User:Choess/Beech Creek Railroad

The Beech Creek Railroad was a subsidiary of the New York Central, formed to reach coal fields in northern Pennsylvania.

On August 12, 1882, the Susquehanna and Southwestern Railroad was organized to build from Jersey Shore to the coal mines at Ansonville. It was reorganized on March 20, 1883 as the Beech Creek, Clearfield and South Western Railroad.

By July 1884, the line had been constructed north from Jersey Shore to Peale. On February 1, 1885, it was extended to Philipsburg, and it built from Munson to Gazzam in July 1885.

As part of the Corsair agreement brokered by J. P. Morgan between the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central, the Beech Creek was to be sold to the PRR, allowing it to maintain its monopoly in the Clearfield Coalfield. This move, engineered by William H. Vanderbilt (who owned 60% of the railroad's stock), was not popular with the other stockholders, who resisted the PRR's buyout offer. Ultimately, the deal was blocked by the Commonwealth's Attorney General, Lewis Cassidy, who obtained an injunction against it on the grounds that it violated a Pennsylvania law barring railroads from leasing competing lines. With a $1.3 million debt coming due at the end of the year for construction of its extension, the the Beech Creek, Clearfield and South Western was sold at foreclosure on June 4, 1886, and reorganized as the Beech Creek Railroad on June 29, 1886.

Branches Viaduct-Grass Flat, Clearfield Jct. to Clearfield, Gorton Heights to Tunnel Mines,

The New York Central leased the Beech Creek on December 15, 1890 for 999 years. However, it continued to operated independently until July 1, 1899, when it became part of the Central's Beech Creek District.

In 1892, built from Kerrmorr to Mahaffey Junction. Cambria County Railroad incorporated August 31, 1896 Spangler to Wington Mines, opened March 1897, built by Beech Creek Railroad, merged into Beech Creek May 8, 1898. Beech Creek reached it by running over Pittsburgh and Eastern Railroad Mahaffey to Cherry Tree, PRR Cherry Tree to Spangler.

PRR-NYC "community of interest" beginning late 1899 improves relations. NYC builds the corporately separate Beech Creek Extension Railroad which allows coal traffic through Clearfield to be rerouted via Karthaus and Keating Summit, then over PRR's Philadelphia and Erie Railroad to Jersey Shore. This bypasses the single track and heavier grades of the original Beech Creek line.

In 1976, the company sold its remaining rail lines to Conrail.