Dates

• Majority of material found within 1899 - 2004

Extent

195 boxes Linear Feet (The Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad (PSR) not to be confused with the Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad (PS&N), both of which were also known as the Shawmut Line. The spelling of Pittsburg instead of Pittsburgh in both companies originates with the founding of the Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad (PS&N) in 1899 when the official spelling of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was Pittsburg. The city was spelled Pittsburg from 1891-1911 until the Federal Government standardized the spelling as Pittsburgh. These two unrelated railroad companies have been separate since their 1916 split. The PSR was a short line railroad company that operated passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Since 2004, PSR has been operated by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad. The main line of the PSR ran for 88 miles from Brockway to Freeport, Pennsylvania with main shops in Brookville. On July 21, 1903, the Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad Company (PSR) began as the Brookville and Mahoning Railroad, which was leased by the Pittsburgh, Shawmut and Northern Railroad (PS&N). PS&N declared bankruptcy in 1905, and the B&M became a separate company and reemerged in 1909 as the Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad Company. Coal has served as the primary commodity of the railroad since its founding, but passenger service continued until 1939. The company acquired 10 miles of Conrail track between Sligo and Lawsonham, Pennsylvania in 1989 and it became the Red Bank Railroad. On December 31, 1991, the PSR purchased 110 miles of track between Lawsonham and Driftwood, Pennsylvania, and this became the Mountain Laurel Railroad. The Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad Company was operated under its own management until 1996 when PSR was acquired by the Genesee & Wyoming, Inc., which operated the PSR until it was absorbed into the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (another Genesee & Wyoming company) on January 1, 2004. The Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad Collection contains all files, documents, maps, and publications pertaining to the company from 1910-2004.)

Language of Materials

English