Lewisburg & Tyrone RR Tunnels (2 in PA)
Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad Tunnels (1877-1970)
Paddy Mountain Tunnel aka Poe Paddy Tunnel (266 feet) - Ingleby, Pennsylvania
Beaver Dam Tunnel aka Coburn Tunnel (252 feet) - Penn View, Pennsylvania
The Lewisburg, Centre and Spruce Creek Railroad (LC&SC), reorganized as the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad (L&T) in 1879 and leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), was intended to link the Susquehanna Valley with the PRR mainline at Tyrone, Pennsylvania. Construction on the eastern division began in 1869 along the Susquehanna River at Montandon and Lewisburg, reaching Mifflinburg by 1871, then following Penns Creek to Spring Mills (formerly Rising Spring) through Paddy Mountain Tunnel and Beaver Dam Tunnel by 1877, and then westward to Lemont by 1885 - a total of 57 miles. Meanwhile, the western division was built from Tyrone, spanning 20 miles east to Fairbrook by 1881. Intentions to link the two branches across the Nittany Valley were abandoned due to limited traffic potential, and instead the PRR chartered the Bellefonte, Nittany & Lemont Railroad to connect the L&T's terminus at Lemont with the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad at Bellefonte to the north.
The L&T was merged into the PRR in 1915 and continued to operate as two separate branches -- the PRR Fairbrook Branch from Tyrone to Fairbrook, and the PRR Bellefonte Branch from Montandon to Bellefonte via Lemont. Following the merger of the PRR and New York Central, the Penn Central abandoned a central section of the Bellefonte Branch between Mifflinburg and Coburn due to a lack of traffic, including both Paddy Mountain Tunnel and Beaver Dam Tunnel.
Paddy Mountain Tunnel, now referred to as Poe Paddy Tunnel for the encompassing state park, was entirely unlined with a stone east portal. The ceiling was reinforced for use on the Penns Creek Trail with a plug at east end only. However, the tunnel was closed in 2013 due to the risk of falling rock in the remainder of the tunnel. Remediation efforts are expected but will require reinforcing a former rail bridge over Penns Creek to the west of the tunnel (the existing plug blocks construction access from the east). Beaver Dam Tunnel, three miles upstream (west) from Paddy Mountain, is now referred to as Coburn Tunnel for the nearby town. It was also unlined with a stone east portal and remains in fair condition. It may someday be used by an extension of the Penns Creek Trail west of Ingleby should property ownership and finances prove feasible.
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
Read MorePaddy Mountain Tunnel aka Poe Paddy Tunnel (266 feet) - Ingleby, Pennsylvania
Beaver Dam Tunnel aka Coburn Tunnel (252 feet) - Penn View, Pennsylvania
The Lewisburg, Centre and Spruce Creek Railroad (LC&SC), reorganized as the Lewisburg & Tyrone Railroad (L&T) in 1879 and leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), was intended to link the Susquehanna Valley with the PRR mainline at Tyrone, Pennsylvania. Construction on the eastern division began in 1869 along the Susquehanna River at Montandon and Lewisburg, reaching Mifflinburg by 1871, then following Penns Creek to Spring Mills (formerly Rising Spring) through Paddy Mountain Tunnel and Beaver Dam Tunnel by 1877, and then westward to Lemont by 1885 - a total of 57 miles. Meanwhile, the western division was built from Tyrone, spanning 20 miles east to Fairbrook by 1881. Intentions to link the two branches across the Nittany Valley were abandoned due to limited traffic potential, and instead the PRR chartered the Bellefonte, Nittany & Lemont Railroad to connect the L&T's terminus at Lemont with the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad at Bellefonte to the north.
The L&T was merged into the PRR in 1915 and continued to operate as two separate branches -- the PRR Fairbrook Branch from Tyrone to Fairbrook, and the PRR Bellefonte Branch from Montandon to Bellefonte via Lemont. Following the merger of the PRR and New York Central, the Penn Central abandoned a central section of the Bellefonte Branch between Mifflinburg and Coburn due to a lack of traffic, including both Paddy Mountain Tunnel and Beaver Dam Tunnel.
Paddy Mountain Tunnel, now referred to as Poe Paddy Tunnel for the encompassing state park, was entirely unlined with a stone east portal. The ceiling was reinforced for use on the Penns Creek Trail with a plug at east end only. However, the tunnel was closed in 2013 due to the risk of falling rock in the remainder of the tunnel. Remediation efforts are expected but will require reinforcing a former rail bridge over Penns Creek to the west of the tunnel (the existing plug blocks construction access from the east). Beaver Dam Tunnel, three miles upstream (west) from Paddy Mountain, is now referred to as Coburn Tunnel for the nearby town. It was also unlined with a stone east portal and remains in fair condition. It may someday be used by an extension of the Penns Creek Trail west of Ingleby should property ownership and finances prove feasible.
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
