Keystone Subdivision

Route map

Legend MP.0 Pittsburgh Subdivision 311.7 McKeesport 262.9 P&LE Liberty Boro Bridge over Youghiogheny River Great Allegheny Passage (P&LE) 308.7 Center St. Versailles Coulter 303.1 Shaner 301.6 Buena Vista 299.8 Scott Haven 297.8 Gratztown 295.9 Yough Slope 294.5 West Newton 292.7 Reduction 290.5 Fitz Henry defect detector 289.3 Smithton 286.6 W&LE Pittsburg Subdivision 285.5 Hagerman's Rock 281.7 Young 276.1 Dawson 275.3 Dawson defect detector 272.7 SWP Mt. Pleasant Industrial Track 270.3 W&LE Pittsburg Subdivision 269.7 Connellsville Connellsville Yard 268.6 SWP FM&P Subdivision 266.2 Casparis defect detector 262.9 Indian Creek 253.4 Ohiopyle 252.1 HK defect detector 251.8 HK Tower (Closed) 243.3 Confluence 240.9 Ursina 240.0 Benford Tunnel 239.8 Brook defect detector 239.6 Brook Tunnel 238.7 Brook 237.0 Shoo Fly Tunnel 235.2 Pinkerton Tunnel 239.8 Casselman defect detector 227.0 Siding 226.8 Rockwood S&C Subdivision 219.5 Garrett 219.2 Siding 218.4 Salisbury 216.0 Salisbury Junction Romania Industrial Track 215.1 Meyersdale defect detector 211.0 Sand Patch 209.6 Sand Patch Tunnel 206.5 NA Tower (Closed) 200.2 Glencoe defect detector 199.4 FO Tower (Closed) 196.9 Maxwell PRR line to Bedford 190.2 Hyndman Wills Creek 187.0 Cooks Mills defect detector 184.2 State line PA MD 183.8 Ellerslie WM to Frostburg Mt Savage jct. 181.3 Mt. Savage Georges Creek jct.│Eckhart jct. WM Scenic RR 178.2 Viaduct Junction Cumberland Terminal Subdivision This diagram: view talk edit

The Keystone Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The line runs from Cumberland, Maryland, west to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, (near Pittsburgh)^[1] along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) line. The line includes the well-known Sand Patch Grade over the Allegheny Mountains.^{[2] [3]}

The east end of the Keystone Subdivision is at Viaduct Junction in Cumberland, where it meets the Cumberland Terminal Subdivision at the east end of the Cumberland Viaduct. The west end is at Sinns, on the west (left) side of the Youghiogheny River at Liberty,^[4] where it continues as the Pittsburgh Subdivision through Pittsburgh and on to West Pittsburg. The Keystone Subdivision also joins with the S&C Subdivision at Rockwood, Pennsylvania.^[1]

Amtrak's Capitol Limited uses the Keystone Subdivision.

History

The Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad (P&C) was first incorporated in 1837, but did not succeed in raising money until 1846.^[5] Work began in 1847,^[6] and the line opened from Pittsburgh to Connellsville in 1857^[7] and to Cumberland in 1871.^[8] The B&O leased the P&C for 50 years effective January 1, 1876, and it was merged into the B&O in 1912.^[9]

A new bridge over the Youghiogheny River at Sinns opened in 1968, connecting the old P&C to the parallel Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (which the B&O had trackage rights over to New Castle^[4]) on the opposite shore. This allowed B&O trains to bypass downtown McKeesport; the B&O line through McKeesport was closed in 1970.^[10][11] The P&LE is now CSX's Pittsburgh Subdivision, while the old B&O tracks in the Pittsburgh area are mostly abandoned or operated by short lines.

In summer 1985, the Chessie System (the B&O's holding company at the time) announced that it would sever its St. Louis line through Ohio, rerouting all through traffic over the Alleghenies at Sand Patch rather than along the older Mountain Subdivision.

See also

• Cumberland Terminal Subdivision
• Pittsburgh Subdivision
• P&W Subdivision
• S&C Subdivision
• List of CSX Transportation lines

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keystone Subdivision.