Beech Creek Railroad

The Beech Creek Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in central Pennsylvania between Jersey Shore and Mahaffey. Originally chartered in 1882, it was leased by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (later the New York Central Railroad) in 1890 and was directly operated by that company afterwards. Much of the line was abandoned in the second half of the 20th century, though sections at both ends are still active.

History

The company's origins lay in the Susquehanna and Southwestern Railroad, which was chartered on August 12, 1882. That company's charter called for a 100-mile (160 km) line from Williamsport, Pennsylvania to the Clearfield county line. The company changed its name to the Beech Creek, Clearfield, and Southwestern Railroad on March 20, 1883. The company failed and was sold to the newly organized Beech Creek Railroad on June 29, 1886. The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad officially leased the company on December 15, 1890, backdated to October 1. The New York Central merged the Cambria County Railroad into the Beech Creek Railroad on May 11, 1898.

An April 29, 1951 a New York Central Timetable listed the line as the "Pennsylvania Division" while an October 30, 1960 Timetable listed it as the "Syracuse Division."