User:Avvocato48/Danville & Pottsville Railroad (1826)

Danville & Pottsville Railroad (1826) The Danville & Pottsville Railroad (1826) (D&P) was one of the earliest railroad enterprises to be undertaken in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, the project was also one of the most complicated, requiring a railroad tunnel (Wadesville Tunnel –  the second railroad tunnel in America when it opened in 1833 in order to reach the Mill Creek Valley) along with six inclined planes to reach new coal fields (Middle Coal Field). Undertaken in sections, the railroad was built in two phases, with an eighteen-mile gap that was never closed. The eastern end of the railroad was officially opened with a coal train passing over it on September 24, 1834. On August 15, 1837, the western section was formally opened. The western section extended a distance of 20 miles, beginning at the Susquehanna River at Sunbury and ending at Shamokin.

The financial difficulties of 1837 along with the difficulty of developing the railroad and coal infrastructure for the second coalfield (cost overruns) led to essential closure of the Mahanoy Valley development for some 27 years.

Development of the Railroad
One purpose of the 1826-proposed D&P was to open the Shenandoah and Mahanoy valleys (also known as the “second – or middle - coalfield”), connect them to existing transportation infrastructure via a tunnel (at Wadesville), and mine the coal from the lands. The project was the brainchild of prominent Pennsylvania businessmen including Stephen Girard of Philadelphia, Burd Patterson of Pottsville (both with interests in the second coalfield), Judge Alexander Jordan of Sunbury, John Boyd of Northumberland, and Daniel Montgomery Jr. of Danville. The railroad was also to link the Susquehanna and Schuylkill rivers allowing anthracite coal, iron, and timber to be transported in large quantities to established and growing markets via the Susquehanna River as well as the existing transportation infrastructure to Philadelphia via the Schuylkill River. On April 8, 1826, the  Pennsylvania   legislature passed the act which  incorporated  the  D&P and granted it the right to hold up to 1,000 acres of coal lands

Moncure Robinson, formerly employed by the Pennsylvania Canal  Commissioners,  was hired to make a  survey  and  determined  the  route  of  the  railroad. Girard, learning of the engineering capabilities of Robinson, then also an engineer for the Little Schuylkill Railroad, offered him the position as engineer of this enterprise, which Robinson undertook.

The company received a temporary but significant setback when both Montgomery and Girard died in December 1831, leaving the project relatively leaderless. At the time of his death Girard had not completed providing the funds under his company subscription. However, Girard's executors ultimately agreed to provide the money due.

The construction plan envisioned the railroad being built in three sections. Commercial considerations indicated that in the interest of producing immediate revenue, work on the railroad began at Wadesville where the proposed conveyance was to connect with the Mount Carbon Railroad which had handled coal traffic since April 19, 1831. While the construction of  the railroad  was in  progress  the  officials of the company made an application to the Philadelphia City Council - under   whose  control   the   operation   of  the  Girard  Estate  had  been  placed — for permission to begin mining operations on Bear Ridge by drilling a tunnel  through  Bear  Ridge  to  reach  the  coal  seams  known  to  exist  there. Moncure Robinson's plan included another tunnel (later called the Old Girard Tunnel). After several attempts by management to obtain the required capital, all of which proved to be fruitless, the work on the tunnel was terminated.

However, construction included excavating a tunnel near Wadesville (December, 1831-December 1833) which was only the second railroad tunnel constructed in America when it opened in 1833. On September 24, 1834, the Pottsville Miners Journal reported the excursion to witness opening of the 345-foot-high original Mahanoy Plane. These inclines were self-acting water-powered planes. Planes 1 to 4 were between Pottsville and today's Frackville. The Old Mahanoy Plane (Plane 5) was at right angles to the later (1861) Mahanoy Plane used until 1932. Plane 6 was at the junction of Shenandoah and Mahanoy Creeks. Both Robinson and his wife rode over these planes to demonstrate faith in the machinery and construction.

During the early months of 1834, the company found itself in an unusual situation. The eastern portion of the railroad had been completed, but no coal was being uncovered and mined. However, with the Pennsylvania legislature’s guarantee, development persisted and a coal  seam  was  opened  on  the  northern  side  of  Bear  Ridge. Work in   this  location  proceeded  at  a  rapid  rate, and  the  company  was soon in the coal business. The eastern end of the road was officially opened with a coal train passing over it on September 24, 1834.

During 1837, work proceeded at a rapid rate on the remaining western section of the road, and on August 15, 1837, this section was formally opened. The western section extended a distance of 20 miles, beginning at the Susquehanna River at Sunbury (and not Danville as originally planned) and ending at Shamokin. This terminus extended about 2 miles into the newly developing Shamokin Coalfield, also part of the Middle Coal Field.

Financial Difficulties / Successor Railroads
As the railroad construction continued, the Panic of 1837 took place. The coal markets suffered quite a bit during this period and most large coal mining operations ended. Even after financial conditions improved, the demand for anthracite did not increase according to industry estimates. In fact, the markets were overstocked with coal as almost every remaining producer attempted his re-entry into the supply system.

The legislature again came to the rescue and provided funds to complete the western line. The railroad was opened for use in August 1838, and the Shamokin field was  connected  to  the  river-transportation facilities at Sunbury. The coal trade from this region actually got in full swing the following year,  1839. While this  effort  proved  satisfactory  for  the  mines  located   along  the  western  section  of the railroad,  the eastern  end was idle and no coal moved over the recently constructed tunnel, rails and planes. The track and planes eventually deteriorated and, thereby, ended the company's effort there. In 1844, Rupp's History of Schuylkill County reported the road's east segment "rotting in the sun) ”. The portion  constructed  to transport the  coal  from   the  Girard Estate lands and its extensive coal-bearing areas was to lay idle for over two decades.

The collapse of the canal system and railroad’s precarious finances - including bankruptcies in 1849 and 1857 - prevented the linking of the two disconnected sections or the reopening of the eastern part. This company eventually became the Philadelphia & Sunbury Railroad in 1851, and in 1858 the line became the Shamokin Valley & Pottsville Railroad (SV&P). The SV&P was leased by the Northern Central Railway, a north-south Baltimore-to-Sunbury line that was allied with the Pennsylvania Railroad - in 1883, then passed to the Pennsylvania Railroad’s control, but continued its separate corporate existence as the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad (under the Lehigh Valley Railroad) until acquired by Conrail in 1976.

Although not really a successor railroad, the Mahanoy and Broad Mountain Railroad was built in 1861 and 1862 to replace and expand the abandoned portion of the D&P from north of Port Carbon to Girardville and continuing further east to Mahanoy City and financed in part by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. This expansion finally opened this part of the Middle or Second Coalfield to full development.

Related links

 * Danville & Pottsville Railroad Historical Marker
 * 1872 Map of the First and Second Anthracite Coal Fields
 * Anthracite iron
 * Western Middle Anthracite Field