Curve, west of Altoona, Pennsylvania. ... The Kittanning Path was a major east-west Native American trail in western Pennsylvania used during the 18th century. ...

External links

• National Park Service: Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
• Allegheny Portage Railroad: Developing Transportation Technology
• Map of the Route