Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad - Titusville, PA
Posted by: 
Szuchie
N 41° 37.443 W 079° 40.625
17T E 610204 N 4608881
The Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad will take you to historic places and through beautiful countryside - all aboard!
Waymark Code: WM3DGW
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/19/2008
Views: 36
According to the railroad's website:
In the Beginning...there wasn't much. Only 13.5 miles of double ribbons of rusty rail, not good enough for ConRail to use, buried beneath the brush and fallen trees.
In 1982 two groups were planning to purchase the track, one for recreational use and the other to continue the freight connection for Titusville industry. These groups came together to form the Oil Creek Railway Historical Society and purchase the track, buildings, and real estate on June 6, 1986, after over a year of frantic fund-raising and negotiations. That purchase began the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad.
July 18, 1986 saw the inaugural excursion of the OC&T train, utilizing cars leased from several railway historical societies, individuals, and museums, traveling through Oil Creek State Park, the site of the world's first oil field. During the first winter, we purchased the seven coaches now being used. Over the winter and spring, they were reconditioned.
In 1987 our four stations opened. The existing facilities at Drake Well and Rynd Farm were completed over the next several years. In the fall, after extensive renovations, our "northern light" opened on Perry Street in Titusville. The replica station in Petroleum Centre opened as a "flag stop" in 1989. Pictures of all of these are on this site. 1987 proved to be a great year for the OC&T Railroad. Our ridership grew by 3,000 to 38,000 passengers.
From then until now, all our cars have been completely rewired. Restroom holding tanks now hang under the cars. Sound systems with wireless micro-phones and ceiling fans have been installed. Interiors have been repainted. Seats have been reupholstered. Electric heaters have been provided. Best of all, our roofs have been recovered. Before, we told passengers not to sit on wet seats when it rained. Now, the rain doesn't get in. We still have much to do to make our 76-year-old coaches as good as new. We spend every spring tuning up for the next season.
Today, the OC&T travels over 13.5 miles of double shiny steel ribbons, connecting Titusville industry to the USA rail network. It hauls over 1000 carloads of freight each year. It carried over 540,000 passengers by its 20th birthday. With your help, it won't take another 20 years to get to 1,000,000 riders.
What Best Describes This Location: Other Describe Below
Other Describe: Station
If there is a fee how much?: 15.00 (listed in local currency)
Is this rail location handicap accessible?: Yes
Related website: [Web Link]
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