NYC Coal operations in Pennsylvania

I was just looking at Google Maps aerial pics of Burnside - quite interesting how the track loops around and crosses 219 twice within the space of a quarter mile or so. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Burns ... 78.7855858


And it appears there was at one time a junction farther north, right near the words "Cush Creek". I recall seeing an abandoned grade (ex PRR?) right by the junction of 219 and 286 - the aerial photo almost suggests there was a connection from THAT line going down toward Burnside. That looks like it came off the PRR (?) opposite "Urey Road", and swung down passing toward the bottom of the page.

For a better view of how it used to be, go to the Historic USGS map site (https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/topoexplorer/index.html), enter "Burnside, PA" and click on the 1939 Punxsutawney quad map, or even better click on the 1906 map.

The original (New York Central) Pittsburg & Eastern came down from Mahaffey to Dowler Junction, then continued westward along the south side of Cush Creek to get to the Arcadia coal fields. The Cherry Tree Branch was subsequently added so as to get to the Indiana County coal fields via the joint NYC/PRR Cherry Tree & Dixonville.

The original (Pennsylvania) Cambria & Clearfield came down from Mahaffey to Cush Creek Junction, then continued westward along the north side of Cush Creek to get to the Glen Campbell coal fields. A branch from Cush Creek Junction (hence its name) crossed the P&E line at Dowler Junction to get to a mine just northwest of Burnside Borough, running parallel to the Cherry Tree Branch tracks (no interlocking or signals protecting the crossing).

Driving along U.S. Route 219 between the Route 286 junction north of Burnside to almost all the way to McGee's Mills, you can follow the former PRR right of way right alongside Route 219.

If you really want to see a trackage mess, go further northward to Curwensville to view the "spaghetti bowl" (a term coined by the late Jeff Feldmeier). There you had PRR, NYC and B&O tracks all running hither and yon, crossing over one another at various points. The older maps really show how it used to be.

Statkowski wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:06 pm A branch from Cush Creek Junction (hence its name) crossed the P&E line at Dowler Junction to get to a mine just northwest of Burnside Borough, running parallel to the Cherry Tree Branch tracks (no interlocking or signals protecting the crossing).

YES! the 1906 map shows that PRR branch from Cush Creek Jct, and that IS what the aerial photo shows, faintly. I suspect that whole hill and area where the mine was in 1906 has been strip-mined in the years since because everything looks too "cleaned up". But it's certainly plain what it used to be. Cool!

BR&P wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 7:53 pmI suspect that whole hill and area where the mine was in 1906 has been strip-mined in the years since because everything looks too "cleaned up".

Actually, many of the bituminous mine sites in Western Pennsylvania have been cleaned up as part of the state's mine reclamation effort, boney piles (culm banks, slag heaps, etc.) removed, grass and trees planted, etc. Every mine operator today has to put money into a fund for reclamation, which has to be used for reclamation, and they can't get any of the money back until everything is cleaned up and reclaimed.

So, you can generally figure out where the mine and tipple once were, but finding actual traces of the mine or tipple are well nigh impossible.

And now that you know about the Historic USGS site, you can trace the entire Beech Creek District.

Statkowski wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 9:04 pm
And now that you know about the Historic USGS site, you can trace the entire Beech Creek District.

Thanks a bunch, as if I didn't have enough to do already! It's a good thing they don't have historical aerial photos from "back then", I would not even tear myself away to eat!

How are we coming along on that time machine?

Aerial photos? Hell, any photos would be nice. But, this wasn't the Main Line with passenger trains galore and Super Hudsons blasting along at high speed, so this place didn't exist as far as the photographers were concerned. Glamorous is area wasn't, just working coal trains slogging along day in and day out, just doing their job.

http://patheoldminer.rootsweb.ancestry. ... ndexc.html

Like this web site no photos but info on most mines in Pennsylvania.

Historical Arial Photos of PA = http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/
Only PA photos, but as far back as 1940

leward wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2020 6:14 pm Historical Arial Photos of PA = http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu/
Only PA photos, but as far back as 1940

Addictive. Once you start, you keep thinking of another location to look up, then another. Wish the once from 1939 and 1940 would let you zoom down closer but still WAY better than nothing!

I know this is a NYC thread but my question is about coal mining in PA so maybe someone can help. I'm looking for a mine or a station on the PRR named Kenallen, which was active in 1947. Not much more to go on I'm afraid. Here's a link to my thread in the PRR forum which has not produced any answers yet. http://railroad.net/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=171084

Not NYC specific but re coal mining in PA anyway. I was looking at a pic of a coal tipple and prep plant taken in 1947. I noted coal hoppers (obviously), a boxcar possibly with mine props or machinery, - and a tank car. Any ideas what a tank car would have been doing at a mine? One thought was lubricating oil for mining / sizing machinery. What say ye?

Possibly a water source for the steam era power.

toolmaker wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 6:56 am Possibly a water source for the steam era power.

Possible, but doubtful. Mines usually had an excess of water to deal with.

Another possibility would be a light oil or some other liquid to spray over the tops of loads of slack coal to keep it from blowing out.

BR&P wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 8:17 am Another possibility would be a light oil or some other liquid to spray over the tops of loads of slack coal to keep it from blowing out.

That sounds logical, another thought was possibly lube oil for the machinery running the tipple?

Charlie

charlie6017 wrote:
That sounds logical, another thought was possibly lube oil for the machinery running the tipple?

Charlie

Look at the 3rd post above yours.