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ABOVE: On a wintry February day in 1971, B&O 9014, 9015, and 9007 switch the Penreco chemical facility at Karns City. This plant remains a major customer today for the Buffalo & Pittsburgh. PHOTO BY ROSS JACK


Karns City Railroad (P&KC). In 1881, both were merged into the Pittsburgh & Western (P&W), which connected at Butler. In 1884, when the P&W came under Baltimore & Ohio control, the P&W ran from Pittsburgh (Millvale) to Mount Jewett and was standard gauge between Pittsburgh and Callery, west of Butler. The line remained narrow gauge north of Callery to Mount Jew- ett. In 1901, the Butler to Foxburg sec- tion, most of which is today’s Northern Sub, was standard gauged. Around 1920 or so, the Foxburg to Mount Jew- ett section of the P&W was made stan- dard gauge. For more history on the P&W and Northern Sub please see au- thor Wayne Cole’s book Ghost Rails VIII, which covers the Northern Sub north of Petrolia to Mount Jewett.


In 1932 B&O acquired control of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh. With the BR&P largely parallel to the P&W and having better grades, the old P&W became a secondary line. North of Foxburg, the P&W resorted to using switchbacks to climb out of the Alleghe- ny River Valley. In the early 1960s, the B&O was finally able to abandon the switchback north of Foxburg and over the years slowly cut back trackage south of Foxburg. In the early 1980s, the B&O ran its last trains north of Bruin and then in June 1988 sold what was left of the Northern Sub to Genesee & Wyoming, becoming part of its Buffa- lo & Pittsburgh operation. Today’s Northern Sub is a 15-mile long branch, running from a connection


38 JANUARY 2014 • RAILFAN.COM


Buffalo & Pittsburgh’s Northern Subdivision


Illustration by Otto M. Vondrak. Not all lines shown. Not an official map. ©2014Carstens Publications, Inc.


BRP- Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh PW- Pittsburgh & Western BO- Baltimore & Ohio BLE- Bessemer & Lake Erie WARR- Western Allegheny Railroad CN- Canadian National


Euclid Gilbert Karns City Fairmont Queen Jct. Jamisonville Divener Chicora


Parker


Dudley Bruin


Petrolia


North Oakland Oneida


East Butler Butler Shops BUTLER Lyndora 0 MILES McCalmont Renfrew 5


PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH


BUTLER Carbon Center WS Tower Wadsworth


Lucasville Fenelton


BPRR (BRP/BO)


BPRR (PW/BO)


CN (BLE)


BLE (WARR)


BO (PW)


CN (BLE)


BPRR (BRP/BO)


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