The Railroad within Knox
|
|
The first railroad to run through Knox was The Emlenton, Shippenville and Clarion Railroad (ES and C). This railroad was built in order to connect Emlenton, Knox (Edenburg at that time), Shippenville and Clarion. It was a connection for communications to the County Seat of Clarion and the oil rich areas of Beaver Township and Clarion County. The ES and C Railroad was organized in June 1875 with James Bennett as the President. Lumber, farm produce, coal, limestone, and oil were all products that were shipped from Knox, Clarion and Shippenville by means of the railroad. These products were mainly delivered to Emlenton where they were passed onto the Allegheny Valley Railroad.
The ES and C Railroad in Beaver Township started in the Southwestern section, right below Monroville. It then headed in the Northeastern direction through Pickwick and then through Jefferson Furnace. From there it ran through the eastern tip of Beaver City. From Beaver City it ran through the Eastern part of Knox, where it then ran into Shippenville and on through Clarion. It then exits the Northeastern part of Beaver Township into Elk City which is located in Elk Township.
The construction of the Knox Railroad was started in 1876. It was first started by W.H. Smith who made the preliminary survey of the railroad. Because of the many trestles and heavy grades to be made for the completion of the railroad it would be a rather expensive railroad. The recorded costs totaled at $ 271,666, which is an average of $ 9,722.21 a mile. The ES and C Railroad finally reached Knox in January of 1877. Then in the spring of 1877 the railroad reached Clarion.
During March 1877 there was another important railroad being built. This railroad would run from Foxburg to Turkey City where it would connect with The ES and C Railroad. This railroad would be known as The Foxburg, St. Petersburg, and Turkey City Railroad. Then in March of 1879 there was another railroad that was built. This railroad was built by The Foxburg, Kane, and Bradford Railroad Company; it would run from Shippenville to Kane.
In March of 1881 The ES and C Railroad and The Foxburg, St. Petersburg, and Turkey City Railroad were consolidated by The Foxburg, St. Petersburg, and Clarion Railroad. When this change was made The Emlenton Branch was abandoned and torn up. Soon after the Foxburg, St. Petersburg, and Clarion was formed it became the Pittsburgh, Bradford, and Buffalo Railroad.
In October 1883 the Pittsburgh, Bradford, and Buffalo Railroad merged with the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad, which then in 1902 became the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B and O Railroad). The B and O Railroad ran freight and passenger trains until 1982. In 1982 The Knox and Kane Railroad (K and K) purchased the tracks from B and O Railroad that ran from Knox to Mt. Jewett, PA. The Knox Glass Plant was a main freight service to the K and K Railroad. When the Glass Plant closed in the mid 1980’s it upset the K and K Railroad industry. The K and K Railroad had to discontinue its regular freight service which reduced the traffic on the Knox to Mt. Jewett line to almost nothing.
The railroad tracks in Knox and Clarion Railroad tracks were torn up around 10 years ago. Now because of the Piney Dam the once famous bridge and trestle that ran across the Clarion River is now covered by about 40 feet of water. Although, when the dam is let out you can still the remains of the platforms that held and supported the bridge.