West Penn Today - The back Line

[Fredbruhn at aol.com]

In my ramblings to date I have assumed that everyone in this group is as 
enthusastic about the WP as I am and have all the available publications, 
etc. that I make reference to now and then.  To recap, I have CERA 89 and 
110, the 1952 PERC West Penn booklet, the PTM booklet with orange cover and 
711 at Huff titled
West Penn Railways, and perhaps the Feb. 1950 Trains mag.  I am looking for a 
second copy of 89 as a backup, and have seen 110 on ebay several times if you 
need a copy.  I have a lead on one now if someone is short.  The Feb. 1950 
Trains is what got my juicies going over WP, and they have never stopped.    
You might find a copy from Paul Gibson, 11 Downingwood Dr. Franklin, MA 
02038-2768.  His email is Railpub at aol.com and if he has a copy can quote 
price and shipping.  This was not usual for Trains to run a  featured 
traction article, although they did from time to time.
I also have a couple of old Railroad mag. articles on the West Penn I pick up 
info from.  

After covering the branches to Brownsville and Martin, a look at the 
Fairchance line and around Uniontown, I decided to tackle the "Back Line" 
next.  This line ran from Uniontown to Connellsville as did the  "Main Line" 
but covered the route in a big semi circle leaving Uniontown via the bridge 
that is well photographed that took the lines over the railroad.  There is a 
good photo on page 17 of the orange cover book that shows how the Footedale 
branch was cut after those branches were terminated. 
End of service dates for what we have covered (from the PERC booklet of 1952) 
are 
1-28-50 Brownsville, 2-4-50 Martin, and 3-25-50 Fairchance.  The back line 
lasted another year to 1-20-51 when it and its branch to Dawson/Dickerson Run 
were closed.

Destinaton signs were color coded - and I have been told or read that they 
were because many of the riders read or understood little English.
>From the PERC booklet, the main line was white on red, Irwin white on black, 
Fairchance black on yellow, and those are all that I know.

The back line carried a destination sign of CONNELLSVILLE, LEISENRING, 
JUNIATA, OLIVER, PHILLIPS,  UNIONTOWN.   I didn't cover the earlier lines so 
I better now,  the Fairchance line was: UNIONTOWN - HOPWOOD - FAIRCHANCE, 
while Brownsville read: UNIONTOWN, NEW SALEM, ORIENT, REPUBLIC, BROWNSVILLE.  
    The Martin line which appears to be a dark letter on a light 
background reads: MARTIN - MASONTOWN -LECKRONE - FOOTEDALE - REVERE - 
UNIONTOWN.  The most common sign, while we are on the subject, was the 
UNIONTOWN - CONNELLSVILLE - SCOTTDALE - Mt. PLEASANT - GREENSBURG.

All of this wasn't part of my trip but we are all up to speed (there are more 
signs, like to Trafford and Latrobe we will cover later).

I started my trip over the back line on SR51 at about the point I thought the 
bridge ended that carried the line out of Uniontown.  Find your way to SR51, 
which is just west of the terminal, and head north which will show signs for 
Phillips and Oliver.
There is a short street that goes off to the right at a shallow angle that is 
West Place.  I took it as the map in the orange book showed the bridge and 
wye just beyond the end of that street.  I didn't get out and walk beyond the 
end of the road and in hindsight I think you should as you might find 
something interesting.  The map shows the line running between a creek and 
the railroad and the highway, well off the highway.  I doubt route 51 was as 
wide as it is today.  I didn't find anything at Oliver, and at Phillips I 
began to get frustrated so I drove into the town which is about three streets 
of small homes and rolling West Virginia estates.  The streets end in a loop 
and my assumption is the car line was beyond the town either in the field or 
further.
Oliver and Phillips are not too far out of Uniontown and it is save to assume 
the line sort of paralleled Route 51.  

When you see the sign for County Road 1043, take it to the right.  This is a 
narrow very rural road and after you have been on it a short while keep your 
eye looking right and you should see a concrete bridge beyond a field sort of 
in the woods.  I didn't get out and walk through the field as there were cows 
with calves and I know these moms have no tolerance for railroad fans, in 
spite of how dedicated they are.
I assume this was the WP, but it may have been a railroad spur.  You can look 
in the orange book and see on page  32 a relatively open scene, fields, 
probably woods beyond the fields and this is what I expected.  Wrong.  Keep 
driving and the road winds and it is heavily wooded today.  From 
conversations though, I am assured the line ran to your right as you proceed. 
 Don't give up because you will be rewarded later on with some nice sights.  

