Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad


The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad, also known as the Shawmut Line, was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Since 2004, it has been operated as part of the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, which is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

History

The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad is often confused with the similarly named Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad from which the P&S had its origins. Further adding to the confusion is the fact that both were nicknamed the Shawmut Line, both operated in roughly the same geographic area, and both used similar diamond logos during their history. In fact the two were separate and unrelated companies after their 1916 split.
The P&S operated on a single-track main line, with approximately 88 miles of standard gauge track extending from Brockway, Pennsylvania to Freeport, Pennsylvania. The railroad operated using timetable and train orders without block systems until at least 1950. The main shops were located in Brookville, Pennsylvania.

Beginnings

The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad Company began life on July 21, 1903, as the Brookville and Mahoning Railroad, leased by the Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad. When the PS&N declared bankruptcy in 1905, the B&M was spun off into a separate entity and was renamed in 1909 due to confusion with the Boston and Maine Railroad's initials. Coal was the principal commodity for the line for its entire existence. Doodlebugs and passenger trains ran on the route in the early years but had all been eliminated by 1939.

Recent History

By 1986, the Pittsburg & Shawmut had interchanges with Conrail at Brookville and Freeport, and with the Chessie System at Dellwood and West Mongrove.
The company acquired a ten-mile section of Conrail track running from Sligo to Lawsonham in 1989 and reorganized it as the Red Bank Railroad. On December 31, 1991, the company purchased about of the Low Grade Secondary track from Lawsonham to Driftwood, Pennsylvania from Conrail and organized it as the Mountain Laurel Railroad.

Spelling of Pittsburg

The spelling of Pittsburgh as Pittsburg derives from the company's origins in the Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern Railroad. That company was chartered in 1899 when the name of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was commonly spelled without the h. The United States Board on Geographic Names advocated the h-less spelling from 1891 to 1911 in an effort to standardize the spelling of place names in the United States.

Management

The Arthur T. Walker Estate Corporation had direct control of the company until 1996, when the railroad was acquired by the Genesee & Wyoming. The Genesee & Wyoming operated the Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad under its own banner until January 1, 2004, when it was absorbed into the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, another G&W company. Simultaneously, a new company with the same name was created to purchase the property, which is now operated by the BPRR. Today, most of the railroad is gone. The B&P ran the last train between Brookville, PA and Reesedale, PA in January 2000, and removed the tracks between 2005 and 2006. The main line between Brookville and Brockway was removed in 2003.

Locomotive Roster

The Pittsburg & Shawmut operated with steam power until the entire steam roster was scrapped in favor of dieselization in late 1953. After 1953, motive power consisted of a fleet of EMD SW9 switcher locomotives and, later, EMD GP7s.
In the 1970s, the Pittsburg & Shawmut modified several aspects of the fleet to celebrate the United States Bicentennial: the warm yellow and red color scheme was replaced by red, white, and blue to resemble the nation's flag; locomotives were renumbered in honor of significant years in American history; and the locomotives were nicknamed after American historical figures and arms manufacturers.
Last Engine No./Old Engine No.'s Year builtBuilderTypeWheel arrangementNotesImage
PS 1041920American Locomotive CompanyE-1-S Class Atlantic4-4-2Scrapped November 1938
PS 1051920American Locomotive CompanyE-1-S Class Atlantic4-4-2Scrapped November 1938
PS 2001911Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2Scrapped, locomotive bell preserved and on display at the Jefferson County History Center.
PS 2011911Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2Scrapped November 1938
PS 2021913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2031913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2041913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2051913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2Scrapped November 1938
PS 2061913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2071913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2081913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2091913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2101913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2111913Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ-Class Mikado2-8-2Scrapped November 1938
PS 2121914Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ1-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2131914Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ1-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2141914Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ1-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2151914Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ1-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2161914Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ1-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2171914Baldwin Locomotive WorksJ1-Class Mikado2-8-2
PS 2261911Baldwin Locomotive WorksH-Class Consolidation2-8-0
PS 2271911Baldwin Locomotive WorksH-Class Consolidation2-8-0Scrapped November 1942
PS 2281911Baldwin Locomotive WorksH-Class Consolidation2-8-0Scrapped December 1940
PS 2291911Baldwin Locomotive WorksH-Class Consolidation2-8-0Scrapped November 1938
PS 570/MON 5701929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1947. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 571/MON 5711929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1949. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 572/MON 5721929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1949. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 573/MON 5731929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1947. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 574/MON 5741929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1947. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 575/MON 5751929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1947. Involved in a 1950 collision with a motor-truck in Timblin, PA, killing one employee and injuring one employee. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 577/MON 5771929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1947. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 579/MON 5791929American Locomotive CompanyJ4 Class Mikado2-8-2Acquired from the Monon Railroad in 1949. Scrapped in 1953.
PS 1775/PS 231 1953EMDSW9B-BSold to the Lycoming Valley Railroad
PS 1866/PS 232 1953EMDSW9B-BAs of April 28th, 2025, PS #1866 serves as AERC #1866 on the Albany & Eastern Railroad in Oregon.
PS 1774/PS 233 1953EMDSW9B-BAs of June 11, 2023, PS #1774 serves as PSCC #16 on the Pennsylvania & Southern Railroad in Chambersburg, PA.
PS 1891/PS 234 1953EMDSW9B-B
PS 1851/PS 235 1953EMDSW9B-B
PS 1865/PS 236 1953EMDSW9B-BAs of May 24th, 2025, PS #1865 serves as JVRR #2106 for the Juniata Valley Railroad in central Pennsylvania.
PS 1949/PS 237 1953EMDSW9B-B
PS 1816/PS 238 1953EMDSW9B-BSold to the Lycoming Valley Railroad
PS 1776/PS 239 1953EMDSW9B-BSold to the Lycoming Valley Railroad
PS 357/RDG 608 1953EMDGP7B-BRather than a year, this locomotive's number is a reference to the .357 Magnum, invented by Dan B. Wesson. Locomotive purchased from the Reading Railroad in 1975, set aside in 1981, and scrapped in March 1986.
PS 10/CR 5672/PC 5672/NYC 58171953EMDGP7B-BPurchased from Conrail in 1981. First in service for the P&S in 1982.
PS 11/CR 5818/PC 5818/NYC 5818/C&O 57201951GMDGP7B-BPurchased from Conrail in 1981. First in service for the P&S in 1985.