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