North Shore Railroad (Pennsylvania)



The North Shore Railroad is a short line railroad that operates 44 mi of track in Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The line runs generally northeast between Northumberland (in Northumberland County) and the unincorporated village of Beach Haven in Salem Township (in Luzerne County).

Other communities served include Danville (in Montour County), Bloomsburg, and Berwick (both in Columbia County).

The rail line runs generally northeast along the north shore of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, roughly following U.S. Route 11. There are 10 mi of SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority track in Northumberland County, 12 mi in Montour County, and 15 in Columbia County. Beach Haven is just east of Berwick and the Columbia County - Luzerne County line.

The corporate offices are located in Northumberland, where there is a connection to the Norfolk Southern Railway line.

North Shore Railroad System
The North Shore Railroad gives its name to the North Shore Railroad System, which includes the following short lines:
 * Juniata Valley Railroad (JVRR)*
 * Lycoming Valley Railroad (LVRR)*
 * Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad (NBER)*
 * North Shore Railroad (NSHR)*
 * Shamokin Valley Railroad (SVRR)*
 * Union County Industrial Railroad (UCIR)

The first five railroads (those marked with an asterisk, *) are owned by SEDA-COG JRA (Susquehanna Economic Development Association - Council of Governments Joint Rail Authority) and operated under contract by Robey Railroads, a private company. The North Shore and the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroads were the first two railroads owned by the SEDA-COG JRA. Robey Railroads also operates UCIR. As of 2006, there are plans by Robey to consolidate these six lines as the Susquehanna Railroad Corporation, a non-operating holding company.

The system has trackage rights via the Norfolk Southern line. These allow the North Shore Railroad to connect to the south with the Shamokin Valley Railroad (at Sunbury), and to the north and west with the Union County Industrial Railroad (at Milton), the Lycoming Valley Railroad (at Muncy and at Linden) and the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad (at Lock Haven).

History
The North Shore Railroad's line first was built in 1852 as part of the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad. This was in turn acquired by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1873. The DL&W merged with the Erie Railroad in 1960, forming the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, and was absorbed into Conrail in 1976.

SEDA-COG JRA was formed in July, 1983 to continue to provide rail service to communities whose rail lines Conrail had decided to abandon. In 1984 the JRA took over the line along the north shore of the Susquehanna River from Northumberland to Beach Haven and renamed it the "North Shore Railroad".