Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad

The Lewisburg, Centre & Spruce Creek Railroad, later reorganized as the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad, was a rail venture in central Pennsylvania.

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The Lewisburg, Centre & Spruce Creek Railroad (LC&SC), later reorganized as the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad (L&T), was a 19th-century rail venture in central Pennsylvania. Intended to connect the Susquehanna Valley with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) main line at Tyrone, the project faced financial and logistical challenges, resulting in a fragmented system that never achieved its original vision.​

History

Lewisburg, Centre & Spruce Creek

Incorporated on April 1, 1853, the Lewisburg, Centre & Spruce Creek Railroad (LC&SC) was established to construct a rail line from Montandon, near Lewisburg, westward through Centre County to Spruce Creek. In March 1854, the charter was amended to extend the line to the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) at Tyrone. ² The proposed route was nearly 100 miles in length and would pass through forested and agricultural areas believed to contain valuable iron ore and possibly coal. However, despite early optimism, the company struggled to secure sufficient funding, which delayed construction.

During this time, the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad considered building a line to Bellefonte to connect with the LC&SC, with the goal of using its route to reach the Catawissa Railroad. Although these plans were never realized, they brought the LC&SC to the attention of the PRR, which viewed the proposal as a potential competitive threat. ³

The PRR formally leased the LC&SC on July 23, 1869, providing the financial and logistical backing needed to begin construction. ^{2 4} By 1870, the line extended from Montandon, located on the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, across the Susquehanna River into Lewisburg, and reached Mifflinburg by 1871. Construction continued westward, including grading work toward Laurelton, but progress was slowed significantly by the economic downturn known as the Panic of 1873. ² By 1877, the line reached Rising Springs (now Spring Mills), totaling 43.18 miles in length. ⁵ The terrain along Penns Creek proved challenging, requiring the construction of two tunnels—one through Paddy Mountain and another through Tunnel Mountain.

Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad

Due to ongoing financial difficulties, the LC&SC defaulted on its bonds on December 13, 1879. ⁵ It was subsequently reorganized as the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad (L&T) on December 31 of that year and continued operating under lease to the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) beginning January 1, 1880. ²

The PRR saw limited value in completing the originally planned route of the railroad, as the anticipated traffic did not justify the investment. However, extending eastward from Tyrone, the proposed western division showed greater promise. This area, particularly around Scotia, was rich in iron ore and attracted interest following Andrew Carnegie’s investment in the Scotia deposits. ⁴

Construction of the new line began just east of Tyrone, where it branched from the PRR main line and followed Logan Spring Run north to Eyer. ⁴ The route then traced the valley between Bald Eagle and Tussey mountains, turned southeast at Marengo, and followed Halfmoon Creek through Gatesburg Ridge. From there, the line continued along Spruce Creek below Pennsylvania Furnace and followed the Beaver Branch, terminating at a station near Fairbrook by 1881. The completed segment measured 20 miles in length.

Although no effort was made to extend the line toward State College or connect it with the eastern division, further development occurred on the Scotia Branch. This line extended 5.3 miles through another gap in Gatesburg Ridge to reach the ore pits at Scotia. In 1882, an additional branch—the Juniata Branch—was constructed. This 2.03-mile spur ran from the Scotia Branch north of Gatesburg Ridge to access the ore pits of the Juniata Mining Company, located west of Scotia. ⁵

In 1884, the PRR resumed expansion of the eastern division, extending the L&T westward from Spring Mills. The new segment followed Sinking Creek across Penns Valley to Centre Hall and Oak Hall, and from there tracked Spring Creek to Lemont. This 14.52-mile section was completed and opened in 1885. ⁵ However, the long-planned connection between the eastern and western divisions was never realized.

Instead, the PRR established a separate company, the Bellefonte, Nittany & Lemont Railroad, to build a new line from Lemont to the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad at Bellefonte, which the PRR already controlled. This realignment effectively redefined the railroad’s structure: the eastern division, extending from Montandon to Bellefonte and then to Milesburg via the Bald Eagle Valley line, became known as the Bellefonte Branch. The disconnected western division operated as the Fairbrook Branch.

Additional short branches were constructed where the main line intersected mountain terrain. In 1880, a spur was built along Poe Creek to serve a sawmill at Poe Mills. ² After the timber had been exhausted and the sawmill was destroyed by fire, the branch was dismantled in 1904.

Decline and Reuse

The Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad operated as a subsidiary of the PRR until its foreclosure on June 16, 1913. It was reorganized as the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railway on December 30, 1915, and was formally merged into the PRR on April 30. The Juniata Branch was removed prior to 1920, and the Fairbrook and Scotia branches were disused after 1927.

