Whitehall Tunnel
The Whitehall Tunnel in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania was originally built by the B&O Railroad in 1899 as a double-track tunnel.[1] The tunnel was completed in 1900.[2] It was part of the Baltimore and Ohio Short Line Railroad, and allowed the B&O to bypass its former route into Pittsburgh along the Pittsburgh Southern and Little Saw Mill Run Railroad.[3] One worker, Antonio De Bono, was killed during its construction.[4]
Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Baldwin, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania |
Coordinates | 40°20′26″N 79°58′26″W |
Status | in use |
System | Allegheny Valley Railroad |
Start | Old Clairton Road |
End | Macassar Drive |
Operation | |
Work begun | 1899 |
Constructed | rock bored, brick ring lining |
Opened | 1900 |
Owner | Allegheny Valley Railroad |
Operator | Allegheny Valley Railroad |
Technical | |
Length | 1630 feet |
No. of tracks | Single (formerly Double) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Operating speed | 15 MPH |
Tunnel clearance | 23 feet |
It is currently a single-track tunnel, owned by the Allegheny Valley Railroad. The tunnel is approached from Glenwood in the south, up a steep grade along the Streets Run valley to the northern end of the tunnel. The line continues from the southern end to Bruceton, Pennsylvania.
Dimensions: 28 ft wide (8.5 m) at base; 30 ft wide (9.1 m) at spring line; 23 ft (7.0 m) from top of rail to top of arch rise
Engineer: W. T. Manning; Bennet & Talbot, subcontractor, 1901–02
References
- "Whitehall Tunnel". Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- "Yards on the Fairmont". The Courier. Connelsville, Pennsylvania. 27 July 1900. p. 1.
- "Baltimore and Ohio's Cutt Off" (PDF). New York Times. 3 July 1883. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- "Fatal cave-in in a tunnel" (PDF). New York Times. 25 March 1900. Retrieved 3 March 2009.