Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel

The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel, also known as the Mount Washington Coal Tunnel, was a 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm) narrow-gauge railway tunnel under Mt. Washington.

Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel

Overview
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.42811°N 80.00517°W / 40.42811; -80.00517
Status	closed
Start	above Carson Street
End	above Warrington Avenue[1]
Operation
Work begun	1825, as a mine
Constructed	conversion of former coal mine
Opened	November 1, 1871
Closed	1912[2]
Technical
Length	1,741 feet (531 m), with 1,766-foot (538 m) extension branch
Track gauge	3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm)
Tunnel clearance	12.5 feet (3.81 m)

History

This tunnel was originally begun as a coal mine^[3] in 1825 by Jacob Beltzhoover.^[4]

The mine was extended to the south side of Mount Washington by 1861, and used as part of a system to transport coal from mines along the Saw Mill Run valley to Pittsburgh,^[5] connecting with the 850 feet (260 m) Mt. Washington Coal Incline.

The lease to the tunnel was purchased by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad from Mrs. Mary Anne Bailey in November 1871, with the height of the tunnel being increased from 5.5 feet (1.7 m) to 12.5 feet (3.8 m) in 1874.

The tunnel provided passenger service, beginning in 1874, but this was terminated in 1880 when its passenger duties were assumed by the Castle Shannon Incline.

Although the tunnel was declared unsafe for passenger transport in 1893, the tunnel and the Horseshoe Curve continued to be used to transport coal until May 1, 1912.^[6]

The southern (Beltzhoover) end of the tunnel temporarily collapsed in a rainstorm in 1901.^[7]