(rshsdepot) Chugging after abandoned railroad tunnels

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

From the Lancaster New Era.

Bernie Wagenblast
Transportation Communications Newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/

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Chugging after abandoned railroad tunnels
By Ad Crable
Lancaster New Era

Published: Apr 19, 2005 2:03 PM EST

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Just when I think there's nothing new under the sun 
as far as outdoors pursuits, I run into Lori R. Haley.


Since 2001, when he stumbled into it, Haley has tracked down abandoned 
railroad tunnels in Pennsylvania. He's found 48 so far, mostly in what turn 
out to be special places off the beaten path. And he's met a lot of neat 
people in his offbeat quest.

"You're about to learn the first thing about railroad tunnels - they're 
always wet," Haley is saying. He's not kidding. Water drips from the rounded 
roof and we hop over pools of water.

We've just hiked from Chickies Rock County Park's Breezyview Overlook down 
the Heritage Trail, which partly follows an old railroad line, to reach 
Lancaster County's only abandoned railroad tunnel.

Point Rock Tunnel was carved through 180 feet of solid rock on the northern 
edge of Columbia in the 19th century to serve the area's once-bustling iron 
furnaces.

How is it that the 46-year-old tool-and-die maker from Brunnerville seeks 
out these kinds of spots?

By accident. It has its roots in Haley's love for spontaneous driving larks 
in his sporty Mazda Miata. When Interstate 68 was being built in western 
Maryland, Haley had driven by and marveled at the Sideling Hill cut that 
exposed 810 feet of rock.

Now that the highway was finished, Haley wanted to go back and visit the 
visitor's center at the landmark. He searched the Internet for directions. 
What popped up was something about a Sideling Hill abandoned railroad tunnel 
in Huntingdon County.

"I'm kind of an inquisitive person," says Haley by way of explanation. So in 
November 2001, he set out to see if he could find this old tunnel.

The directions were unclear and he ended up turning the wrong way on the 
abandoned railroad right of way.

After a 3-mile walk through grown-up brush he stumbled onto a dark hole in 
the side of a mountain. It was a different tunnel.

He was amazed.

"The idea that someone would put a hole through a mountain and then walk 
away from it was beyond me," he recalls.

He was hooked.

Haley, whose license plate reads "RR TUNLS," invented a new hobby for 
himself.

He set up two criteria for what constitutes an abandoned railroad tunnel:

One, the tunnel has to go through a natural, not manmade, object. Second, it 
is unlikely that the tunnel will ever again be used by trains. Thus, Haley 
ruled out active tunnels, of which there are plenty, including one along the 
Susquehanna River in southern Lancaster County.

Many of Pennsylvania's abandoned tunnels are used as part of rail-trails and 
even some as roads. But the others are often in remote, beautiful wooded 
settings.

There are other things about tunnels that fascinate Haley. They were built 
through solid rock by primitive means by hand and blasting. He points out 
the slashes in the rock of the Columbia tunnel where dynamite charges were 
placed.

Once built, the tunnels had to be maintained. Collapses, water inundations 
and ice were constant threats.

"It was dangerous to dig tunnels and dangerous to use them," Haley says.

Railroad tunnels were usually abandoned because of high costs, maintenance 
and because most of them were built in the boom years of coal, iron ore and 
timber. When they went bust, entire railroad lines dried up.

As many as half the abandoned tunnels are now part of rail-trails. Most of 
the rest are "lost" tunnels, that is, not easily reached, even by foot. That 
makes them even more dramatic when they come into view.

Most are well preserved, though some are used as dumps. Very few have 
no-trespassing signs.

Responding to my uneasy inquiry as we walked through the Columbia tunnel, 
Haley says he's never seen a bat in a tunnel.

But by the time he is finished walking through a tunnel, he often comes out 
drenched by dripping water. He usually needs a headlamp because most of the 
tunnels are pitch black.

Finding the state's old tunnels takes detective skills. Many he finds 
through oblique references on Internet searches.

He also takes a magnifying glass to detailed maps and looks for oxbows in 
streams. Railroads often followed waterways and sharp bends around a 
mountain are likely spots where a tunnel had to be bored through.

Sometimes he drives to a candidate spot, only to find a strip mall or 
housing development.

Often, he'll drive to an area with no idea how to get to a long-lost tunnel. 
He'll seek out the more senior residents of a town and ask if they remember 
the old railroad.

More often than not, someone will remember and steer him to the spot or 
invite him inside and pull out an old map or call friends.

In many towns, it's a matter of pride and burghers can't rest until they've 
uncovered the long-lost link to their past. Searching for a tunnel near 
Clarion, a woman became quite upset that Haley was striking out alone.

It's all endlessly fascinating to Haley and he says meeting people is one of 
the pastime's most-rewarding gifts.

The other is finding remote natural areas filled with wildlife, streams and 
history.

Haley's wife of nearly 25 years, Robin, goes occasionally, but mainly he 
goes on the road trips alone.

"I never imagined something like this would appeal to me," Haley says. "I 
wasn't looking for a hobby - it found me.''

In a big way. He's traveled about 16,000 miles by car so far in search of 
tunnels and logged another 200 miles on foot. He goes year-round.

As we're talking, a group of Hempfield High cross-country girl runners jogs 
into the Columbia tunnel and can't resist hearing their yells bounce off the 
stone walls in the darkness.

What's next for Haley? He thinks there may be up to a dozen undiscovered 
tunnels remaining. After that, it will become a needle-in-a-haystack affair.

He thinks people should know about these places. He takes pictures and 
videotapes all the tunnels and notes their location on a handheld GPS.

He's thinking about writing a coffee table book with his 18-year-old 
daughter, Danielle.

"I have been on some beautiful trails and it's a shame not more people will 
know about it," he says.

If you have any leads on an abandoned railroad tunnel, you can e-mail Haley 
at lrhaley_@_yahoo.com. 

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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