ALLEGHENY PORTAGE RAILROAD

Questions and Answers

1.  How many years did the Allegheny Portage Railroad operate?

> Answer: 20 years (1834-1854)

2.  How many inclined planes were on the Allegheny Portage Railroad?

> Answer: 10

3.  How many sets of tracks were used on the level stretches of the
    railroad during the first year of operation?

> Answer: One

4.  What power source was used to raise and lower the railroad cars up
    the inclined plane?

> Answer: Stationary steam engine

5.  The Allegheny Portage Railroad was part of what state-owned
    transportation system?

> Answer: Pennsylvania Mainline

6.  What year did the Allegheny Portage Railroad first open for
    business?

> Answer: 1834

7.  Which inclined plane was closest to the lemon House?

> Answer: Inclined Plane 6

8.  True or False: Horses were used to pull railroad cars along the
    level stretches of the railroad during the first year of operation.

> Answer: True

9.  What was located at the top of each inclined plane?

> Answer: Engine House or stationary steam engine

10. True or False: The Lemon House was a tavern and a dining room for
    passengers on the railroad.

> Answer: True

11. The Pennsylvania Mainline connected which two major Pennsylvania
    cities?

> Answer: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

12. What year did the Allegheny Portage Railroad stop operating?

> Answer: 1854

13. What railroad replaced the Allegheny Portage Railroad and the
    Pennsylvania Mainline?

> Answer: Pennsylvania Railroad

14. Name one engineering feat that enabled the Pennsylvania Railroad to
    cross the Allegheny Mountains?

> Answer: Horseshoe Curve, Gallitzin Tunnel

15. How many sets of tracks were on the inclined planes?

> Answer: Two

16. True or False: The engine house at the top of each inclined plane
    contained two stationary engines?

> Answer: True

17. How did the Lemon House get its name?

> Answer: It was named after its owners Sam and Jean Lemon.

18. What power was used to move canal boats in the canal?

> Answer: Mules or Horses

19. In what year were locomotives first used on the Allegheny Portage
    Railroad?

> Answer: 1835

20. What was located at the bottom of each inclined plane?

> Answer: Hitching shed

21. True or False: Balancing the weight of the load going both up and
    down the inclined plane helped the stationary steam engine work more
    efficiently.

> Answer: True

22. Name two towns that the Allegheny Portage Railroad connected.

> Answer: Hollidaysburg and Johnstown

23. True or False: Although the railroad went right by Sam Lemon's
    house, he did not make a lot of money from the railroad.

> Answer: False. Sam lemon made a lot of money from the railroad.

24. True or False: It took two stationary steam engines working together
    to pull the cars up the inclined plane.

> Answer: False. It took only one.

25. Which inclined plane was the longest and steepest?

> Answer: Inclined Plane 8

26. How fast could the locomotives pull the cars along the level
    stretches of the railroad?

> Answer: 10 to 15 miles per hour

27. True or False: The engineer in charge at each engine house was one
    of the best-paid workers on the railroad.

> Answer: True

28. What is the name of the bridge near the bottom of the inclined plane
    6?

> Answer: Skew Arch Bridge

29. Name an item of cargo that might have been carried over the
    Allegheny Portage Railroad.

> Answer: Coal, iron ore, iron, crops, lumber, tools, guns, gunpowder,
> clothes, cloth, people, feathers.

30. How long was the Allegheny Portage Railroad?

> Answer: 36 ½ miles

31. What are the stone blocks used to support the track on the levels
    called?

> Answer: Sleepers

32. True or False: After the first year of operation, horses, were
    replaced by stationary steam engines to pull cars up the inclined
    planes.

> Answer: False. Horses were never used on the inclined planes.

33. On the average, how long did it take to cross the Allegheny Ridge
    using the Allegheny Portage Railroad?

> Answer: Between six and eight hours

34. True or False: Passengers would often sit on the top of the canal
    boats while traveling.

> Answer: True

35. One of the earliest railroad tunnels in the United States was part
    of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. What was the name of the tunnel?

> Answer: Staple Bend Tunnel

36. Which inclined plane was closest to Johnstown?

> Answer: Inclined Plane 1

37. True or False: During the early years of operation of the railroad,
    the cars were tied to wire rope to be raised and lowered on the
    inclined planes.

> Answer: False. Hemp rope was used in the beginning

38. Name one tree that provided a hardwood that was used for making the
    wooden on the inclined planes?

> Answer: Black locust or white oak

39. What type of stone was used to make the sleepers?

> Answer: Sandstone

40. The canal boats were placed on what type of railroad car to get them
    over the mountain?

> Answer: Flat car or flatbed car

41. True or False: Special plows were put on the front of locomotives in
    winter so they could push through the snow.

> Answer: False. The railroad did not operate in the winter.

42. Why was sandstone used as a building material on the railroad (give
    one reason)?

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(1) It lasted against the elements of the weather

(2) It was easy to cut.

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43. Which inclined plane was nearest to Hollidaysburg?

> Answer: Inclined Plane 10

44. Most of the stonecutters (masons) working on the railroad came from
    which country?

> Answer: Ireland

45. True or False: Once the railroad was built and put into operation,
    it did not take much work to keep it running.

> Answer: False. The railroad was in constant need of maintenance and
> repair.

46. True or False: The Skew Arch Bridge was originally built without the
    use of mortar (cement).

> Answer: True

47. Canal boat passengers often sat on the top of the boat during their
    journey to get fresh air. While passing time they had to watch out
    for one particular danger. What was it?

> Answer: Low bridges. They would have to duck so the bridge would not
> hit them, knocking them off their feet or off the boat.

48. True or False: The stone cutters working on the railroad were well
    paid.

> False. They were among the lowest paid workers.

49. How many inclined planes were between the Lemon house and Johnstown?

> Answer: Five

50. What is the name of the iron object, which holds the iron rail to
    the stone sleeper?

> Answer: Chair

51. What held the iron chairs tight to the stone sleepers?

> Answer: Iron spikes

52. True or False: The locomotives used on the levels of the railroad
    had tall smokestacks to draw air through the boiler and make the
    fire burn hot.

> Answer: True

53. Name a famous British author who wrote about his trip on the
    Allegheny Portage Railroad.

> Answer: Charles Dickens

54. How fast were the railroad cars pulled up the inclined planes?

> Approximately four miles per hour.

55. True or False: On the average, a stone sleeper weighs one thousand
    pounds.

> Answer: False. Stone sleepers weighed between 500 and 800 pounds.

56. What are the two towns that both the Allegheny Portage Railroad and
    the Pennsylvania Canal enter?

> Answer: Hollidaysburg and Johnstown

57. Name the easternmost river of the Pennsylvania Mainline.

> Answer: Susquehanna River

58. Where does the Juniata River join the Susquehanna River?

> Answer: Clarks Ferry

59. Name the river that starts the western canal system at Johnstown.

> Answer: Conemaugh River

60. What river does the Conemaugh join at Blairsville?

> Answer: Kiskiminetas

61. Name the westernmost river utilized by the Pennsylvania Mainline.

> Answer: Allegheny River

62. The Kiskiminetas River joins the Allegheny River at what city?

> Answer: Freeport

63. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital, is located on which river of the
    Pennsylvania Mainline?

> Answer: Susquehanna

64. When cargo is pulled up one track of an inclined plane while the
    same amount is lowered down the other track of that inclined plane,
    we say that the load is \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.

> Answer: Balanced

65. Using the Pennsylvania Mainline, how long would it take to travel
    from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh?

    Answer: Four or five days.