The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1882-02-25
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
RAILROADING


New OXFORD, Pa, February 10th, 1882.
Messrs. Editors :-Rairoadng has been, an
still is, of the great institutions of the age,
there nearly l00, 600 miles of railroad construct
ed in the United States at present, and to shoV
you what have done toward the building of som
l will give you an idea of the amount of travelling
done while engaged in the business the past thrt,
connected with in making surveys, locating anC
on construction. Also the name of each road, dis
lance Travelled on each, &c.
The first road had anything to do with was tn
Pennsylvania State Ralroad-vulgarly called tn
"Tape Worm" 1t commenced at Gettysburg anC
crossed the South Mountain / acted in the capaci
| ty of rod-man for Is months. This was in 1888 9
and during this time Travelled on foot ,S72 miles
in carriages APO miles and in sleighs "a miles,
$780, 900 was spent and the work discontinued.
The second road was the Hanover Branch Rail.
road; surveys first commenced in 1850. Travel
ing on foot 1852 miles, in carriages LIS miles
in sleighs 81 miles. During the building of this
road made surveys for the Strasburg Railroad
in Lancaster county, travelling AZ miles foot
IA in carriages and 1852 by railroad.
| The third road was the Westchester and Phila-
| delphia Railroad, in Chester and Delaware coun-
ties. L travelled 3,S4O miles on foot $50 in car
riages and $50 by railroad. This was in 1854.
The fourth was the Philadelphia and Baltimore
| Central Railroad. 1 Travelled 2S7 miles on foot
The fifth was the Gettysburg Railroad 400
miles foot, 1920 miles in carriages, $50 in
seighs and Al by railroad. During the construc-
ton of this road we had in the winter of 1856 six
weeks good sleighing in succession.
The sixth was the Littestown Railroad 1915
miles foot, ,440 in carriages and 60 in sleghs.
This road built at the same time as the Gettys-
burg, engineering both at the same time.
The seventh was the Gwynns Falls Railroad
so miles on foot and 10 miles in carriages. The
| road was not built.
The eighth was the Frederick and Pennsylvania
| Railroad-115 miles on foot and so miles in car
riages. l only made the surveys and did not at
| tend to the construction.
The ninth was the Western Maryland Railroad
During my labors there at various times travel
ed 4,24O miles on foot, $500 in carriages $40 in
sleighs and 675 in cars. Crossed the South Noun
tain more than twenty times, first commencing the
surveys at the tank below Westminster on to
Union Bridge, Mechanicstown, &C., ON to Hagers-
town.
The tenth the Broad Top Railroad-7O
miles on foot, AS by railroad and 10 in carriages.
The eleventh was the Towanda Railroad, in
Bradford county-165 miles foot, 60 in carriages
and 365 on railroad.
The twelfth was the East Berlin and New OK
ford Railroads.&c. miles foot and 26 in carriag es
taxing no account of branch lines run at the same
time.
The thirteenth was the York and Wrightsvlle
Railroads.&c. miles foot, Is in carriages and
175 by cars. The road was not built.
The fourteenth was the European and North
American Railroad, in Maine, in the year 1869,
and during my stay there 1 Travelled on foot 374
miles, 40 in carriages, SIS in sleghs, 30 on
water and $50 miles on railroad. During my is
months stay in Maine l surveyed the Calais Rail
road-SO miles on foot, rs in sleighs and 50 on
water.
rkn H. D. 4 D. o
miles foot, ~ in carriages and % by railroad.
The sixteenth was the Bachman Valley Rail
road-230 miles foot, $50 in carriages, IS in
sleighs and As by railroad.
The seventeenth was the Worcester Md Rail-
road-34 miles foot, 26 in carriages, so on rail-
road and 1SS on water.
The eighteenth was the Waynesboro' Railroad
81 miles foot, IS in carriages, 120 in cars and
6 miles in sleigh.
