New Castle Branch (Pennsylvania Railroad)
Encyclopedia
The New Castle Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. The line ran from New Castle north to Stoneboro (later Mercer), and is now entirely abandoned. At its south end, the line intersected the Erie and Pittsburgh Branch and Mahoningtown Branch. When the New Castle Branch ended at Stoneboro, the PRR had trackage rights
east along the New York Central Railroad
's Stoneboro Branch to Oil City and the Allegheny Branch, Chautauqua Branch, and Salamanca Branch.
The New Castle Branch (and the Wolf Creek Branch, a short spur of it) was the only part of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway operated by the Pennsylvania Company
as part of the Lines West of Pittsburgh rather than by the Pennsylvania Railroad
as part of the Lines East of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Company also operated the trackage rights from Stoneboro to Oil City.
.
The lease (and other Pennsylvania Company leases) was returned to the PRR in 1918. Passenger service was last operated over the branch on June 9, 1931, and the line north of Houston Junction (near Mercer) was abandoned in 1938.
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The line ran from New Castle north to Stoneboro (later Mercer), and is now entirely abandoned. At its south end, the line intersected the Erie and Pittsburgh Branch and Mahoningtown Branch. When the New Castle Branch ended at Stoneboro, the PRR had trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
east along the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
's Stoneboro Branch to Oil City and the Allegheny Branch, Chautauqua Branch, and Salamanca Branch.
The New Castle Branch (and the Wolf Creek Branch, a short spur of it) was the only part of the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway operated by the Pennsylvania Company
Pennsylvania Company
The Pennsylvania Company was a major holding company, owning and operating much of the Lines West territory of the Pennsylvania Railroad, including the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, the PRR's main route to Chicago. It also owned but did not operate the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago...
as part of the Lines West of Pittsburgh rather than by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
as part of the Lines East of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Company also operated the trackage rights from Stoneboro to Oil City.
History
The New Castle and Franklin Railroad opened the line from New Castle to Mercer Junction in 1873 and to Stoneboro in 1874. The NC&F was sold at foreclosure and reorganized in 1881 as the New Castle and Oil City Railroad, which was merged into the Oil City and Chicago Railroad and then the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad in 1882. The BNY&P was reorganized as the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad in 1887, and again as the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway in 1895. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased the WNY&P in 1900, including the New Castle Branch, which was immediately subleased to the Pennsylvania CompanyPennsylvania Company
The Pennsylvania Company was a major holding company, owning and operating much of the Lines West territory of the Pennsylvania Railroad, including the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, the PRR's main route to Chicago. It also owned but did not operate the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago...
.
The lease (and other Pennsylvania Company leases) was returned to the PRR in 1918. Passenger service was last operated over the branch on June 9, 1931, and the line north of Houston Junction (near Mercer) was abandoned in 1938.