The Abandon Sideling Hill Railroad Tunnel

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.