Pittsburgh amateur rail and history
#trainspotting #train #diesel #video #lineside Norfolk Southern heading out of Pittsburgh in a section of line often referred to as the trench. The trench which splits Allegheny Commons Park West is part of the Fort Wayne line. Opened in 1851 without a direct owner it would be taken over by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1869. In 1871 it would break away from PRR and fall under the control of The Pennsylvania Company. The Pennsylvania company later known publicly as the Pennsylvania Lines would become a separate entity form PRR and last until 1918 when it would merge back into the Pennsylvania Railroad. The line which connected Pittsburgh to Chicago was one of the Pennsylvania Railroads main lines and would remain that way throughout the remainder of PRRs existence. in 1968 The Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central would merge forming Penn Central which would struggle from day one and eventually fall into bankruptcy. The US government would form Conrail to take over Penn Central and a number of other failing railroads, Conrail would eventually sell part of the track to Norfolk Southern in 1994, when Conrail was broken up in 1999 CSX and Norfolk Southern would gain control over parts of the line and continue to operate it to this day.
