The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

between 1861 and 1907. It was subsequently merged into the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

(PRR).

History

The Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company (also known as the Erie and Sunbury Railroad) was chartered by the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...

in 1837, to build a rail line connecting towns between Sunbury and

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

. Due to financial problems, the company did not begin construction until the state passed enabling legislation, which including reducing tax assessments, in 1852. By December 1854, of track were completed between Milton (a junction with the

Catawissa Railroad The Catawissa Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1953. For most of its lifespan it was leased by the Reading Company, and was subsequently merged into the Reading. History The original company was chartered as ...

) and Williamsport. The line reached Sunbury in 1855, a total of . The company continued to experience financial problems, exacerbated by the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission ...

. The tracks reached Lock Haven in 1859. To speed completion of the line, the Sunbury & Erie also started building towards the southeast from Erie. That portion of the line reached

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

, a distance of 66 miles, by 1859;Netzlof, Robert T. (2002)
"Corporate Genealogy: The Pennsylvania Railroad."
Accessed 2011-11-02. little construction occurred in 1860 amid the politics leading to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In 1861, the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

passed additional legislation to strengthen the company's financial position, and changed the company name to the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad (P&E). Other, related legislation authorized various railroad companies to lease the lines of other companies, and the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) entered into a 999-year lease with the Philadelphia & Erie in 1862. That same year the PRR assumed control of the P&E. Labor shortages due to the Civil War further delayed construction. The main line was completed to Erie in October 1864. ''The New York Times'' suggested that the railroad would be a major route connecting trade for petroleum between northwestern Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. The Erie Union Station opened on October 1, 1865. The P&E opened a large coal transfer terminal at its

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

terminus in 1866. In 1867, the pier at Erie was expanded to handle ore shipments from the midwest. Despite these improvements, the P&E did not thrive, as it faced strong competition from the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

. Over the next three decades the P&E also experienced serious setbacks due to several major floods, storms, a bridge fire, and various operational accidents. The P&E was formally merged with the PRR in May 1907. The P&E and its successor (PRR) operated a significant 25-track freight classification yard and repair facility at

Renovo, Pennsylvania Renovo is a borough in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Lock Haven. In 1900, 4,082 people lived there, and in 1910, 4,621 lived there, but in the 2010 census the borough population was 1,228. The borough is located o ...

, from 1866 until 1968. From the 1920s onward, more and more work was relocated from Renovo to Altoona, but Renovo continued as a significant repair and car-building facility through World War II. After the war, employment steadily dropped from a war-time high of nearly 2,000 to under 250 by 1966. After the dissolution of the PRR into

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

, parts of the railroad west of Emporium were sold off to other entities before being reunited under the

Allegheny Railroad The Allegheny Railroad was an American railroad company operating in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Railroad began operations on September 3, 1985. It operated of line between milepost 2.8 located at Erie, Pennsylvania and milepost 1 ...

; subsequent mergers resulted in the road now being a branch the

Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in New York and Pennsylvania. The BPRR is owned by Genesee & Wyoming. Its main line runs between Buffalo, New York, and Eidenau, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. Here, conn ...

, with the exception of an abandoned portion from St. Marys to Emporium. East of Emporium, the road is now part of the main line of

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

from Harrisburg to Buffalo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philadelphia Erie Railroad Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Predecessors of the Pennsylvania Railroad Railway companies established in 1837 Railway companies disestablished in 1907 1837 establishments in Pennsylvania American companies established in 1837 American companies disestablished in 1907