US 30 to Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Sideling Hill Tunnel

[thelazycomic]

Funny... the town of motels... and jerks. I went through there on October 22, 2011, and had my own jerk. Some idiot behind me at the turnpike toll plaza blowing his horn and screaming at me because I wasn't moving fast enough for him. And folks don't understand why I hate people so badly ???

[bullfrog1954]

@thelazycomic Yeah, Breezewood can be whacky, but we're stuck with passing through! Plans for an I-70 bybass were drawn up AGES ago-but the Breezewood folks keep striking it down! I ain't too big of a people person either.

[TheBlacksan]

@bullfrog1954 Ahhhh, Breezewood............ I was through there a few months ago for the first time in many years and it has changed some what. I actually was going to bypass it, but stopped at Kelly's in Everett for some "Bone Water" and food and thought why not. Can you still get to that dam east of Breezewood off 30?

[leveraction2008]

now at point 8:46 the white building that is the strip joint.......

[leveraction2008]

we ust to have some bad ass partys up there

[Gomindyourownloser]

I've been there (2:40) its a strip Joint

[leveraction2008]

@Gomindyourownloser this is not a strip joint its pebbles auction bar and it had minie gulf there its closed up now. i ust to go there all the time when i was a kid.

[Gomindyourownloser]

@leveraction2008 maybe it was but a few years ago there was a strip joint on that road heading out of breezewood Pa trust me because I was there when I was younger

[leveraction2008]

@Gomindyourownloser yeah at 8:46 or around there in the vid theres a white building that was the strip joint believe me i know i live around there... dont try to argue this with me.....

[leveraction2008]

@Gomindyourownloser  this is not a strip joint its pebbles auction barn and it had minie gulf there its closed up now. i ust to go there all the time when i was a kid.

[390merc65]

you went all that way and didnt go threw the tunnel?...you missed the best part

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 Actually this is not our first visit to this tunnel. We've been visiting there since the early 90s and on previous visits we've gone a considerable distance further into it. In the late 90s or early 2000s there was a huge wooden wall installed about 150 ft. beyond the entrance with a door one had to open to continue through. On a visit in 2002 we discovered this wooden wall had been removed and again the tunnel was unobstructed. Don't know offhand the reason for that wooden wall!

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 i think the wall was there to keep ppl out of it years ago when the ptc owned it ..i think the wall was put in the early 1970's ..all 3 tunnels had walls like that back then ..then over the years they stopped having security on the grounds and then the walls were taken down ..i think 73 was the last year for security and maintenance and the tunnels were basically left alone but kept the walls up to keep ppl out and also to store things in the tunnels

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 You mention the wall was put there in the early 70s but when we went there in the early 90s there was no wall. Maybe taken down and put back up? If it was put there to keep folks out then why would there be an unlocked door one could easily open and pass through? But you're right about 1973 being the last year of maintenance-for some reason the tunnel was maintained for five years after abandonment in 1968.

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 yeah..i cant remember were i read about the wooden walls if it was in my one book or on the net somewhere ..i think the walls were installed around 73 after security was taken off the job ..i would guess any doors were lockable at one time ...to think i live in p.a about about an hour and half drive away from the old pike and never knew anything about it until looking on line one day about an old train tunnel close to were i live

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 Interesting! For us it's about a 2 1/2 to 3 hr drive, but then again, we prefer the scenic routes rather than the interstates. We save them for the return drive. Wish I could recall if that door in the wall had a lock or didn't...I'll have to look through my videos and photos to see if I happened to document it. But still-first that wall wasn't there, then it was, and then it wasn't! Back in the 90s we would go there and have the place all to ourselves. Today it's a real hot spot!