The nineteenth was the Emmitsburg Railroad
-126 miles foot, 120 in carriages 2S in sleighs
and 100 by rail. This was in the year 1870,
making at the same time a number of trial and
branch lines not counted.
The twentieth the Parkton AID Manchester
Railroad in 1912, during which time travelled
on foot 40S miles, 1876 in carriages, 6S in sleighs
and 312 by railroad
The twenty-frst was the WilIiamsport (Md.)
Rairoad-l2 miles on foot, Is in carriages and
l Is in cars.
The twenty second was the Hanover and Ore
Line-14 miles on foot and 20 in carriages.
The twenty third was the New Freedom and
Bachman Valley Railroads. miles on foot and
~ in carriages.
The twenty fourth was the Abbottstown and
Petersburg branch line-3S miles on foot and is
in carriages.
The twenty fifth was the Harrisburg and Car
Shop road-l6 miles on foot in carriages and Sc
miles by rail.
The twenty sixth was the Pikesville line-12
miles on foot, At by rail and in carriages.
The twenty-seventh was the Harrisburg and
Potomac Railroad, in 1884, on which 1 travelled
on foot 29S miles, by rail 1,l76, in carriages lS4,
and in seighs ~ miles.
The twenty eighth was the Hanover and York
Railroad, in 1919. During the surveys and
construction of this road 1 travelled $50 miles on
foot, LAS in carriages, 1872 by rail and a in
sleghs.
The twenty ninth was the East Berlin Branch
Railroad-on foot 21S miles, IS in carriages, a
by rail and s in sleighs
The thirtieth was the Stewartst0wn and New
Freedom road-26 miles on foot, 10 in carriages
and 26 by rail.
The thirty first was the New Freedom and Bach
man Valley road-24 miles on foot, Is in carriages
and 50 by rail.
The thirty second was the Bachman Valley and
Westminster road-42 miles on foot and IA in car
riages.
The thirty third was the York and Gettysburg
road-on foot Sc miles, in carriages is and cars 80.
The thirty fourth was the Emmitsburg and Fair
field road-on foot IA miles, carriages lG, and on
cars % miles.
The thirty fifth was the Harrisburg and Cone
WACO rOad-2S miles on foot and 80 in carriages.
The thirty-sixth was the Berlin and York road
80 miles on foot and % in carriages.
The thirty seventh was the New Oxford and
Berlin road-walked q miles and in carriages II.
The thirty ghth road was the Petersburg and
0xford-walked 80 miles and Is in carriages.
The thirty-nnth was the Wrightsville and York
road-walking 26 miles, II in carriages and 36 in
cars.
The fortieth was the York Springs road-on foot
90 miles and II in carriages; and with it Hekes'
run, miles.
The forty first was the Marietta, Colum bia and
Reading road-on foot "a miles, carriages II, and
on cars rs miles.
The forty second was the Hanover Junction and |
Susquehanna road-56 miles on foot and so in cars.
The forty third was the Baltimore and Hanover
Railroad, travelling foot GAO miles, 80 in cars,
$50 in carriages and Is in seighs. This was in |
the year 1859.
The forty fourth was the Hoffman Branch road |
ON foot miles, carriage and in cars IS miles. |
No statement of the Baltimore and Delta Mar
row Gauge Railroad, as l expect to prepare |
an article in reference to it, its progress, advan
tages, &c.
In summing up the above the reader will OBJ.
serve that 1 have travelled in attending to the
duties of my profession the different roads, II
in number, in the past 80 years, on foot 1922 |
miles, 029 in carriages, 9,72S in cars, l,34S in
sleighs and 1856 miles on water to do the work on
the above named roads, making sum total of
45 1873 miles.
1 have kept correct diary for more than forty
years of the state of the weather, of my where
abouts, travels, doings expenses and the like of
every day, from which have prepared the above;
also the number of letters written and received
during the period named. L may prepare
article from the matter have on hand that may
interest the readers of the UNION more than the
present one. JOS. S. GIT.