Big Savage Tunnel

Big Savage Tunnel
Overview
Location Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Status restored, converted to rail trail
System Western Maryland Railway (defunct)
Operation
Work begun 1911
Opened 1912 [1]
Closed 1975 (rail line abandoned)
Technical
Length 3,294.6 feet (1,004.2 m)
No. of tracks Single
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Standard gauge
Highest elevation 2,351 feet (717 m)
Grade 0.55%

The Big Savage Tunnel is an abandoned railway tunnel located about 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. Big Savage and the Borden Tunnel are part of the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail.[2] It was originally built for the Connellsville subdivision of the Western Maryland Railway.[3]

Contents

Origin of the name

The mountain and tunnel are named for John Savage, an early surveyor who narrowly avoided becoming a victim of cannibalism in the area in 1736.[4]

Renovated for Great Allegeny Passage bicycle trail

The tunnel was renovated for use on the Great Allegheny Passage trail. It is the longest tunnel on the trail.[5]

References

  1. ^ Allegheny Trail Alliance, Latrobe, PA."Tunneling Big Savage Mountain". http://www.atatrail.org/pdf/BigSavageTunnel.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-13. 
  2. ^ Gibb, Tom (2003-02-09). "Somerset's Big Savage Tunnel gets new life as bike trail". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.postgazette.com/localnews/20030209tunnel0209p7.asp. Retrieved April 29, 2009. 
  3. ^ "Western Maryland Railway Co. Track Chart: Connellsville to Cumberland, Baltimore, MD". 1955. http://www.alphabetroute.com/wm/trackpdfs/WMTC1955CUM-CON.pdf. 
  4. ^ "John Savage". http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/images/ss2006/savage.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-29. 
  5. ^ "Bicycling Big Savage Tunnel on the Great Allegheny Passage". http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2007/8/20/3168919.html. Retrieved 2011-04-28. 

External links