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 i have an older book on the ptc,,,and also a newer publication on the ptc itself ..one of my trips there i perpousely looked for any signs of the wooded walls and if memory serve;s me correct ..i think i did see signs of green paint on the top of the tunnel just past the opening on the sideling hill south portal ..now you are jogging my memory and i think the walls were up then down over time..i know in 69 sideling hill was used for emissions test with a new 69 dodge at the time

[390merc65]

Respond to this video...yeah..aint that something..its practically in my own back yard and didnt know a thing about it till 4 years ago ..and i know also in 69 sideling hill was used for new state signs and to see how the elderly could read the sign in darkness ..and also reflective markers for road use were first tested at sideling hill ,,even the new movie[ the road ] was partly filmed at rays hill ..it would be very interesting to see any old film or photo's you have

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 I'll be glad to post a slide show of the photos as soon as I get them digitized. I first gotta dig them up! Don't remember how many I have. I first started shooting 8mm video in 1995 but I may have an "old" VHS video I shot with a rented camera before that. Don't know if any show that wall-but can't wait to rummage through my pix and vids to find out! But I too once read that the old highway was being used for paint stripe tests and things of the like.

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 it will be very interesting to see what you have ..and you are correct,,it was used to teach state employee's how to line paint..and also used as a shooting range for the police for a while..and rumble strips were developed there as well...and i dont know what truck it was. but a few truck commercials were filmed there too ..and test crash' s were studied there,,and a rock video was filmed there but i cant remember what band it was

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 I too remember hearing about a rock band making a video there but I can't remember who it was either. I also downloaded the trailer for "The Road" but haven't watched it yet! It got my interest because back in 1974 I wrote and recorded a song called The Road! Not my greatest song, recording or performance but it was the title song for the "album" I recorded with a musician friend back then. I'd post it but I'm too self-conscious!

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 i seen the video , but cant remember,,i am now curious so i will be looking for it soon ..there was old film footage of the pike and tunnels on the net taken back in 1940 when the pike opened , but it is since gone from the web ..well thats cool about the song you have..did you write about the pike ?....there is also an abandoned tunnel in w.v. ..[memorial tunnel] ..i guess the govern. use's it for testing now

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 I somehow recall seeing a movie of the turnpike after it opened but can't remember where-but there is a 1953 video posted of the tunnels under the name "1953 - Pennsylvania Turnpike Tunnels- improved video." Also I managed to find my VHS tape from the early 90s I previously mentioned! I shot it on June 28 1992, and guess what! It shows that wooden wall after all! And it jogged MY memory too! The wall had one big door and one small door. I'll digitize it asap and post it.

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 yes i have seen that home movie from 1953,,that was real nice to see that ..i watched it over and over ,,,it will be very interesting to see you old film and to see the wall;s.....i guess if it has one large and one small door i would assume the large door was for a truck to enter the tunnel ..when i learned about the pike and actually went there the first time, i was to late on seeing both bridge's at either end ..they were already taken down by the time i got there ,,bummer

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 I have videos that show both the Oregon RD and US 30 bridges but none showing the one over Pump Station RD. I know the latter two were removed but I'm not sure about the Oregon RD overpass. Didn't occur to me to check it out on my last trip this past August 8! Incidently Breezewood was incredibly crowded on that day! The Oregon RD and US 30 bridges appear in the 1992 video. In fact I have more videos that do show the bridges than don't!

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 Oh, yeah-as far as my song goes, I wrote about roads in general; how it seems like roads are everywhere, taking us over, that sort of thing. And that was back in 1974, let alone now! I'd post it if it weren't for my fear of self incrimination! My singing's nothing to brag about. Well, maybe it isn't all that bad. Maybe I'll couple it with some "classic" road shots in a slide show. I plan to watch the movie trailer tonight.

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 well i can understand that ...i am not much of a people person so i couldnt do that either ..that sounds like it would be a good video if you had some old road shots to go with it

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 I've got tons of old road images. But I still gotta get up the nerve...!

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 well i dont blame you there

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 But still it's a good quadraphonic mix anyway. Now they call it "surround sound (or Dolby 5.1)" but I'm a purist. I might still do it when I get the photos together and hope for the best!

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 ..yes..you might be on to something ..it really would be something to see though

[390merc65]

@bullfrog1954 ..do you have any photo's of laurel hill tunnel ?..just curious

[bullfrog1954]

@390merc65 I'm very familiar with the Laurel Hill Tunnel & have been by it many times, but unfortunately have no images of it. I think I once heard something about race car drivers using the stretch of abandoned turnpike that tunnel's located on.