The Broad Way: PRR Helper Districts
THE BROAD WAY

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PRR HELPER DISTRICTS
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Introduction & Acknowledgements

A fair bit of this document came from a post of mine to the RAILROAD list some time ago. Much additional information has been provided by Robert H. Piligian, particularly on western and NW Pennsylvania. Also "Rowilki" Names of these grades vary in how "official" they are; or perhaps none were "official". Additional information from Robert Netzlof.

Main Line--Philadelphia to New York
North River Tunnels, East River Tunnels (either way)
Both sets of tunnels had significant grades, but freight trains only extremely rarely plied these rails.
Main Line--Philadelphia to Washington
B&P tunnels, Baltimore, Md. (S/B)
Didn't seem like much of a grade when I rode thru them a couple of days ago, but apparently some freights required helpers S/B, and there were rules on how to and not to use dynamics downgrade, N/B.
Main Line--Philadelphia to Harrisburg
Bryn Mawr grade, Philadelphia--Bryn Mawr--Paoli, Pa. (W/B)
Of course, 90% (?) of the traffic on this line was passengers, and the Trenton Cutoff bypassed it; nevertheless, some freight moved this way to Greenwich Yard.
Elizabethtown grade, Lancaster--Harrisburg, Pa. (either direction)
This, in part, prompted the building of the "Low Grade" line from Parkesburg to Columbia and Enola.
(Note: Gap was actually the highest point on this line, but the grade to this deep cut is actually quite gentle.)
Schuylkill Branch
Barmouth grade, (W/B)
Eastbound trains to South Philly used to get a pusher, if needed, at the connection for Ernest, near Norris Tower, and push the train up the almost 3% Barmouth Grade to near Bala Station. There, they would sometimes cut-off "on the fly" and run light to 52nd St. for water, then head back to Norristown.
Frackville grade, Frackville, Pa. (W/B)
Heavy trains going to the interchange with the Lehigh Valley at New Boston Jct. would get a pusher added at the Pottsville enginehouse and shove west through the St. Clair tunnel, over Darkwater trestle, and up the 3.1% grade to Morea Colliery. Not much traffic was hauled this way, as compared to the flow of coal east from the [Pennsylvania] coal regions, but coal did move off the Minersville Br. headed for northern points, either via the LVRR, or through-routed via the Nescopeck Br. along the East Branch of the Susquehanna River.
Main Line--Harrisburg to Pittsburgh
Allegheny Mountain, Altoona--Johnstown, Pa. (both directions)
Radebaugh grade, Greensburg, Pa.
Also the New Portage Secondary. Westbound, helpers on in Altoona, cut off at Gallitzin and returned via loop track. Eastbound, often on in Pittsburgh (via helper pocket in Pgh. station), off where?
Main Line--Harrisburg to Buffalo
Keating grade, Emporium--Keating Summit--Port Allegheny, Pa. (W/B)
A nice little grade itself. Railroad comes out of Susquehanna watershed and into Allegheny watershed. Grade is 2%, with sections slightly higher. Eastbound from Port Allegheny to Keating Summit, the grade is probably 1% ascending.
Main Line--Erie
Erie grade , Erie--Jackson Station, Pa.
Eastbound trains were pushed from Erie Docks to Jackson Station, approx. 12 miles east of Erie. Grade was 1.4%. A wye was located here to turn the power for the return to Erie. Railroad rises from lake level, approximately 900 ft. to top of Allegheny Plateau.
Warren--Kane, Pa.
Approx. 30 miles. This grade was 1% ruling eastbound. A wye existed at Sheffield, was dual guaged at one time for interchange with the Tionesta Valley RR, 3 foot guage. Helpers might have been attached at Sheffield for the push up to Kane if the tonnage allowed the Eastbound to leave Warren by itself.
Johnsonburg--Kane, Pa. (W/B)
Most of this grade was 1% ascending with the last 2 miles from Seargent to Kane being 2%. A turntable was used at Kane to turn the locomotives.
Ridgway--St. Mary's, Pa. (E/B)
Grade was 1% eastbound.
Emporium--St. Mary's, Pa. (W/B)
Grade was 1% westbound.
??Main Line--Pittsburgh to Erie
New Castle--Conneautville, Pa.
This was a heavy freight and coal line. The wye was at either Conneautville or Linesville.
Main Line--Pittsburgh to Chicago
New Brighton--Beaver Falls--Homewood, Pa. (W/B)
The "Fort Wayne" main line out of Beaver River valley.
Wooster grade, Wooster--Orrville--Massillon, O. (either way
This segment of the Fort Wayne main is a washboard, with the main line traversing several N-S-oriented river valleys, dipping into each from the Allegheny Plateau, and finally exiting this terrain in Mansfield/Crestline before running over flat land the rest of the way to Chicago.
Main Line--Pittsburgh to Chicago ("Panhandle")
No doubt quite a number on the old "Panhandle" main, but I don't know where...
Bayard Branch
Salineville grade, Yellow Creek--Salineville--Bayard, O. (W/B)
An easier but still not insignificant grade out of the Ohio River valley onto the Allegheny Plateau. This branch eased the grades for freight trains traveling west on the Fort Wayne main line. Trains were cut off the main line at ROCHESTER tower (Rochester, Pa.), west of Conway Yard, proceeded south to YELLOW CREEK, then W/NW to Bayard, O., then either N to Alliance, O., or west to Canton, O. Now called the "Cleveland Line" by Conrail.

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Mark D. Bej
bejm@eeg.ccf.org
+1 216-444-0119
1996.11.08