1800s+1940+1968 Pennsylvania Turnpike Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel near Wilow Hill, PA

(Satellite)

West Portal:

Street View, May 2025

East Portal:

Street View, Nov 2025

This railroad tunnel became the original turnpike tunnel. In 1940, they added an eastbound tunnel south of this tunnel. Then in 1968 this original tunnel was replaced by a newer tunnel. The daily usage is 24,000. [gftinc]

Jackson-Township historical preservation posted

Photo from 1938 of a long tunnel bored through the mountain with Huntingdon County on the west side and Franklin County on the east and although completed, it was never used for the purpose for which it had been constructed many decades before. This was originally constructed for a railroad but tracks were never laid and the tunnel was converted to use as one of the original Tuscarora Tunnels for the Pennsylvania Turnpike which began construction in 1939. A surveyor in the photo is doing work for the proposed change of use from a rail tunnel to that of the Turnpike.

(Photo from Steve Kemp via https://www.facebook.com/groups/208623169187266/)

Robert Salinetro: I think it was built by the New York Central RR when they were trying to compete with the PRR and they were talked out of finishing the plan. The turnpike took over some of the track right of way for the initial road.

[Indeed. And the Pennsy was building a railroad up the west side of the Hudson River to compete with the NYC. JP Morgan met with the railroads and talked them out of the suicidal redundancy.]

Some of the tunnels on the turnpike have been daylighted. But this tunnel is below 1100' through a mountain that is over 1800'. So a 700' deep dut is too much even for modern equipment. 

1966/69 Fannettsburg Quad @ 24,000

gftinc
In the 2020s, the lanes in the 1940 eastbound bore were widened. Also, management of infiltrating water, ventilation, lighting and control electronics were improved. "A dark coating on the exterior portals, in combination with an illuminated tunnel interior, will help counteract motorists’ tendency to slow down when approaching a dark entrance, improving traffic flow through the tunnels."

WoodsAirMovement
The mile-long tunnel now has 12 modern axial exhaust fans.
"The 6 foot [1.8m] exhaust fans are designed to extract hazardous pollution if traffic is standing still in the tunnel - or smoke in the event of a fire - quickly and efficiently to allow safe evacuation and easier access for emergency services."

NYC/LS&MS, US-20 and OH-2 Routes over Grand River at Painesville, OH

1856 NYC: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1908 NYC: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter, no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

US-20: (Satellite)

OH-2: (Satellite)

US-20 Overview 

The 1856 bridge was a stone bridge.

John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library Flickr, cropped via BridgeHunter_1856

This is the full image from which the above was cropped.

John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library Flickr via BridgeHunter_1856

This is a better view of the covered bridge for the road that goes under the bridge abutment. I presume this road was the predecessor for US-20

Public Domain via BridgeHunter_1856

Actually, that road also continued East, so the road to the East was probably the original route. A 1960 topo map doesn't show OH-2, but a 1970 map does show it in purple. Purple means that it was a change in the map.

1904/1962 Chardon Quad @ 62,500

The replacement NYC bridge has much longer arches and is an open spandrel.

Public Domain via BridgeHunter_1906

This view of the NYC bridge is from US-20, and we can see the OH-2 bridge under the arch. OH-2 appears to be a steel-girder bridge.

Street View, Oct 2021

And here we see US-20 from OH-2. It is also a steel-girder bridge.

Street View, May 2019

Brian Jules posted five photos with the comment: "Painsville, Ohio with the 1908 Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway bridge.(currently CSX) Concrete open spandrel arch bridge spans the Grand River at 350ft long and 100 ft tall. Small additional pedestrian tunnel on the eastern side. I grew up in Berea playing in the spandrels of the same style bridge and I’m sure it’s the same builder but this bridge is massive!"

1
[That would be US-20 in the background.]

2

3

4

5

Michael Cefaratti commented on Brian's post
Love my town of Painesville, Ohio

US-20 was closed and then opened with one lane for several months in 2023 to replace the deck.

news-herald

More photos of the three bridges and the tunnel are available at johngwalter.

CSX/NYC Bridge over Black River in Grafton, OH

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Marm Farm posted seven photos with the comment: "(railroad bridge)  Grafton, Ohio."

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

RailPictures, 2008 photo by Patch Lynch

1933,1955 US-20 and 1872 Trail/NYC/LS&MS Bridges over Vermilion River in Wakeman, OH

US-20: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

NYC: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Allen Bender posted

Wakeman Bridge 

Carrys US 20 over Vermilion River

Wakeman,  Ohio

Built 1933

Designed by William E. Burroughs

A view of the NYC bridge from the US-20 bridge.

The NYC bridge was built in 1872 using cut sandstone. [Dave Case photo below]

Street View, Nov 2021

A view of both bridges. The US-20 bridge is in the foreground.

c1910 postcard via BridgeHunter_US-20

2019 photo by David Case via BridgeHunter_US-20

Exploring Historic Route 20 posted

We love when old railroads and their bridges become repurposed into Rail Trails.  The 1872 Bruce L. Chapin Bridge sat for years, adjacent to Route 20, abandoned,  in Wakeman, Ohio.   This beautiful double arched bridge is 273 feet long and 80 feet above the#route20 

Bruce L. Chapin was the person who after the railroad abandoned the bridge, started preservation efforts to keep the bridge from falling into disrepair. 

