Please forgive the double post, I just really want to elaborate on the Danville & Shamokin.
Yeah, I made a new fictional railroad in 2018. Crazy, isn't it? For those not following my progress on the Reichensberg & Eastern in the Active Route Projects subforum, the D&S was meant to be a plot filler and the origin of one of their steam locomotives. However, I found myself needing to craft a story just to get the old 0-6-0 to operate from 1905 all the way to 1969. I ended up doing extensive research on two small towns in the Appalachians and finding all sorts of excuses just to get it to work. Many times, I considered scrapping and relocating it, and every time it hurt to think about. What truly kept me going with the D&S was the history I had immersed myself in, from Danville's rich history as a commerce center and the birth of the T-rail to Shamokin being mentioned in a musical. I've finally refined it to the point where I'm satisfied, and it's at least my second favorite fictional I've ever made. Yes, I pride the D&S over my Columbus, Pittsburgh, & Allegheny, which I poured years into, and the only fictional in its way is the R&E. Now that that's out of the way, let's dive into a piece of anthracite history.
In 1873, a railroad was chartered to feed Danville's hungry blast furnaces. This would involve reaching into the Western Middle coal field and the iron and limestone deposits near Danville. Shamokin was chosen as an endpoint, leading to the concise name of Danville & Shamokin. The plan was an ambitious route no other railroad had realized, cutting through the Appalachians instead of retreating to the Susquehanna River. As expected, it was an arduous and expensive undergoing, costing far more than expected. Additionally, a banking panic battered the poorly managed effort into submission, and the company went bankrupt the year it was chartered. The railroad only reached a few miles down a creek called Logan Run.
The D&S was reorganized in 1879 as the Danville & Logan Run when the depression lifted. The line was extended down Logan Run, and a branch was built to a nearby iron ore mine. The railroad's first locomotives were finally purchased, a pair of Dickson 2-6-0s. To bolster their company, a branch was built north from Danville to the limestone deposits near Milton. The D&LR saw an opportunity to run passenger trains between Milton and Danville, and passenger service commenced when the line was completed in late 1880. While the railroad's initial goal had not been accomplished, they were finally stable.
That would change in 1882, when management caught wind of a railroad charter following their original route. Not wanting to be outdone, the D&LR immediately resumed construction to Shamokin. However, by the time they reached Paxinos, competition was fierce between the PRR and the newly constructed Shamokin, Sunbury, & Lewisburg. The latter had reworked their route to reach West Milton instead of Danville due to easier grades. Instead of attempting to build a new line, the D&S asked the PRR to obtain trackage rights along their Shamokin Division. However, the PRR was unwilling to do so, leading to the most ironic decision the D&S had to make. The D&S from Paxinos to Shamokin ran along the SS&L, the railroad they sought to beat out. The D&LR once again reorganized, this time back to Danville & Shamokin.
In 1883, the SS&L was leased to the Philadelphia & Reading.
While late to the iron boom, the D&S had a successful start servicing the mills in Danville. Coal, iron, and limestone were hot commodities, all going to the steel and iron mills. There was also a healthy dose of bridge traffic, as the D&S interchanged with the DL&W in Danville and the Reading in Shamokin. Additionally, the D&S also ran locals along the line, usually consisting of general freight, lumber, and agricultural traffic. However, another economic depression battered the country, the Panic of 1893. Around this time, a cement plant had opened east of Shamokin, and the D&S built a branch to it before the Reading or PRR could. Employment improved by the turn of the century, and the D&S was back on track.
The turn of the century yielded change for the D&S. Cement became the most profitable commodity on the D&S, with both limestone and slag from the steel mills playing a part. In 1905, an amusement park opened in Shamokin called Indian Park. While the D&S already ran both commuter and express trains, they found a great opportunity to run weekend express trains to the park and back. A branch was built off the Reading to a newly constructed station near the park, and a 4-6-0 and several wooden coaches from AC&F were purchased to revolutionize their passenger service. Indian Park also received freight service, as cement was shuffled from the cement plant to aid the park in construction. This was usually handled by a Baldwin 0-6-0 numbered 60, which lived a long and busy career switching various industries in Shamokin. Several years later, the park was renamed to Edgewood Park, and the Indian Park Express was renamed the Edgewood Express to suit. Immigration also resulted in a boom for the D&S, as more people were settling in the eastern half of the US. This led to a boom in industries, such as the National Ticket Company in Shamokin which the D&S served until 1942.
Business would further pick up during World War I, when steel and cement were needed more than ever. The aging locomotive roster was pushed to its absolute limit, to the point where a locomotive from the Reading had to be leased. Once the war was over, the coal industry started to decline, which was bad news for the D&S. However, this decline was nothing compared to the upcoming Great Depression. Many industries were closing their doors, including Danville's Big Mill in 1938, and strikes were rampant through Pennsylvania. Additionally, the lack of construction meant cement costs decreased. Miners in the Anthracite region eventually started bootlegging coal from abandoned mines. While it cost the state millions, the D&S applauded it as it would keep their business dragging along. In retrospect, the D&S might would have crumbled if not for bootleg coal being one of their few reliable commodities.
