Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2025) |
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Kittanning, Pennsylvania |
| Reporting mark | PSR |
| Locale | Brockway, Pennsylvania to Freeport, Pennsylvania |
| Successor | Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
.jpg)
The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad (reporting mark PSR), also known as the Shawmut Line, was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Since 2004, it has been operated as part of the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad,[1] which is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
History
[edit]The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad is often confused with the similarly named Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad from which the P&S had its origins. Further adding to the confusion is the fact that both were nicknamed the Shawmut Line, both operated in roughly the same geographic area, and both used similar diamond logos during their history. In fact the two were separate and unrelated companies after their 1916 split.[2]
The main line consisted of approximately 88 miles (140 km) of standard gauge track extending from Brockway, Pennsylvania to Freeport, Pennsylvania.[3] The main shops were located in Brookville, Pennsylvania.[3]
Beginnings
[edit]The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad Company began life on July 21, 1903, as the Brookville and Mahoning Railroad, leased by the Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad.[2] When the PS&N declared bankruptcy in 1905, the B&M was spun off into a separate entity and was renamed in 1909 due to confusion with the Boston and Maine Railroad's initials.[2] Like its parent, the P&S was also financially troubled in its early years. The company struggled until corporate fortunes improved with the war mobilization of the 1940s. Coal was the principal commodity for the line for its entire existence.[4] Doodlebugs and passenger trains ran on the route in the early years but had all been eliminated by 1939.[2]
Recent History
[edit]By 1986, the Pittsburg & Shawmut had interchanges with Conrail at Brookville and Freeport, and with the Chessie System at Dellwood and West Mongrove.[4]
The company acquired a ten-mile (16 km) section of Conrail track running from Sligo to Lawsonham in 1989 and reorganized it as the Red Bank Railroad. On December 31, 1991, the company purchased about 110 miles (180 km) of the Low Grade Secondary track from Lawsonham to Driftwood, Pennsylvania from Conrail and organized it as the Mountain Laurel Railroad.
Spelling of Pittsburg
[edit]The spelling of Pittsburgh as Pittsburg derives from the company's origins in the Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad. That company was chartered in 1899 when the name of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was commonly spelled without the h. The United States Board on Geographic Names advocated the h-less spelling from 1891 to 1911 in an effort to standardize the spelling of place names in the United States.[5]
Management
[edit]The Arthur T. Walker Estate Corporation had direct control of the company until 1996, when the railroad was acquired by the Genesee & Wyoming Inc.[4][6] The Genesee & Wyoming operated the Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad under its own banner until January 1, 2004, when it was absorbed into the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, another G&W company. Simultaneously, a new company with the same name was created to purchase the property, which is now operated by the BPRR.[1] (The P&S also acquired the residual common carrier obligation on the lines.) Several portions of the main line were abandoned before the absorption and several others since.
Locomotive Roster
[edit]The Pittsburg & Shawmut operated with steam power up until the railroad's dieselization in 1953.[7] After 1953, motive power consisted of a fleet of EMD SW9 switcher locomotives and, later, EMD GP7s.
In the 1970s, the Pittsburg & Shawmut modified several aspects of the fleet to celebrate the United States Bicentennial: the warm yellow and red color scheme was replaced by red, white, and blue to resemble the nation's flag; locomotives were renumbered in honor of significant years in American history; and the locomotives were nicknamed after American historical figures and arms manufacturers.[7]
| Last Engine No./Old Engine No.'s (Name) | Year built | Builder | Type | Wheel arrangement | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS 104 | 1920 | American Locomotive Company | E-1-S Class Atlantic | 4-4-2 | Scrapped November 1938[2] | |
| PS 105 | 1920 | American Locomotive Company | E-1-S Class Atlantic | 4-4-2 | Scrapped November 1938[2] | |
| PS 200 | 1911 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 201 | 1911 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | Scrapped November 1938[2] | |
| PS 202 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 203 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 204 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 205 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | Scrapped November 1938[2] | |
| PS 206 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 207 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 208 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 209 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 210 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 211 | 1913 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | Scrapped November 1938[2] | |
| PS 212 | 1914 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J1-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 213 | 1914 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J1-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 214 | 1914 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J1-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 215 | 1914 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J1-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 216 | 1914 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J1-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 217 | 1914 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | J1-Class Mikado | 2-8-2 | ||
| PS 226 | 1911 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | H-Class Consolidation | 2-8-0 | ||
| PS 227 | 1911 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | H-Class Consolidation | 2-8-0 | Scrapped November 1942[2] | |
| PS 228 | 1911 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | H-Class Consolidation | 2-8-0 | Scrapped December 1940[2] | |
| PS 229 | 1911 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | H-Class Consolidation | 2-8-0 | Scrapped November 1938[2] | |
| PS 1775/PS 231 (Independence) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | Sold to the Lycoming Valley Railroad[8] | |
| PS 1866/PS 232 (Oliver Winchester) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | As of March 9th, 2024, PS #1866 serves as PNWR #1201 on the Portland & Western Railroad in Oregon.[9] | |
| PS 1744/PS 233 (Ben Franklin) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | ||
| PS 1891/PS 234 (John Browning) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | ||
| PS 1851/PS 235 (Sam Colt) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | ||
| PS 1865/PS 236 (B. Tyler Henry) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | 
| |
| PS 1949/PS 237 (Bill Ruger) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | ||
| PS 1816/PS 238 (Eliphalet Remington) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | Sold to the Lycoming Valley Railroad[8] | |
| PS 1776/PS 239 (Betsy Ross) | 1953 | EMD | SW9 | B-B | Sold to the Lycoming Valley Railroad[8] | |
| PS 357/RDG 608 (Dan Wesson) | 1953 | EMD | GP7 | B-B | Rather than a year, this locomotive's number is a reference to the .357 Magnum, invented by Dan B. Wesson. Locomotive purchased from the Reading Railroad in 1975, set aside in 1981, and scrapped in March 1986.[7] | |
| PS 10/CR 5672/PC 5672/NYC 5817 | 1953 | EMD | GP7 | B-B | Purchased from Conrail in 1981. First in service for the P&S in 1982.[7] | |
| PS 11/CR 5818/PC 5818/NYC 5818/C&O 5720 | 1951 | GMD | GP7 | B-B | Purchased from Conrail in 1981. First in service for the P&S in 1985.[7] |
External links
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b U.S. Department of Transportation (2004). "Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad, LLC-Acquisition Exemption-Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc". U.S. Federal Register. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Allen, C. F. H. (1944). "The Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad Co". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin: 42-44. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b Burns, Adam. "Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad, "The Shawmut Line"". American-Rails.com.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Edward A. American Shortline Railway Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Company. p. 170.
- ^ United States Board on Geographic Names (1892). First report of the United States Board on Geographic Names. 1890–1891. U.S. Govt. Print. Off. p. 34. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ U.S. Department of Transportation (1996). "Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad, Inc. Acquisition and Operation Exemption Rail Lines Controlled by Arthur T. Walker Estate Corporation (The Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad Company, Red Bank Railroad Company and Mountain Laurel Railroad Company) [9544]". Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Backenstose, Paul (1–8 August 1993). The Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad. NMRA National Convention. Valley Forge Express, Inc.
- ^ a b c d Adams, Richard; Klapp, William; Van Derveer; Walker, Craig. "Lycoming Valley Railroad". thedieselshop.us. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ a b Ardinger, Keith; Castellow, Mike; Komanesky, John; Mercer, Bruce; Van Derveer, Bob. "Portland & Western". thedieselshop.us. Retrieved 17 April 2025.