Cottage Hill/Highland Street Tunnel (Clearfield County)

Highland Street Tunnel
Author's Photo

     Cottage Hill Tunnel, also known as the Highland Street Tunnel, is a remnant of one of this region’s most interesting railroads, the Buffalo & Susquehanna (B&S). What began as diminutive 10 mile logging railroad grew exponentially into an industrial giant of more than 400 miles. Today, little remains of this vast railroad empire. However, the tunnel and other scattered remnants continue to tell its fascinating story.
     The Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad (B&S) had began solely as a timber hauling railroad for Frank and Charles Goodyear’s logging operations in Potter County. Originally founded as the Sinnemahoning Valley Railroad in 1885, the line slowly grew as new tracts were logged. In 1893, the Buffalo & Susquehanna was officially established. Initially, the railroad only served as a transportation for logs coming off of the surrounding ridges to Goodyear owned sawmills in Austin and Galeton. Passenger and freight service was later offered. However, Frank Goodyear was ambitious and saw an opportunity to expand his railroad. 

One of the B&S's 2-8-0 locomotives.
Imaged Retrieved From: Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Archives

     By the turn of the new century, business was booming and Frank Goodyear saw the coalfields around Dubois as another source of revenue for his railroad. Three tunnels were required to complete the route. Construction of the Cottage Hill Tunnel began in 1903. Upon completion, the bore stretched 401.5 feet long. The two other tunnels, Sabula and West Liberty, were started around the same time.

1903 stamped on the one portal
Author's Photo

These cut-outs were a safety measure for workers in the tunnel.
If a train approached, they could run and take cover in these until the train passed.
Author's Photo

     By 1907, trains were traveling through Dubois and the coalfields near Sagamore. However, the route had cost nearly twice as much as anticipated and was proving to be poor for hauling coal north to Buffalo, NY. The route's length was longer than competing railroads and  required navigating over switchbacks to climb and descend the Allegheny Plateau. As a compromise, coal was shipped to Driftwood in Cameron County to be taken north via the Pennsylvania Railroad whose route was much more advantageous.  

A B&S train at Driftwood, PA
Image Retrieved From: Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Archives

     In 1930, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) purchased the B&S and the neighboring Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railroad (BRP). Part of the motivation behind this takeover was to construct the B&O’s “Rainbow Route,” a low-grade short-cut between New York and Chicago. Though a sound plan on paper, it never materialized due to  Great Depression. More trouble came in July 1942 when a storm washed out several miles worth of track. Damage was so severe that entire sections were summarily abandoned, effectively splitting the route in two.


     By the 1970’s, the B&O had abandoned the majority of the former B&S line north and south of Dubois. Only a short segment from Interstate 80 bridge to the connection with the former BRP tracks south of Dubois remained (this included the tunnel). Sometime in the 1990’s, this segment was partially torn up, but not completely abandoned. The property was acquired by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (B&P). Tax parcel maps for Clearfield County indicate that the tunnel and the right-of-way are still retained by the B&P, who continue to operate the remaining rails east of Dubois to the Interstate 80 bridge.


     Currently, the tunnel sits forlorn and vandalized, although in a fairly decent condition. Only the portals show excessive deterioration. Reportedly, it is hoped that the tunnel and the right-of-way will become part of a recreational rail-trail sometime in the future.

This portion of the bore has a concrete lining
Author's Photo

The rest of the tunnel is brick lined. 
Author's Photo

Information Retrieved From:

Allen, C. (1947). The Buffalo & Susquehanna railroad company. The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin,(70), 44-60. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43519928 

Pennsylvania Utility Commission (1917). Tunnels on steam railroads in Pennsylvania. Second Annual Report of The Public Service Commission. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=3mkZAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA740&lpg=PA740&dq=Cottage+Hill+Tunnel+%2B+Buffalo+and+Susquehanna&source=bl&ots=J1i6cmI9Vb&sig=ACfU3U3JwaWuPncRrdSn0vlEs2ZQWx13Ow&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwit8N73veLhAhXwna0KHfcrA9UQ6AEwCXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=Cottage%20Hill%20Tunnel%20%2B%20Buffalo%20and%20Susquehanna&f=false 

Taber III, T. (1971). The Goodyears: An empire in the hemlocks. Lycoming Printing Company.