Welcome to the revised

South Pennsylvania Railroad

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Above: Hiring surveyors for the South Pennsylvania Railroad by Oliver Wendel Barnes.

Below: The instructions for bid proposals





Above: Standing directly above the South Pennsylvania Railroad right of way looking west across Amberson valley from atop the Kittatinny Mtn. to Timmons Mtn on the left and Knob Mtn in the distance.



Above: Does this map look familiar? It should as it is the bend you see in the far distance on the above photo as the west bound turnpike passes beneath the bridge and curves around Timmons Mountain (left). The two structures (House and Barn) on the map are also standing today belonging to Wm. Stake. The road to Roxbury crossing the railroad on this map is today the bridge you see in the turnpike photo.

Gentlemen-- I submit herewith a Report to the surveys and Location of the main Line of your Railroad. These surveys were commenced in the month of December,1881, and continued under my charge during the year 1882 and until October 1st,1883, when the work was put under contract for construction to the American Construction Company. The object of these surveys was the exploration of the ground between the east bank of the Susquehanna River and the Youghiogheny River; thence to the state line of West Virginia in the direction of Wheeling, and the selection of a route upon which to locate, construct and operate under the provisions of the act of incorporation of the South Pennsylvania Railroad Company, approved May, 5, 1884, and the several supplements thereto, and Acts of the Legislature of Pennsylvania amending and enlarging the powers of the said company, a railroad with one or more tracks with such laterals as it may be authorized to construct in the counties through or into which its main line may pass. The surveys took a wide range and every practical route which present favorable features was instrumentally examined or carefully reconnoitered and considered. Detail reports have been made, accompanied with maps and profiles of all the lines surveyed from time to time as the work progressed, and it is therefore not necessary now to describe any other lines than those finally selected as the most eligible for the purpose of the company.

The complex questions arising from the diffrent characteristics of several of the most favorable routes, made it necessary to actually place on the ground several located lines on diffrent rates of gradient between the summits of each of the mountain ranges and the depressions on either side of them. These gradients were carefully fitted to the ground and the results adjusted, compared and estimated upon before the adoption of the line described as follows:

Go to the 1884 report for the rest of this report.

Above: Somerset Walmart site: South east corner of the parking lot showing a SPRR fill crossing this open field.

Mountain Craft Days

Every year I travel sixty miles to the east up the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a great place north of Somerset to Mountain Craft Days. This year the event will be Fri/09/11-Sun/09/13. This year I will be focusing on the 1938-1939 aerial photos against the South Pennsylvania Rairload Survey Maps. You will be able to compare the remaing work on the aerial photos against the survey maps. I enjoy this event and even the day after the previous showing I look forward to the next year.

See you at Mountain Craft Days. Somerset, Pennsylvania.



What's the difference between Obama & GOD? GOD doesn't think he is Obama.

Don't blame me I voted for the AMERICAN


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