Follow the road towards Bitner.  You will come into the town which is almost 
abandoned, but the company/town store is there and worth some photos.  I was 
told
(by a source I will identify later who is reliable - if her memory is) the 
car line ran behind the store, sort of on the other side of a shallow area 
sort of on the hill.
Bitner was a stop.  (Prior to Bitner was Vance's Mill which is mentioned in 
West Penn literature, but I assume it is gone today).  Continue on through 
Elm Grove.  
You didn't see it, well neither did I.  It is gone as I was told and I drove 
up and down a road or two around there and found nothing of the West Penn or 
Elm Grove.  Now watch for signs to Juniata, as you will be turning right off 
of the road you were on.
Go through Juniata and then begin looking to your right on the hill across 
the valley and you will finally pick up the line via the pole line and a 
defined fill.  Continue on
and you will see the right of way drop down and cross the road you are on.  
I got out to take a photo and was accosted  by a local resident  (probably 
thought I was the IRS) who after I told him what I was looking for and doing 
he calmed down.
In fact, he told me there was a siding at this road crossing, heard it from 
his father.
OK.   This is the right of way, and turn 180 degrees and beside a white 
garage 
well back from a house is the right of way beginning a very steep and long 
climb.
Continue on this road (T626) until you come to a wye in the road.  T626 
actually ends at this point, but it is graded like a wye.  You want to turn 
left here and start up 
the hill.  This is Little Summit Road and you take it to the top of the hill 
where there is a church on your left.  Just beyond the church you will see 
the West Penn coming up to crest the hill and cross the road here at Little 
Summit.  It was Mothers Day and I hated to bother the nice ladies ready for 
church, but I did.  I asked the oldest looking lady waiting to enter the 
church if she remembered the West Penn.  Oh yes, it came right up that hill  
(which I now knew) and the stop was just across the road.
She said there was a shelter there and was my source for the Bitner info.

Walk up to the right of way and look towards Connellsville and you can see a 
dirt road but also along the pole line a depression where the line started 
down a hill.
Continue on this road past a few houses and it will dead end into road 1047.  
Turn right onto 1047 and watch on your right for the line as it is descending 
the hill from Little Summit.  It is visible.  Then you lose it in the woods 
for a bit and it reappears
beside a house on your right that is brown and sets back from the road.  You 
are almost at the intersection of 1047 (which you are on) and 1051 where you 
will stop.
It looked to me as the line came down to cross 1047 just past that house, and 
swung left above road 1051 and right in front of a stone barn which also is 
well above 
the road.  You turn left from 1047 onto 1051 and you are now heading for 
Leisenring No. 1.  The right of way is on your left above the road, but as 
you approach the jjunction it drops down to the road grade and to  Vanderbilt 
Junction where the Dickerson Run cars turned off.  There is a great Lester 
Wismer photo that was one of the PTM calendar shots showing both a Dickerson 
Run car and Back Line car at this jjct.  The H.C. Frick Coke Co.(across the 
road from the jct.) facility is gone and the property occupied by - you would 
never guess - a hugh roller skating rink.  

We will take the line into Connellsville as part of my Dickerson Run notes.  
My assumption is that in 50 years the woods and trees have matured to the 
point that the back line looks much different than it once did.  The friendly 
local at Juniata told me you can walk from the  road crossing quite a ways 
along the right of way toward 
Bitner.  I don't know what "quite a ways" means.

Between Bitner and Juniata I did see behind a small farm concrete piers from 
a small bridge, either the railroad or the West Penn.  I am guessing that 
from the road as you are heading towards Juniata, the railroad is first and 
then the West Penn.  That is a guess.  Anyway, I stopped and walked down the 
this farm owner who was trying to get his power riding mower fixed and asked 
him if I could go back and look at the remains of the bridge.  OK he says.  
So with dreams of finding a West Penn spike 
(I saw a pile of ties) I went through brambles and chest high weeds  to find 
these ties, and yes there were tie  plates an a few spikes.  From this I 
deducted these ties were railroad, but dragged myself back to the barn and 
made further inquiries.
He seemed to remember this was a rail line(he had deposited the ties back 
there, errrrg, the urge to kill) and the trolley was beyond on "the hill" 
Back I went, this time after the brambles came the mud and water.  I got 
partially up the hill but came back with no feeling that I had found the 
right of way.  For my efforts I got to stay awhile and help him get his darn 
pulley belt on his mower  and I lost a lot of time.

By all means take the time to drive the Back Line, even if you don't find 
more than I did.  Its part of the West Penn and there is enough to see to wet 
your appitite for more.  

Fred Bruhn