Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-04-12
RAILROADING FIFTY YEARS
AGO.

Roberts, some time ago read before the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania most
interesting paper on the construction OF
the first railroad over the Allegheny
Mountains. 1t seems almost incredible
that in about 80 years our whole railroad
system as it now exists, should have been
developed, and Mr.. Roberts reminis-
cences have flavor OF romance for the
younger element to-day. When the
Erie canal was opened for business, Penn
sylvania realized that it must make some
vigorous efforts TO save its carrying trade
and TO ENJOY the benefits Of the just com
mencing Western trade. A series of in
ternal Improvements was inaugurated,
eliminating in the construction of the
Portage railroad over the mountains. This
enterprise added forty millions to the
of engineering skill. Even In these days
of heavy engines it is no slight task to
draw trains over the mountains, and at
that time the project Of running trains by
inclined plains ever an elevation OF 1000
feet in a distance Of less than tour and
one>half miles from the foet OF the moun-
tain on one side to the loot ON the other,
seemed almost superhuman.
The engineers commenced work In
April 1881. camping on the mountains,
paying their own expenses, and receiving
about 81 per day in fun for all services,
professional and practical. As finally con-
structed two inclined planes were used,
hve on each side, with short stretches of
single track at a m oderate grade between.
Every effort was put forth TO have the
| work built in The most durable form, so
that the road should be for ages monu,
ment Of engineering progress, and yet, as
Mr.. Roberts says, MS it turned out, it was
superseded by something better in about
10 years. On the 18th of March, 1884,
the Portage Railway was opened as a
pubic highway, the State furnishing the
motive powe, on the inclined planes only.
His description Of the operation OF n rail
road on this system is very amusing:
The experiment OF working the road as
public highway was very unsatisfactory.
individuals and firms employed their own
drivers, with their own horses and cars.
The cars were small, had four wheels, and
each car would carry about 1000 pounds
of freight. Usually four cars made a
train, and that number could be taken up,
and as many let down, an inclined plane
at one time, and from six to ten such trips
could be made in an hour. The drivers
were rough set of fellows, and some
times very stubborn and unmanageable.
1t was not practical TO make them work
by time table, and the officers Of the
railroad had no power to discharge them.
My memory recalls the case OF one fellow
who would not go backward and could
not go forward, and so obstructed the
road for cons iderable time. 1t resem-
bled the case of two wild wagoners of the
Alleghanies, meeting in a narrow noun
tain pass and both refusing TO give way.
Our nominal remedy was to have the man
arrested and taken before a magistrate,
perhaps many miles of, to have him fined
according to law, a copy of which j
used to carry in my pocket.
"When the road had but single track
between The turnouts, large post, called
a center post, was set up half way between
two turnouts, and the rule was made that
when two drivers met on the single track
with their cars, the one that had gone be-
yond the center post had tho right to go
on, and the other that had not reached it
must go back to the turnout which he
had left. The road was in many places
very crooked, and a man could not see
far ahead. The way the rule worked was
this: When man left turnout he
would drive very slowly fearing that he
might have to turn back and, as he ap
preached the center post, he would drive
iaster and faster, to try TO get beyond il,
and thus to drive back any cars that might
meet, and in this way cars have been
driven together, and man killed by be-
ing crushed between them. We had no
electric telegraph in those days"
The evils Of this system became so
great that great efforts were made TO
change the entire plan of operations. 1t
was, however, considered suitable that In
free country every man should be al
lowed to run his own cars, in his own
way, on tracks belonging TO the State,
and it took long time to effect change.
In 1874 the first locomotives were placed
on the tracks, and in the following year
steam entirely superseded horse .1esh, and
the State furnished all the motive power.
One odd sort Of freight was canal boats,
and their carriage over the mountain was
considered great curiosity. 1.-THE road
being, as its name implied, portage rail-
road, transhipment OF some sort was re-
qured at both ends of the line, which
caused expense and delay. Different firms
engaged in the transportation business
tried different plans to diminish the evil.
One plan was the use OF boats built In
sections, and carried on trucks over the
ra abroad. Another mode of carrying
freight was In cars having movable bod.
les. which could be lifted of the wheels
and transferred to canal boats fitted to re.
ceve them. The wear and tear of the
sectional boats and movable car bodies,
and the amount OF dead weight that had
To lie carried. were found to bs serious
objections TO both these plans"
Mr.. Roberts finally brcame chief engi-
neer and received "a per day, paying all
bis own expenses. Finding this rather
unremunorative, and becoming disgusted
with a position which WAS So hampereG
cept position :ofiered by the Reading
railroad as Inspector Of Rails at South
Wales