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Sunbury & Lewistown RailwayAt the same time as the Mifflin & Centre County Railroad was being built, plans were made up to construct yet another railroad between Lewistown and Sunbury. It's purpose was similar to that of the KVRR, to rely on the agricultural trade to keep the railroad solvent. On September 7, 1866, the promoters of the route went before Governor Curtin and had a Letter's Patent issued. The name of the road was the Middle Creek Railroad.Work on the railroad began in late 1867, but it would be four long years before the cars would run over the line. The 43-mile (69 kilometers) road started at a connection with the Mifflin & Centre County Railroad within Lewistown and ran east along Jack's Creek. At about the half-way point, near Beaver Springs, the road met up with its namesake, Middle Creek, and followed it to the Susquehanna river at Selinsgrove. A bridge was built across the Susquehanna and the railroad made a connection with the Northern Central Railway which ran from Harrisburg north to Sunbury. The road went through hilly terrain and had numerous curves and bridges. In 1870, before the railroad was even finished, the corporate name was changed to the Sunbury & Lewistown Railroad Company. This was done to conform to Legislative authority, and to reflect more realistically the operating goals of the company. Similar to the Mifflin and Centre County Railroad, upon completion of the S&LR the Pennsylvania Railroad leased the road. It then commenced operation of the line on December 1, 1871. The PRR had great interest in this road for it cut out the 105-mile (169 kilometers) circuitous route via Marysville made by its coal trains from northeastern PA to Pittsburgh and beyond. The PRR also anticipated the mining of iron deposits as well as possibly oil along the new line. The Great Panic of 1873 and the subsequent national depression took its toll on all railroads, large and small... particularly small. The Sunbury & Lewistown defaulted on its mortgage bonds, was foreclosed, and then sold in May of 1874 after being run less than three years. Legal and financial difficulties forced the railroad to shutdown in January of 1875. Eventually the successor company was able to resolve its problems, and reorginized itself as the Sunbury & Lewistown Railway Company. The railroad entered into a new operating lease with the PRR and trains commenced to run once again between Lewistown and Selinsgrove on July 24, 1876. Misfortune fell on the Sunbury & Lewistown again on February 17, 1877 when a fire destroyed the wooden bridge spanning the Susquenna River. The PRR, tired of delays, quicky rebuilt the bridge in just under two months. Trains stopped running along the old S&LR in the early 1980's, but the rails continued to stand. In January 1996, the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority bought the "Lewistown Cluster" (the old M&CC and the S&LR lines) from Conrail and created the Juniata Valley Railroad. This little railroad now serves on the old S&LR rails as far as Maitland. (View photos of the JVRR at www.railfanusa.com.) |
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