Allegheny Portage Railroad

The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad to circumvent the Allegheny Mountains, and it was the finishing piece of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. The system was primarily used as a portage railway, hauling river boats and barges over the divide between the Ohio and the Susquehanna Rivers. It opened in 1834, marking the first time that there was one, direct route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Allegheny Portage Railroad served merchants, passengers, slaves in pursuit of freedom, and soldiers from the Mexican War.