Photo: The Old Portage Rail Road Monument Marker

Photographer: Mike Wintermantel
Taken: February 10, 2012
Caption: The Old Portage Rail Road Monument Marker
Additional Description: (side 3)
Description of Old Portage Railroad
In 1825, the state of New York completed the Erie Canal. The citizens of Pennsylvania, alarmed at the possible loss of trade by this new route, besought the legislature to construct a system of communication between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. A charter for a railroad, to be known as the Pennsylvania Railroad, had been granted to Col. John Stevens of Hoboken, N.J., in 1823; but this had come to naught. No one had faith in in railroads in those days , so a canal was chosen. It started at Columbia, and the Eastern Division extended to Hollidaysburg. The Western Division began at Johnstown and ended at Pittsburgh. A railroad was built from Philadelphia to Columbia, and this Old Portage Railroad was built from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown in order to get over the Allegheny Mountains. There were five inclined planes on each of side of the summit, up which the cars were pulled by ropes operated by steam engines. The planes varied in length from 1480 feet to 3116 feet, the grade being about ten percent. The operation was slow and costly, the canal was frozen up in winter and after the opening of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1852 the public works began to deteriorate. The new Portage Railroad was built by the state in order to avoid the inclined planes, and this was opened on July 1, 1855, from that date the Old Portage Railroad ceased to exist. The canals cost $6,327,669. The railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia cost $?
Total cost of state works , Philadelphia to Pittsburgh $?
Submitted: February 10, 2012, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Database Locator Identification Number: p192401
File Size: 0.958 Megabytes

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