Ligonier Valley Railroad
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| Reporting mark | LGV |
|---|---|
| Locale | Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania |
| Dates of operation | 1877–1952 |
| Successor | None except for 3 miles (5 km) used by the Pennsylvania Railroad |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge |
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| Length | 15.9 miles (25.6 km) |
| Headquarters | Ligonier, Pennsylvania |
The Ligonier Valley Railroad (reporting mark LGV) connected the communities of Latrobe and Ligonier, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles (16 km) apart, between 1877 and 1952. For much of its length, the railroad ran parallel to Loyalhanna Creek in a scenic mountain gorge. In addition to the Latrobe-Ligonier line, there was an extension to the coal mining communities of Wilpen and Fort Palmer to the north of Ligonier, as well as several shorter spurs serving coal mines.
The railroad was owned and operated by the Mellon family of banking fame. Freight included coal, coke, lumber, and quarry stone.
The history of the railroad can be traced back to 1853, when the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the “Act of Incorporation for the Latrobe and Ligonier Rail Road Company.” The name was changed to the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Company in May 1871. Grading and construction were very slow owing to financial problems, and in August 1877 Thomas Mellon, a Pittsburgh banking magnate, agreed to purchase the line. Service finally began on December 1, 1877.
The railroad was originally 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, but was converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in 1882.
Another segment of the railroad has its roots in a 1903 venture known as the Westmoreland Central Railroad. This company proposed to build a railroad connecting Ligonier to Bolivar, where it would connect with the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1904, the Ligonier Valley Railroad purchased the partly constructed line. In 1908, this was opened as the Ligonier-Wilpen-Fort Palmer branch and was 5.7 miles (9.2 km) in length. The segment that would have linked Bolivar was never constructed, leaving the coal mining community of Fort Palmer as the northernmost extent of the Ligonier Valley Railroad.
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