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P&LE West Pittsburg Station
P&LE West Pittsburg Station
P&LE West Pittsburg Station
Our headquarters, the former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie (P&LE) Railroad's West Pittsburg Station, was built in 1907 by W. F. Trimble & Sons,
for the deceptively small price of $32,544.54.
Constructed in the railroad's signature style of handsome sandstone and brick, the interior also boasted stained glass skylights above the main waiting room,
Our headquarters, the former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie (P&LE) Railroad's West Pittsburg Station, was built in 1907 by W. F. Trimble & Sons,
for the deceptively small price of $32,544.54.
Constructed in the railroad's signature style of handsome sandstone and brick, the interior also boasted stained glass skylights above the main waiting room, a (then-fashionable) separate lounge for women traveling alone, as well as men's and women's toilets, a ticket office, a baggage room, a storage closet, and a coal bin.
Passenger service to the station ended in the early 1960s, and the P&LE soon sold the station and adjoining 4.5 acres to a local business owner, who used the building for storage.
The BLRHS acquired this property in 2004 to serve as a more permanent home, and we are currently restoring the property to its former operating condition.
Most recently, we have redone the exterior windows and the majority of our interior woodwork, and installed a temporary ceiling
to better insulate ourselves for indoor events.
Please see our "recent updates" page for more!
B&O RR "UN" Tower
P&LE West Pittsburg Station
P&LE West Pittsburg Station
This railroad control tower -- also known as an "interlocking tower," or a "signal box" in British English -- once stood just above and to the northeast of our current main property.
Known as an Armstrong tower, this structure was built sometime in the 1890s by the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad, to control traffic in and out of the east
This railroad control tower -- also known as an "interlocking tower," or a "signal box" in British English -- once stood just above and to the northeast of our current main property.
Known as an Armstrong tower, this structure was built sometime in the 1890s by the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad, to control traffic in and out of the eastern end of the yard at New Castle Junction.
In use for approximately one hundred years until its decommissioning in November 1995 (when CSX began to control its switching operations remotely from Jacksonville, Florida), this tower was one of the longest-operating interlocking towers in the entire country, and stands among the oldest surviving of its kind.
In June 1998, the BLRHS acquired the endangered tower from CSX for $500, and relocated it on October 5th of that same year to its current location, at the crossing of Cherry St. in Mahoningtown, and the former Pennsylvania Railroad line up in to the city of New Castle.
The tower has since played host to our "Caboose Days," in conjunction with the local New Castle Industrial Railroad (NIRR).
Bruce Kelly Building
Michael J. Zilka, Jr. Speeder Shed
Michael J. Zilka, Jr. Speeder Shed
Also known affectionately as "the Brookville Building," this structure is dedicated in memory of longtime member Bruce Kelly, who was so instrumental in restoring of the one-of a kind Brookville Locomotive Company U.S. Army
rail car that it contains.
Bruce was a diesel mechanic, and his expertise in restoring the engine of this vehicle is literally what continues to propel us forward today.
Michael J. Zilka, Jr. Speeder Shed
Michael J. Zilka, Jr. Speeder Shed
Michael J. Zilka, Jr. Speeder Shed
Our speeder shed is dedicated by the members of the society in memory of Michael J. Zilka, Jr., who passed away long before his time.
We all miss his smile.
The signs, designed and commissioned by his father Mike Sr., are constructed from two-layer laser-cut, steel. We hope that they will preserve his legacy here for a very long time.