 |
| Coburn Tunnel Author's Photo |
Relics of our region’s railroad heritage can often be found in tucked away places provided you take the time to wander a bit. The Coburn Tunnel is one such reminder. Located on a narrow dead end road along the shimmering waters of Penn’s Creek, the tunnel helps to tell the story of how steel rails helped make this region what it is today.
To explore the tunnel’s history, we must first take a look at the railroad who built it, the Lewisburg, Centre & Spruce Creek (LC&SC). Construction of the railroad commenced from Montandon to Lewisburg in 1868, with the first train pulling into Lewisburg a year later. Work then progressed steadily westward.
Construction of the tunnel outside the village of Coburn commenced in late 1872. Two years later in July 1874, workmen still had 40 feet of rock to bore through. Finally in January of 1876, workmen had finally punched a “peep hole” through to the other end. By late March, the 260ft. long tunnel was complete. Another tunnel through Paddy Mountain was under construction at the same time and was finished later that same year. Total length of its bore was 320 feet.
Rails entered Spring Mills in 1877, but would progress no further as the railroad was financially ruined. Expenses for constructing the line had quickly outpaced income. In 1880, the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad (L&T) was organized by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to take over the defunct LC&SC. The PRR then leased the L&T, adding it to its growing empire in the region.
After assuming control, construction resumed on the line, however the PRR decided to alter the western terminal to Tyrone instead of Spruce Creek. It wasn’t until 1885 that the tracks reached Bellefonte and completed the 67-mile line. From Bellefonte, L&T trains could continue to Tyrone via the PRR’s Bald Eagle Branch in Milesburg.
 |
| A train prepares to enter the Beaver Dam Tunnel Image Retrieved From: Railroad Museum of PA Archives |
 |
| The tunnel taken from a similar angle Author's Photo |
Much of the traffic hauled by the railroad consisted of agricultural products, lumber, mail, limestone, milk, and passengers. Special trains and extra coaches were often added during hunting seasons, Penn State football games, and Grange Fair to accommodate the throngs of travelers. For decades, the railroad was the epitome of prosperity, but in the years following WWII this prosperity began to wane.
 |
| Coburn's train station. Date unknown. Author's Collection |
Scheduled passenger service was terminated in 1949 when it became no longer profitable. Highways and automobiles were becoming the nucleus of transportation even in this rural area. Coburn’s station closed in 1959 and was demolished in 1962. By the 1960’s, trucks had replaced the railroad in hauling most of the agricultural products produced along the route, a knockout blow the L&T could not recover from.
In 1968, Penn Central Transportation (PC) was formed as a merger between the PRR and its rival the New York Central. This new railroad now assumed operations on routes once owned by its parent companies, which included the L&T. PC was eager to abandon lines that were no longer profitable, of which portions of the L&T fit that bill. Within the same year of its establishment, Penn Central placed the segment of the L&T from Mifflinburg to Coburn (this included the tunnels) out of service, as no regular customers remained along that portion. Official abandonment of that section came in 1970.
A rumor persisted that as part of the abandonment, Coburn and Paddy Mountain tunnels would be blown up to prevent them from attracting unwanted attention and becoming a liability. Public support for preserving the right-of-way for recreation quickly grew. As a result, the Nature Conservancy purchased the segment and then subsequently sold it to the Commonwealth.
Coburn continued to be served by rail until 1972 when Hurricane Agnes wreaked devastating damage to the track and related infrastructure. Penn Central decided that rebuilding the line was not economically justifiable. Tracks from Lemont to Coburn were subsequently abandoned. Tracks from Mifflinburg to Montandon saw intermittent use into the 1990’s.
As you stand in front of the tunnel, it's not hard to transport yourself back to another time. To experience a train blasting out the tunnel in a shroud of smoke and steam before rumbling into the distance. For those of us that never experienced scenes such as these, reminders such as this help bring the past just a bit closer.
Exploring the tunnel should be done with utmost care and caution. It is not advised to walk through the tunnel. Loose rock on the tunnel floor is evidence of the dangers that can befall an unfortunate explorer. One of the interesting aspects of the tunnel is that only one portal received a stonework lining, while the other was left as bare rock. Peering into the tunnel also reveals a fascinating cross-section of geologic layers.
 |
| The western portal of the tunnel never received a stonework portal Author's Photo |
 |
| The eastern portal with its stonework Author's Photo |
The second tunnel, Paddy Mountain Tunnel, has been renovated and is part of the Penn’s Valley Rail Trail. Currently, Coburn Tunnel is not part of the recreational trail.
Information Retrieved From:
Bezilla, M. (2006). The Lewisburg & Tyrone railroad: when two halves didn’t make a whole. The Keystone. Vol. 39 No. 1.
Dope! Love the old shots.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVery well done. Superb job putting everything together from your readings. I haven’t read anything that explains that railroad better. Now you can study the Ingleby Ghost stories.
Deletebeen there many times in my younger days. would tube around the point of the mountain. get out and walk about 100 yards through the tunnel and you were back where you started. never knew the name of the second tunnel until now. my grandfather always said that a horse would not go through it due to spirits. he said a lot of men died building that one
ReplyDelete