The bridge is part of the North Coast Inland Trail in Huron County, Ohio - so park your car, bring your bike and explore the communities along Route 20 - only by rail trail!

Public Domain via John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library via BridgeHunter_NYC

This describes a different bridge, but the factoid concerning cut sandstone also applies to this bridge.

David Case via BridgeHunter_NYC

The trail bridge is obviously an abandoned railroad bridge. I accessed this map to determine that it was the LS&MS railroad. It also shows how the Vermilion River cut a gorge through this area.

1903/48 Vermilion Quad @ 62,500

NYC and R. J. Corman/B&O/BR&P Bridges over Anderson Creek at Curwensville, PA

NYC: (no Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

B&O/BR&P: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

BR&P = Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh

History's Mirror posted
In 1916, the junction of the New York Central and the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad at Curwensville was a vital crossroads in Clearfield County’s coal-rich landscape. A train crossing the bridge at this junction captures the essence of a region defined by industry, timber, and the steady pulse of rail traffic. The NY Central and the BR&P both served as lifelines for northern Pennsylvania, hauling coal from nearby mines, lumber from local forests, and manufactured goods that kept small towns thriving. The bridge itself stood as a symbol of early 20th-century railroad engineering, carrying heavy steam locomotives across the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and linking two powerful systems in the state’s transportation network. In 1916, steam engines still ruled the rails, their exhaust hanging in the air as crews worked long, demanding runs through the rugged countryside. A scene like this—iron, timber, river, and smoke—perfectly reflects the character of the region during a time when railroads shaped nearly every aspect of life. It’s a timeless snapshot of Pennsylvania’s railroading heritage and the communities it sustained.
Kaleb Lippert: And you got the Pennsylvania Railroad line that ran right under them. Now, both Pennsylvania and the B&O-CSX line are abandoned; only the NYC line survives.

This is the R. J. Corman/B&O/BR&P Bridge, looking North into town. In addition to a couple of truss spans over the creek, it has a trestle over the south end of the town.

Street View, Mar 2025

The David S. Ammerman Trail on the left used to be the Pennsy RoW. So that truss is where the B&O used to cross the Pennsy.

Street View, Mar 2025

NYC bridge, looking West

Street View, Mar 2025

NYC bridge, looking East

Street View, Mar 2025

I started looking at topo maps near the 1916 date of the photo. But the NYC was south of this town back then.

1903 Curwensville and 1905 Houtzdale Quads @ 62,500

So I got more modern maps. This shows what Google Maps labels CB Junction.

1939/52 Curwensville Quad @ 62,500 and 1944/56 Glen Richey Quad@ 24,000

This town was on the BR&P branch to Clearfield. Note on the older map the short railroads that served mines and/or logging along the route.

Rumsey via Dennis DeBruler

I'm used to seeing B&O and Pennsy routes going through Pennsy towns, but not the NYC. So I researched its route. The NYC wound its way southwest until it got to Cush Creek Junction. The main route went south to Barnesboro, today's Northern Cambria. From Cush Creek Junction, there was a branch that went a little west of Arcadia. From Barnesboro, NYC worked its way East to Patton. Pennsy also served Patton with a north/south route through that town. How NYC got to Clearfield to join the BR&P trackage is a topic for another day.

1953/53 Pittsburgh Quad @ 250,000

NS/NYC/LSMS Burns Harbor Railyard

(Satellite)

Street View, Jun 2023

 Mark Anthony DeLeon, Apr 2018

railroad_journal posted

NS Burns Harbor Yard

NS Burns Harbor Yard is located on the north side of the Norfolk Southern Chicago Line, between CP 485 and CP 487.  The yard is surrounded by US Steel Midwest Plant finishing facility, Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, and Cleveland-Cliffs integrated steel mill.

The industrial development here began in conjunction with the opening of the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada, that connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, allowing ships to bypass Niagara Falls. It is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, a deep waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.

The New York Central mainline was moved 1,000’ south to accommodate the industrial construction. A temporary yard was built in 1959 to support the immense construction activity. After 20 months of construction, the NYC Burns Harbor Yard initially served plants of Midwest and Bethlehem steel companies. The new yard’s capacity was 680 freight cars with seven classification tracks and two outbound and receiving tracks. As the Bethlehem Steel plant expanded, so did the yard.  Today, Burns Harbor Yard is operated by Norfolk Southern.

Evan Jones: The numbering actually goes:

1-2 (no 3)

4-13 (no 14)

15-22 (no 23)

Then track 24 is the RIP

High Falls and Genesee Brew on Genesee River in Rochester, NY

Falls: (Satellite)

Brew: (Satellite)

Rochester also has a lower falls.

Clara Murphy, Jul 2025

Bob Zimmermann posted four photos with the comments: "Conrail and its predecessors switched the Genesee Brewery for many years, by way of wooden trestles on the east side of the Genesee River gorge, next to the Upper Falls in Rochester, NY.  When the trestles deteriorated, the brewery stopped rail service and switched to trucks.  People can sit outside the visitors center and view the main line."

1

2

3

4

The brewery looks big.

Satellite

The industrial spur used to go all the way to Bausch Street.

1952/54 Rochester West and East Quads @ 24,000