Bell's Gap Railroad
The Bell's Gap Railroad was a long railroad in Pennsylvania. It was inaugurated in 1873 and consolidated in 1874. The original construction was narrow-gauge.
History
The Bell's Gap Railroad Company was incorporated under the general law of Pennsylvania on 11 May 1871, to construct a railway from Bell's Mills, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, to Lloyds in Cambria County. The construction began in 1872, and the long line was put in operation in June 1873.The Pennsylvania & North Western Railroad Company became the successor by change of name of the Bell's Gap Railroad Company on 9 May 1874.
In 1883 and 1884, the Pennsylvania & North Western Railroad Company converted the original 3 foot gauge trackage to standard gauge.
Route and track
The grade was very heavy, the maximum of 158.4 feet to the mile being continuous for.The sharpest curvature was 28° with a radius. There were ten of these curves on the maximum grade, two of which were long with a turning an angle of 168°.
The weight of rail was 35 pounds to the yard.
Rolling stock
The weight of the engines was 15 tons. The following rolling stock was used in 1875:Operation
Operations for year ending 31 December 1875 were as follows:- Gross earnings: $38,146.42
- Operating expenses: $18,504.85
- Net earnings, $19,641.57