The Round Top Branch was an extension of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad from the Gettysburg borough across the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first sho ...

to Round Top, Pennsylvania. The branch ran southward from the terminus of the railroad's main line (its

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

with the Hanover Junction, Hanover and Gettysburg Railroad north of Meade School), west of the school and St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, across the field of

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the B ...

, south of

Cemetery Ridge Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park, south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the ...

, east of Weikert Hill and Munshower Knoll, and through Round Top to a point between

Little Round Top Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left fla ...

's east base and Taneytown Road. In addition to battlefield tourists, the line carried stone monoliths and statues for monuments during the battlefield's memorial association and commemorative eras and equipment, supplies and participants for

Gettysburg Battlefield camps after the American Civil War Gettysburg Battlefield camps after the American Civil War were used by the Pennsylvania National Guard, Civil War veterans, the US Marine Corps, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land ser ...

(e.g., the 1884 Camp Gettysburg,

1913 Gettysburg reunion The 1913 Gettysburg reunion was a Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for the Battle of Gettysburg's 50th anniversary. The June 29–July 4 gathering of 53,407 veterans (~8,750 Confederate) was the largest ever Civi ...

, 1918 Camp Colt and

1938 Gettysburg reunion The 1938 Gettysburg reunion was an encampment of American Civil War veterans on the Gettysburg Battlefield for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The gathering included approximately 25 veterans of the battle with a further 1,3 ...

History

After completion of a initial survey of Gettysburg along Rock Creek on January 12, 1882, the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Rail Road main line was instead completed into the borough along Oak Ridge with nine stations from Hunter's Run. By July 14, 1882, Ambrose E. Lehman of the State Geological Survey completed the G&HRR survey for the branch to Round Top, and the HJ,H&GRR (successor to the G&HRR) survey was begun by engineer

Joseph S. Gitt Joseph S. Gitt (September 9, 1815 – January 22, 1901) was a self-taught civil engineer and politician from Pennsylvania. After an unsuccessful career as a newspaper publisher, Gitt went back into railroading, estimating that in his career, he ha ...

1982 Out of the Past commemoration)
/ref> for a competing Round-Top Railroad Company route to Round Top; the latter was never built. Track workers under foreman Coulson were laying rails of per yard for the branch in May 1884, and laborer "Blind Davy" Weikert was blinded by a premature dynamite blast. The

Round Top Station Round Top Station was the southernmost station of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad and was located west of a blacksmith shop along the Taneytown Road that was in operation in 1880. History Despite the 1882 survey of a rail route from the " ...

's warehouse was completed June 21, 1884. After being surveyed in May, the branch's connection to the HJ, H&GRR was being completed on July 22, 1884 "just beyond the Cashman limestone kilns" and a siding along Fairfield Road had been completed along with a switch at the PA National Guard commissary (the 1913 siding held eight carloads of ice). The " dummy" Baldwin steam engine had begun

excursion An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Public transportation ...

s "to the hill" in June 1884 and could carry about 40 passengers (the branch's "dinky" could carry about 10). The G&HRR published a

guidebook with 1884 images by "the great landscape photographer, Mr. Bell, of Philadelphia". By 1888 the branch's Hancock Station on the battlefield was south of

The Angle The Angle (Bloody Angle Colloquialism, colloq.) is a Gettysburg Battlefield area which includes the 1863 Copse of Trees used as the target landmark for Pickett's Charge, the 1892 monument that marks the high-water mark of the Confederacy, a rock ...

near the Vermont and Tammany monuments, and on a map, a

wye Wye may refer to: Place names *Wye, Kent, a village in Kent, England ** Wye College, agricultural college, part of University of London before closure in 2009 **Wye School, serving the above village ** Wye railway station, serving the above villa ...

with crossing double spurs was depicted at Round Top Station with a benchmark at elevation; by 1904, the wye was no longer depicted. In 1902, Camp Lawton was headquartered at

with its telegraph and telephone office at the Emmitsburg Rd "junction of the steam and electric roads near the Codori buildings". Through October 1914, a combination arsenal and commissary along the Round Top Branch was used for Pennsylvania National Guard camps at Gettysburg. A special platform on the branch was built for

veterans to disembark directly into their camp on the west side of Emmitsburg Road; after addressing the veterans, President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of P ...

departed the

Great Camp __NOTOC__ The Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains refers to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The c ...

in his private rail car via the branch. The branch's junction was visible on a June 25 aerial photo of the

camp; on May 7, 1939 a

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly cal ...

train from Philadelphia carried 400 excursionists on the branch to Round Top. Except for special occasions (such as a trip by Bethlehem students in 1958), Reading passenger service to Gettysburg ceased in 1941 and an application to abandon the Round Top Branch was made in 1942 (the rails were removed and a few artifacts remain in place). The main-line junction is now located at

Seminary Ridge Seminary Ridge is a dendritic ridge which was an area of Battle of Gettysburg engagements in July 1863 during the American Civil War (1861–1865), and of military installations during World War II (1941–1945). Geography Seminary Ridge is ...

west of the original 19th century junction, and was used by the Gettysburg Railroad (1976–1996) and the 1996-2001

Gettysburg Railway The Gettysburg Railway was a Pennsylvania short-line railroad of RailAmerica that operated on between Gettysburg and Mount Holly Springs. The line shipped freight for local companies, interchanged with Conrail at Carlisle Junction in Moun ...

Route

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

1884 G&HRR timetable"Adams County Railroads", ''Gettysburg Compiler'', February 19, 1884Gettysburg area topographical mapGettysburg relief map"The New Railroad". ''Gettysburg Compiler'', April 29, 1884Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery at Find A Grave
Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Railway lines opened in 1942 Railway lines opened in 1884 1884 establishments in Pennsylvania

History

Route

See also

References

External links