Although the Bellefonte Central Railroad was authorized to take over the Fairbrook Branch, the PRR’s control over rate divisions rendered the branch unprofitable. As a result, the line was embargoed in 1933 and ultimately dismantled between 1941 and 1942, following a series of unsuccessful legal challenges by the Bellefonte Central.

The line’s decline continued into the late 20th century. In 1970, Penn Central (PC), successor to the PRR, abandoned the central portion of the Bellefonte Branch between Mifflinburg and Coburn. ¹² Further damage caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972 led to the abandonment of the segment from Lemont to Coburn. The remaining section, from Montandon to Mifflinburg, continued in operation under Conrail until 1981. In 1983, Conrail sold this section to the West Shore Railroad.

In 1988, the West Shore Railroad acquired a portion of the former Reading Company line across the Susquehanna River, including a bridge at Milton. As a result, the redundant stretch of track from Lewisburg to Montandon was abandoned. Rail service on the line ended in 1997, and Hurricane Floyd in 1999 caused severe damage, leaving the line impassable. Its formal acquisition for use as a rail trail in 2008 marked the end of railroad operations on the former Lewisburg & Tyrone. ⁶

Rail to Trails

In 1970, following Penn Central’s abandonment of the Bellefonte Branch between Mifflinburg and Coburn, the Bureau of Forestry expressed interest in converting the right-of-way through state forest land into a hiking trail. ¹² At the same time, the Pennsylvania Fish Commission sought to acquire portions of the right-of-way to maintain access to Penns Creek for fishing and stocking activities.

In 1971, Senator Joseph Ammerman and Representative Galen Dreibelbis contacted railroad officials. ¹² They learned that Penn Central had already prepared contracts to seal the tunnels by blasting, remove trestles, and salvage materials. Although the railroad postponed all actions except the salvage contract, one trestle between the two tunnels had already been removed, and another near Laurelton was also gone. Penn Central formally abandoned the right-of-way and sold it to the Nature Conservancy for $10,500. The Conservancy then transferred it to the state Department of Environmental Resources (DER) for the same amount.

Due to minor rockfalls within the tunnels, the DER fenced them off. ¹² However, in November 1973, the Commonwealth Board of Property ruled that the DER did not own the right-of-way, as the railroad had not retained ownership after abandonment and therefore lacked the authority to sell it. As a result, the DER was required to acquire the right-of-way parcels individually from private landowners.

By 1974, a section of the LC&SC/PRR Bellefonte Branch between Coburn and Weikert had been converted into the Penns Creek Rail Trail. ¹¹ In 2015, the Paddy Mountain Tunnel (also known as the Poe Paddy Tunnel) was stabilized with an internal framework, which included the redecking of a bridge over Penns Creek. ¹⁰

Further east, construction of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail began in March 2011. ⁷ The first phase, extending from Lewisburg to Mifflinburg, was completed in November. ⁸ Plans to extend the trail further into Lewisburg, from 12th Street to 5th Street, include the installation of a signalized crossing over U.S. Route 15. ⁹

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Map

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Gallery

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Sources

1. Bezilla, Michael. “The PRR’s Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad: When Two Halves Didn’t Make a Whole.” The Keystone, vol. 39, no. 1, 2006.
2. Taber, Thomas T., III. Railroads of Pennsylvania Encyclopedia and Atlas, 1987, p. 402.
3. Bezilla, Mike. “The PRR’s Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad.” The Keystone, vol. 39, no. 4, Spring 2006, pp. 19–40.
4. Bezilla, Mike, and Jack Rudnicki. Rails to Penn State: The Story of the Bellefonte Central. Stackpole Books, 2007.
5. Valuation Reports, vol. 22, Interstate Commerce Commission, Jan. 1929.
6. Telatovich, Anna. “Lewisburg Agency Will Convert Rails to Trail.” Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 12 July 2008.
7. Vernon, Kena. “New Trail for Outdoor Enthusiasts.” WNEP-TV, 4 Apr. 2011.
8. “Buffalo Valley Rail Trail.” Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority.
9. “Buffalo Valley Rail Trail Lewisburg Detail Map with Interim On-Road Connector.” Buffalo Valley Recreation Authority.
10. “Penn’s Creek Path (Mid State Trail).” TrailLink.
11. Miller, Robert. “Mid-State Trails Are Hikers’ Open Roads.” Patriot-News, 7 Apr. 1974, p. 12.
12. Potter, Elliott. “Penns Creek Trail Taking Several Years.” Centre Daily Times, 20 Sept. 1974, p. 19.