The first railroad to run in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was the Pittsburgh & Connellsville (P&C). The first section ran from Turtle Creek, near Pittsburgh, to Connellsville. Although the P&C was incorporated in 1837, the first trains did not run in Fayette County until 1855. The delay to reach the county seat of Uniontown was even longer.
The leaders of Uniontown initially supported the idea of a railroad. General Henry W. Beeson had been one of the initial subscribers to the P&C, and in the 1830's he supported the advent of the railroads. However, in the 1840's, he changed his position. At a meeting held in Uniontown in July 1845, General Beeson argued that the railroad would take away commerce from the National Road, including all of the businesses in Uniontown, such as black smiths and taverns, which serviced the travelers on the National Road. His efforts slowed the railroads' arrival in Uniontown.
However, when the Pennsylvania Railroad opened a line to Pittsburgh in 1852, the citizens of Uniontown were aroused to the importance of the railroads. At another meeting held at the courthouse on January 11,1853, James Veech, Esquire, painted the picture of prosperity that would be brought by the railroad. Subscriptions began that day for the Fayette County Railroad (the first FCRR). The Fayette County Railroad was the first to reach Uniontown when it opened a line between Connellsville and Uniontown in late 1859 that was officially opened on Monday, January 2,1860.
History loves irony. Despite General Beeson's efforts, not only did both the Pennsylvania Railroad and the B&O reach Uniontown, but also tracks were actually laid right down the middle of one of its streets. The name of that street - Beeson Boulevard! The tracks are still there, and on special occasions the Fayette Central Railroad runs right down Beeson Boulevard.
"The Route"
FM&P Subdivision of the B&O
The Fairmont, Morgantown & Pittsburgh Railroad Company (FM&P) operated between Uniontown, PA, and Fairmont, WV. It was actually consolidated from five different railroads: The Fairmont, Morgantown & Pittsburg (no "h"); the Fayette County Railroad; the State Line
Railroad; the Smithfield and Masontown, and the Cheat Haven and Bruceton. When all were consolidated in 1915, the "h" was added to
Pittsburgh.
The line became known as the "Sheepskin Route." Here are two stories about the nickname. The first is that a sheep farmer, angry that the train running through his farm scattered his sheep, cursed it as "that sheep skinning railroad." The second explanation is that Morgantown is home to West Virginia University, where students receive sheepskins (diplomas) when they graduate.
In the late 1890's the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad acquired the FM&P and the 11 miles of track from the Fayette County Railroad connecting Uniontown to the B&O main line. This area was known as the "Coke Region" because thousands of beehive ovens operated in this area. In the 1950's most of the coke traffic relocated to Pittsburgh, but there was a great deal of freight traffic until the 1970's. Regular passenger service ended in 1953. In the 1980's Chessie System removed the tracks from Smithfield, PA to Morgantown, WV.
In 1996 CSXT sold the remaining line to the Fay-Penn Industrial Development Corp. The Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad handles freight service, and the Fayette Central Railroad offers scenic trains to allow people to "Ride the Sheepskin Line."
The fourth Rail Diesel Car ordered by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad rolled out of the Budd Corporation's Red Lion plant in Philadelphia on April 15, 1953 and joined the Pittsburgh commuter pool for the Pittsburgh to Versailles route.
On February 1, 1975, the Port Authority of Allegheny County took over the commuter service and leased 9913 until 1981.
"Equipment "
It was then leased to the Maryland Department of Transportation for use in the Washington-Baltimore area. MARC purchased it in 1991, and it was retired on January 8, 1993.
9913 was donated to the B&O Railroad Museum as the last RDC to retain its original B&O lettering. She has had minimal changes throughout her service life. The Fayette Central Railroad has leased the 9913 from the B&O Railroad Museum collection and restored the car to its original paint scheme inside. Ride in air-conditioned comfort.
Info Recieved From the Fayette Central's OFFICAL Site:
http://www.fayettecentralrailroad.com/index.html
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CN 1501 Track Geometry Car working at Dalkeithby EasternOntarioTracks498 views
Canada Rocks! USA Rocks!Brazil sucks!
v8fepasa 1 year ago
Canada Rocks! Brazil sucks!
v8fepasa 1 year ago
So do I!
xxxDeath9572xxx 1 year ago
@xxxDeath9572xxx yeah that's what he was telling my dad. I hope he gets in.
veronicaleighbaker 1 year ago
He knows a bunch of guys on Amtrak, as do I. He applied for a job with Norfolk Southern and he has an interview tomorrow morning
xxxDeath9572xxx 1 year ago
@xxxDeath9572xxx Yeah that's what they start out at I guess. My dad and Mike started out there too. Troy's pretty new to the group so I think he'll catch on quickly. I guess some of his friends work on AM Track. Did I say that right? lol i guess he wwent to apply. I guess he's going to take a test.
veronicaleighbaker 1 year ago
@xxxDeath9572xxx you could probably work next year but, they'd have you just punch tickets or something like that.
veronicaleighbaker 1 year ago
Yea. Troy told me is a breakman.
xxxDeath9572xxx 1 year ago
@xxxDeath9572xxx Yeah Troy S. was their Sunday but I think my dad was breakmen for the first trip. Idk about Troy.
veronicaleighbaker 1 year ago