Montour Railroad: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Defunct railroad in Pennsylvania}}

{{Infobox SG rail|railroad_name=Montour Railroad|logo_filename=Montourrr.gif|logo_size=150|railroad_abbr=Montour Railroad|marks=MTR|locale=[[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]] to [[Imperial, Pennsylvania]] and [[West Mifflin, Pennsylvania]]|start_year=[[1877]]|end_year=[[1984]]|old_gauge=|hq_city=[[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]]}}

{{Infobox rail

'''Montour Railroad''' {{reporting mark|MTR}} is a former [[short line]] railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in southwestern [[Pennsylvania]]. At its height in the 1930s, the railroad served 27 mines transporting nearly seven million tons of coal annually in Allegheny and Washington Counties.

|gauge= {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}

|railroad_name=Montour Railroad

|logo_filename=Montourrr.png

|logo_size=150

|marks=MTR

|locale=[[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]] to [[Imperial, Pennsylvania]] and [[West Mifflin, Pennsylvania]]

|start_year=1877

|end_year=1984

|hq_city=Coraopolis, Pennsylvania

}}

[[File:Montour Railroad - System Index Map.jpg|thumb|right|1917 map of the railroad]]

The '''Montour Railroad''' {{reportingReporting mark|MTR}} iswas a former [[Short-line railroad|short line]] railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in southwestern [[Pennsylvania]]. At its height in the 1930s, the railroad served 27 mines transporting nearly seven million tons of coal annually in Allegheny and Washington Counties.

== History ==

The Montour Railroad Company was chartered in 1877 as a wholly owed subsidiary of the Imperial Coal Company. The first segment constructed extended from the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad line at Montour Junction, near [[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]] to the Imperial Coal Company mines at Imperial, Pennsylvania. In 1901, the [[Pittsburgh Coal Company]] assumed control of the railroad. A major expansion was undertaken in 1912 to reach new coal mines and factories. By 1917,1914 the railroad reached the town of [[West Mifflin, Pennsylvania]] on the Monongahela River was reached. The Montour Railroad became an important [[feeder line (network)|feeder line]] and eventually all five major truck carriersrailroads in the southwestern Pennsylvania market were linked to the Montour Railroad. In 1946 the Pittsburgh Coal Company sold the Montour Railroad to the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] and the [[Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad]] (a subsidiary of the [[New York Central Railroad]]), who operated it jointly. A {{convert|5|mi|adj=on|spell=in}} branch served Moon Run, this segment being operated until 1936. The P&LE acquired sole control of the Montour Railroad in 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.donquigley.net/documents/0735_REF.pdf|title=Bituminous Hauler: A Short History of the Montour Railroad|first=Stan|last=Sattinger|date=December 30, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://montourtrail.org/railroad-history/|title= Railroad History|first=Bryan|last=Siep|date=December 19, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Montour Railroad Mikado steam engine 26.jpg|200px|thumb|A [[2-8-2|Mikado-type]] steam locomotive operated by the Montour]]

The railroad's engine houses and shops were located at Montour Junction, near the [[Ohio River]] at [[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]]. The Montour Railroad had passenger service in its early years from 15 stations along its route, but passenger service was discontinued abandoned by the midin 1920s1927. By the 1950s, most of the coal mines the Montour serviced had been worked out and the Montour began a slow decline. The Montour Railroad was down to just {{convert|23 miles|mi}} of track between Montour Junction and Gilmore Junction when operations ceased in 1984 with the closing of the Westland Coal mine, the Montour’s last remaining major customer. In the 1990's1990s large portions of the rights[[Right-of-way (transportation)|right of way]] were acquired by the Montour Trail Council in a [[rails-to-trails]] program.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://montourtrail.org/plan-a-visit/geology-ecology-history/|title=Geology, Ecology & History – Montour Trail}}</ref>

In 1944 Montour reported 159 million ton-miles of revenue freight; at the end of that year it operated {{convert|50|mi}} of road and {{convert|84|mi}} of track.

The railroad's engine houses and shops were located at Montour Junction, near the [[Ohio River]] at [[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]]. The Montour Railroad had passenger service in its early years from 15 stations along its route, but passenger service was abandoned by the mid 1920s. By the 1950s, most of the coal mines the Montour serviced had been worked out and the Montour began a slow decline. The Montour Railroad was down to just 23 miles of track between Montour Junction and Gilmore Junction when operations ceased in 1984 with the closing of the Westland Coal mine, the Montour’s last remaining major customer. In the 1990's large portions of the rights of way were acquired by the Montour

Trail Council in a "[[rails to trails]]" program.

=== Westland Branch ===

{{US Class I}}

The Westland Branch was opened in 1928 to serve Westland Mine #1. Later, Westland Mine #2 was opened, and the Montour was extended to serve it. Westland #1 closed in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montourrr.com/Mines/MP263WestlandMine.pdf |title=Westland No. 1 Mine |last=Ciminel |first=Bob|date=2012 |website=montourrr.com|access-date= April 14, 2021}}</ref> The #2 mine was the last operating mine served by the Montour, finally closing in 1983, and demolished in 1985. In December 2010 [[MarkWest Energy]] announced plans to lease the Westland Branch right of way from the Montour Trail Council for 30 years. The branch was redeveloped as a combination trail and railroad operated by the [[Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1990)|Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway]] to serve MarkWest's Westland [[natural gas]] processing plant. Construction was completed and the branch began operation in August 2012.<ref>{{citation |title=MTC Announces Westland Branch Plans with MarkWest |publisher=Montour Trail Council |date=January–February 2011 |access-date=September 14, 2012 |url=http://www.montourtrail.org/news/2011/janfeb2011.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schmitz |first=Jon |title=Firm to build Montour Trail section in return for land use |newspaper=Post-Gazette |___location=Pittsburgh, PA |date=March 29, 2012 |access-date=September 14, 2012 |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/washington/firm-to-build-montour-trail-section-in-return-for-land-use-277320/?print=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Cristie |title=Taking the Tracks |newspaper=Observer-Reporter |___location=Washington, PA |date=August 21, 2012 |access-date=September 14, 2012 |url=http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/story11/08-21-12-markwest-rail |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130204547/http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/story11/08-21-12-markwest-rail |archive-date=January 30, 2013}}</ref>

=== Preservation ===

[[Category:Pennsylvania railroads]]

In 2019, the Montour Railroad's [[EMD SW9|SW9]] locomotive #82 was acquired by the [[Age of Steam Roundhouse]] from the [[Flats Industrial Railroad]], restored to its original condition, and painted into Montour colors. Later, Montour 84, another SW9, received the same treatment. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/emd-electro-motive-division-general-motors-corporation/|title=Age Of Steam Roundhouse|date=December 19, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Montour Trail]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{commonscat}}

{{Portal|Railways}}

*[http://www.montourtrail.org The Montour Trail]

*[http://www.montourrr.com Montour Railroad history]

*[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=me5dAAAAIBAJ&pg=995,3899026 Abandonment notice for part of the railroad from 1980]

{{USFormer Class I}}

{{Pennsylvania railroads}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montour Railroad}}

[[Category:Defunct Pennsylvania railroads]]

[[Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States]]

[[Category:Railway companies established in 1877]]

[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1984]]

[[Category:History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]]

[[Category:Transportation in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]]

[[Category:1877 establishments in Pennsylvania]]