FreeWheeling Easy Supplement

Staple Bend Tunnel was the first railroad tunnel in the United States. It served the Allegheny Portage Railroad, a combined railroad and incline system that shortened the travel time from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh from three weeks to four days. Now part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, the tunnel used to be closed except for special occasions. Now this extraordinary tunnel is the highlight of a 2.3-mile trail, with the prospect of extensions at both ends to lengthen it to 8 miles in 2002.

The trail is on a bench along the side of the hill. Below you is the Little Conemaugh River, of Johnstown Flood fame. After a mile and a half, you’ll see 2-3 rows of square stones along the trail on the left. Each stone has two drilled holes about the size of your finger. These sleepers supported wooden rails with iron straps on the running surface.

Two miles from the trailhead you reach the east portal of the tunnel. Built in 1833, this was the first railroad tunnel in the US. This end has been restored after some years of deterioration. Most of the 900-ft tunnel is natural rock, but 150’ at each end is lined with stone blocks. Take a good flashlight so you can appreciate the interior rock and the accomplishment of building this tunnel. As you emerge from the tunnel, look back at the west portal, which has the original Roman Revival facade.

This was the head of the first of the inclined planes that alternated with railroad to make the Allegheny Portage such a distinctive transportation system. As cars came out of the tunnel, they were lowered on an inclined plane to the next railroad level below. Westbound traffic was brought by train to the foot of the incline, raised to tunnel level, and sent onward, pulled by the same engines that delivered eastbound traffic to the head of the incline. The incline originally operated with thick manila ropes, but these were later replaced with steel cables. Today’s trail descends briskly down the grade of the incline. At present it ends at a small bridge a tenth of a mile beyond the tunnel.

The large concrete structure at the end of the tunnel is a later addition. It was built in the 1950s by Bethlehem Steel to control water flow in a pipe they had laid through the tunnel. When the incline was operating, the power plant was at about this location. So the tunnel is now in its third life.

Vicinity: Directions begin on PA271, headed south from its intersection with US22. To reach this point from Pittsburgh, go east on US22.

Mineral Point (only) trailhead: Go south on PA271 for 4.8 miles, passing through the village of Wesley Chapel. Just south of Wesley Chapel, turn left on Mineral Point Rd (SR3030). Go east on this winding road for 1.7 miles. Just after crossing a creek, turn right on Beech Hill Rd (SR3035) and go a quarter-mile, crossing another creek and going under a RR track, to the park entrance on the right.

Rest rooms, picnic tables, but no water at the trailhead. Snacks and bike rental across the street from the trailhead. Other services along PA271, especially near US22.