South Mountain Railroad

South Mountain Railroad

Company type	Railroad company
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	May 5, 1854 (1854-05-05)
Defunct	1880 (1880)
Fate	Liquidated and assets sold; reorganized as Blue Mountain Railroad and later Harrisburg and South Mountain Railroad
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Pennsylvania

The South Mountain Railroad was a railroad enterprise operating within Pennsylvania, United States.

History

Established on May 5, 1854 by regional entrepreneurs, the initial route was designed to run from Harrisburg to Jonestown, continuing along the southern side of Blue Mountain toward Rehrersburg and Hamburg. On March 17, 1859, it adopted the name Harrisburg and Hamburg Railroad, before reverting back to South Mountain Railroad on May 21, 1873. Subsequently, on April 11, 1868, the South Side Railroad was formed with the purpose of connecting near Hamburg to the Delaware River, traversing through Northampton County.

By approximately 1872, these rail lines were integrated into the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route. Work commenced on grading between Rockville and Linglestown, and in 1873 corporate taxes were filed for the South Side Railroad. Nevertheless, construction was interrupted by the Panic of 1873. On February 16, 1874, President William H. Bell revealed intentions to establish a branch line from Strausstown to Reading, asserting that roughly two-thirds of the segment between Harrisburg and Strausstown had been completed. Despite these claims, financial limitations hindered further development.

Efforts by local stakeholders sporadically persisted to connect Fredericksburg with the Lebanon and Tremont Branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad located at Jonestown. Construction included bridge piers spanning Swatara Creek, excavation north of Jonestown, culverts, and grading work. However, economic challenges forced the liquidation of company assets through auction in October 1877 and the disposal of rights-of-way along with equipment by February 1880. The railroad never installed tracks nor commenced operations. Remaining properties were transferred to the Pennsylvania and New England Railroad later that year; alternative records indicate a sheriff’s sale of the charter to the Harrisburg and New England Railroad occurred on November 30, 1888.

A reorganization led to the formation of the Blue Mountain Railroad on August 8, 1893, followed by another restructuring as the Harrisburg and South Mountain Railroad on August 12, 1901; operations had ceased by 1912.

Surviving physical traces comprise bridge piers and grading westward from Fredericksburg. The cut near Jonestown was converted into a landfill before being filled in for Swatara Drive’s construction. Analysis using LIDAR and topographical mapping reveals remaining sections extending west towards Susquehanna Township in Dauphin County; additionally, an old railbed adjacent to Bernville follows Northkill Creek opposite Route 183.

External links

• John Hower's article concerning this railroad
• Bridge piers located in Swatara Creek:
• Culvert spanning a tributary of Little Swatara Creek:
• Culvert over a tributary of Elizabeth Run: