T he Montour Railroad began in 1877, and was privately
owned by the Imperial Coal Company, running from the mines to Coraopolis. It was a short-line railroad, which offered both freight and passenger service to 15 area stations( the passenger service ended in 1927). Most railroads of that time were short lines running just a few miles and managed locally.
The Pittsburgh Coal Company acquired the line in 1901, although no significant changes were made until 1912 when the line was expanded to include other area mines and factories, running to West Mifflin and Moon Run, with five major area railroads all linking to the mighty Montour.
The Montour Railroad was a beehive of activity in the 1930s as coal was booming. But unfortunately, as the coal mines were becoming depleted, there was less need for the well-connected line. In 1946, the line was sold jointly to the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad, which was a subsidiary of the railway giant New York Central.
The Montour Railroad continued to decline in the 1950s since there was less coal, and eventually it ceased operations in 1984 as the last mine, Westland Coal Mine, closed.
As many area residents know, the Montour Trail Council began acquiring sections of the old railroad line to make a wonderful trail for daily use by walkers, hikers and bikers. The Montour Railroad Historical
Society was created to preserve
The North Star Train Station located in present-day Santiago in the 1920s.
the history and artifacts of this important part of our past, and has many historical items, including an extensive scale model of the line maintained by the DARE Model Railroad Club.
The model can be viewed at the Montour History Room, located at the Venetia Community Center, 800 Venetia Road, Venetia, PA 15367. The history room and model are open to the public on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p. m. and Saturdays from
9 a. m. to noon. For more information, visit mrhs. montourrr. com, or follow at facebook. com / groups / 253270861416620. n
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