Passenger service also took a huge hit, as the general population had become too poor to even eat or heat their own homes. While some coal miners still rode the daily commuter trains, whose profits had plummeted due to decreased fares, others took the easy way out and hitchhiked on freight trains. The Edgewood Express screeched to a halt, as a trip to the amusement park was a luxury not worth spending money on. What kept the passenger trains running was the purchase of a Brill doodlebug in 1928. The lower running cost and shorter time to change directions just barely kept the commuters running. In 1930, a high-budget musical film named
King of Jazz came out to mixed reviews. One song,
Has Anybody Seen Our Nellie?, mentioned the city of Shamokin at the end of the chorus. Employees of the D&S caught on to the song and nicknamed the doodlebug Nellie. The name spread to the passengers, and the doodlebug would be known as Nellie to its last days in service. Due to Nellie, the 4-6-0 known as the Edgewood Park Engine was retired and displayed on the former run-around siding at Edgewood Park. Additionally, all but one passenger car were sold off as well.
The D&S managed to claw its way through the Depression to experience its biggest boom since the 1910's. The United States had found themselves in another world war, and the D&S's commodities were needed more than ever before. Coal, limestone, and cement were once again rushed to Danville to aid the country during the worldwide crisis. The locomotive roster, which had been narrowed down to four 2-8-0s, was bolstered by five 2-8-0s from the DL&W and Reading and two 2-8-2s from the DL&W over the next few years. Consequently, the two 2-8-0s built in 1883 would be sold for scrap. Traffic was so heavy that the Edgewood Park Engine was purchased yet again and re-entered service as a freight locomotive. Even 60 sometimes found work on mainline freight trains.
Once WWII ended, the US was booming. The D&S purchased their last steam locomotive, an enormous DL&W L-7 2-8-2 numbered 2143 which they renumbered to 42. Regular passenger service briefly resumed for a while, but the reign of the automobile had made it all but irrelevant. While the views from the doodlebug were gorgeous, you could see almost the exact same sights on the newly built highways. The commuters were briefly turned into mixed trains to save a little money, but even then they couldn't turn a profit. While some passengers sought a leisurely mid-week trip, the commuters were all but retired by 1948. However, the Edgewood Express still ran on weekends until Edgewood Park closed in the late 50's. The doodlebug did the job well, and their sole remaining coach was sometimes needed on busy summer days. This looked like the end for the D&S's passenger trains, but a revelation would completely revitalize them.
As the 50's concluded, the D&S found a new opportunity in their stance on locomotives. While dieselization swept the nation, the D&S tended to hold on to their steam locomotives unless they were too weak or unreliable. This stemmed back to their early days, where the D&S would get at least 40 years out of their steam locomotives. Additionally, their sole diesel Nellie sometimes ran into issues the D&S never encountered with their steam locomotives. Engineers frequently noticed both railfans and everyday folks standing alongside the tracks, waving to the crews and fawning over the nearly-extinct steam locomotives. The management took advantage of this and ran an excursion train from Shamokin to Milton and back, sponsored by a local model railroad club.
However, with not much passenger equipment left, the D&S had to make do with what they had. The sole passenger car left on the roster received an observation deck, and an old MOW flatcar was turned into an open air car. Additionally, several old passenger cars were purchased from the ailing DL&W. The first fantrip ran in 1959 with 10 leading the way, and it was a smash hit. Not only did fantrips become routine on the D&S, but
they even ran the occasional public excursion. However, the steam roster was slowly being replaced by EMD SW900s in a stark yellow and red livery. When the last mainline steamer, 42, was too infeasible to run, it was sold off in 1967 and the fantrips went with it. The final steam locomotive, 60, was retired in 1969, ending the 70 year reign of steam. Ironically enough, 60 was the only locomotive on the D&S to never be replaced or replace another locomotive. 60 would be purchased by a tourist railroad two years later and restored to operation.
The dieselized D&S found success for five years, but the worst was yet to come. Once again, an economic depression hit the US in 1974, and steel received the brunt of the blow as it sold for unprofitable prices. While cement kept the D&S afloat during this crisis, the cement company in Shamokin shut its doors in 1980. Coal and limestone became worthless to the D&S, and interchange traffic was the bulk of their dwindling commodities. The D&S, a railroad known for pulling through in the worst of times, finally filed for abandonment in 1982. While the D&S's picturesque scenery and historic legacy would have made it a fantastic tourist railroad, no one was able to preserve the line before it was torn up. By 1983, the 110 year legacy had met its end.
While the Danville & Shamokin may be nothing more than a lonely roadbed winding through the Appalachians, its legacy, both local and nationwide, still lives on today. Due to their connection with many rail preservationists, much of their equipment still exists. 10 is still on display in Edgewood, 42 is cosmetically restored as DL&W 2143 and has been considered for restoration, and 60 operates on the Reichensberg & Eastern. Nellie was also spared the scrapper's torch, and several SW900s were sold to other companies. Flatcar 201, famously the open air car on their excursion trains, was purchased by the Reichensberg & Eastern but was wrecked and scrapped in the late 80's.
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The sun rises above the D&S in its darkest moments. No business at this flagstop today as Nellie hurtles by.
SD45T-2, on 29 August 2018 - 06:26 PM, said:
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