RAILWAYS.
There are six
distinct lines of railway in Mercer, besides two considerable coal
roads, and numerous short tracks running to the various coal shafts.
These are, the Erie and Pittsburgh Railway, which traverses the valley
of the Shenango River entirely through the county, and having,
including its meanderings, about thirty (30) miles of track; the
Atlantic and Great Western (broad track) Railway, which passes through
the north-western portion of the county, and, including the Cleveland
and Mahoning, and other branches, having also about thirty miles of
track; the Shenango and Allegheny Railway, which traverses the central
portions of the county, diagonally, from Shenango Station, on the
Atlantic and Great Western, to a point in Butler county, and having a
length in Mercer county of nearly thirty miles; the Newcastle and
Franklin Railway, which follows the valley of the Neshannock Creek to
Mercer, and thence diverges towards Stoneboro, where it intersects and
makes connection with the Jamestown and Franklin Railway, and having a
total length of about twenty miles within the county; the Jamestown and
Franklin Branch of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, which
runs diagonally across the north-eastern portion of the county, with a
length of twenty-five miles; the Franklin Branch of the Allegheny
Valley Railway, which passes through the extreme northeastern corner
of the county, along the valley of the famous French Creek, and having
only about three miles of track; and the two coal roads, one the
“Sharpsville Railway,” running from Sharpsville, south-east about six
miles, into the coal region of Hickory township, and including its
various branches, having a length of about ten miles; the other, called
the Sharon and Greenfield Narrow Gauge Railway, with a total length of
about five miles. Besides these, there are enough other short coal
tracks to make an additional ten miles.
Recapitulation.
Erie
& Pittsburgh Railway, |
30 miles |
Atlantic
& Great Western Railway, |
30 " |
Shenango
& Allegheny Railway, |
30 " |
Newcastle
& Franklin Railway, |
20 " |
Jamestown
& Franklin Branch Railway, |
25 " |
Franklin
Branch, Allegheny Valley Railway, |
03
" |
Sharpsville
Railway, |
10 " |
Sharon
& Greenfield Narrow Gauge Railway, |
05
" |
Other
coal lines, |
10 " |
Total, |
163
miles |
The two great
passenger and general traffic lines, are the Erie and Pittsburgh and
the Atlantic and Great Western Railways. The latter is a broad-guage
road, and connects with the New York system.
The Shenango and
Allegheny and the Jamestown and Franklin lines handle immense
quantities of oil, and the remaining lines do a fair passenger
business, and handle a very large amount of coal. The largest
coal-shipping points are Sharpsville, Sharon, Stoneboro, and Pardoe,
the grand aggregate being about 2,000 tons daily. All these lines have
been constructed since 1860.
History of Mercer County, 1877, page 21
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