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| Southern Portal |
One thing Central Pennsylvania has is an abundance of
railroads. That being said there is a lot of history to be explored along those
old iron rails. I had recently started to research an abandon stretch of track
known as the East Broad Top (EBT) Railroad that is near where I live. I had
grown up hearing about the track but never really investigated it until
recently. One subject that appealed to me was an abandon railroad tunnel along
the EBT named Sideling Hill Tunnel. I recognized the name immediately and
thought it had to do with the abandon stretch of Pennsylvania Turnpike, but was
mistaken.
The Sideling Hill Railroad Tunnel got its name from passing
through Sideling Hill, which is more like a mountain, and stretches a good part
of Pennsylvania. In 1873, it was decided that going through Sideling Hill would
be the easiest route for the EBT railroad and boring began at both ends. About
1 year later, the little over 800-foot tunnel was completed. The tunnel had a
“horseshoe” curve to it, and would later become a design flaw. In 1911 a
locomotive wrecked due to wind freezing water on the tracks. Shortly after the
accident, large wooden doors were made to close the tunnel and prevent
freezing. In 1919 a concrete portal was made at the north portal with new metal
roll up doors. Men would operate the doors all year around. Then in 1948 the
doors became automated to save money. Today you can find the rusted remains of
the roll up metal door at the northern portal.
Currently the tunnel still remains but is slowly fading
away. Water is pooled in the tunnel floor, and rocks have fallen throughout the
tunnel making it very hazardous. The southern portal is almost caved in
completely. We parked in the SGL and walked a good distance with GPS
coordinates in hand. Finally, we came upon an old stretch of the EBT railroad.
Trees and bushes had reclaimed most of the old rails. We came across the
southern portal and didn’t want to chance walking through the tunnel. Our visit
was cut short due to the evening creeping up on us and we didn’t get to visit
the northern portal. Hopefully we will get a chance to visit it soon.
The easiest way to reach the tunnel is by Route 944
(old plank Road) between Broad Top City and Three Springs. When driving, look
for overgrown railroad tracks and follow them a few hundred years. A parking
lot for SGL 121 is a short distance from the tracks. I do not advise anyone to
go inside the tunnel due to the very dangerous condition it is in.
