South Pennsylvania Railroad : Sideling Hill Tunnel
N 40° 02.845 W 078° 07.000
17T E 745968 N 4437004
Quick Description: Sideling Hill Tunnel of the old Pennsylvania turnpike
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 8/1/2009 11:09:00 AM
Waymark Code: WM6XBD
Views: 6
Long Description:
This is the east end of the Sideling Hill
Tunnel of the abandoned section of the old Pennsylvania turnpike.
Why would an abandoned road tunnel be in the abandoned rail tunnel
category? Well, let me tell you. You see, it all started in the
early 1880’s by William Vanderbilt of the New York Central
Railroad. He wanted to build a railroad to compete with the
Pennsylvania Railroad linking the western mountains and Pittsburg
to the east coast in Harrisburg. A strait flat track would make the
journey across the state quicker than anything the PA railroad
could do. He would call it the South Pennsylvania Railroad. For
about 2 years Vanderbilt employed 1000’s of workers to grade and
more importantly for us, dig 9 tunnels through the mountains. This
is one those tunnels. The Sideling Hill Tunnel. The workers were
paid $1.25 a day and worked 10 hour shifts. As the cost of the
project rose, along with the changing landscape of the railroad
biz, Mr. Vanderbilt (along with his investors and J.P. Morgan) sold
the rights to the Pennsylvania Railroad. They stopped all work on
the project in 1885. The cost was about $10 million and 26 workers
lives. The project became known as “Vanderbuilt’s Folly”. They had
a lot of Follies in those days.
This tunnel sat dormant until the great
depression and in 1935 the Turnpike commission got this tunnel with
the idea of making a super highway out of the old South
Pennsylvania grade. They converted it for automobile use (put in
fans and stuff ) and opened it up to the public in 1940. It was
used until 1968 when the turnpike was routed around this
tunnel.
The Pike to Bike organization has it now
but I don’t think that is going anywhere official because there are
signs saying enter at your own risk. Legal stuff I guess, in case
you injure yourself. So don’t injure yourself here. Its about 3/4
mile walk from the parking (1 1/2 round trip)so please carry some
water.
It is the longest of the turnpike tunnels
at 6,782 feet.
Note: Information came from
http://www.pahighways.com/toll/PATurnpike.html.
N 40° 02.845 W 078° 07.000 east
end
N 40° 02.980 W 078° 08.470 west
end
How to get there: Park off Pump
Station Road. Coordinates N 40° 02.924 W 078° 05.747