Valley Girl Views: Selinsgrove Junction

Selinsgrove Junction

Located on the east side of the river, directly across from Selinsgrove. The station was constructed in 1861, ten years before the line to Selinsgrove was constructed. The original station was on the west side of the tracks north of present day Selinsgrove Junction. It was demolished in 1932.

"It was on December 1, 1871 the passenger train moved the county to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers along the right of way and there were great festivities when the train pulled the Selinsgrove station and moved on across the river to Selinsgrove Junction and to Sunbury. It inaugurated freight passenger service on the which became the Sunbury- Lewistown Division of the Pennsylvania and which flourished more than half a century, contributing greatly to the economic well beingamp;of Snyder county."

December 1, 1871

Later that month, after

On December 25th 1871, several people broke through the ice and narrowly avoided drowning. Following that accident, pedestrians were permitted to walk across the railroad bridge for 15 cents.

New Iron RR Bridge crossing from the Isle Of Que to Selinsgrove Junction.

The iron railroad bridge was built in the late 1880s. Still standing today, this Pratt construction bridge can be seen in many photos stored in the Loc.gov archives.

Nov 1899

1904 - Selinsgrove Junction Freight House on the left, with a train heading south.

[Photo from the Charles Fasold Collection]

Photo by Marion Schnure

1940 - Selinsgrove Junction railroad bridge

The following year, route 11 was moved to the opposite side of the river, running through Selinsgrove.

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First Railroad Train Ran Through County 80 Years Ago Today

The Daily Item, 1951

Eighty, years ago today all Snyder county was agog when first full train drawn by a locomotive commenced its over the Sunbury and Lewistown Railroad Company from Lewis-town through Selinsgrove to Sunbury.

It was on December 1, 1871 the passenger train moved the county to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers along the right of way and there were great festivities when the train pulled the Selinsgrove station and moved on across the river to Selinsgrove Junction and to Sunbury. It inaugurated freight passenger service on the which became the Sunbury- Lewistown Division of the Pennsylvania and which flourished more than half a century, contributing greatly to the economic well beingamp;of Snyder county.

Plans for the railroad began 1865 just a month before the War ended when a charter granted to the Middlecreek road Company which by Act Assembly on February 17, became the Sunbury and Lewistown Railroad. In August 1867 final location survey was completed for the line.

The first directors of the whose foresight opened up county to railroad traffic included George Schnure, grandfather of William M. Schnure, of Susquehanna avenue; J. K. father of the late Harry Davis, Sunbury, A. C. Simpson, lawyer, W. F. Wagenseller and Strickler, Selinsgrove: Jerry Bog-ar, W. G. Herrold, Port Trevorton; Daniel Witmer, Dundore; Hottenstein, Shamokin Dam; F. Moyer, Freeburg; R. W. Samuel Wittenmeyei, George mow, J.P Cornnmiller, Thomas Barter, Jesse M. Walter, A. Francis, A. R. Gift, Moses Specht, Henry Smith, Jacob Gross, Weirick, from central and western part of county, and H. C. Eyer, Selinsgrove, who was president for a time.

The original capital stock the railroad was $50,000 but went through several severe financial crises before the railroad became a reality.

In early 1870 there was a rumor that the railroad would be completed early by temporarily ferrying trains across the river at Sunbury on a special steamer until bridge was built. Then a later there was general rejoicing in Selinsgrove when it was announced that the new railroad bridge of the S. & L. R. R. would cross the river at Selinsgrove a Lewisburg firm got the contract for $45,958 for the timber for bridge as the line was being completed east from Lewistown. Progress of the railroad building noted in William M. Schnure's Chronology of Selinsgrove under date of June 16, 1870: "The town awakened up with the advent of the new railroad. Two railroad laborers, after a brawl the National Hotel, landed in town lockup."

Early in January, 1871, the rail road bridge spanning Penn's Creek and the canal at Selinsgrove was completed. The location for the Selinsgrove station North High street was settled the summer of 1871 and in August the new railroad bridge over the river to Selinsgrove was completed and laying of track started westward. It was on Aug-16, 1871 that the first locomotive pushing a flat car came into Selinsgrove over the new bridge from Selinsgrove Junction.

The official start of service between Lewistown and Sunbury through Selinsgrove and across Snyder county had been preceded by about a month with the first passenger excursion from Lewis-town and Selinsgrove, which according to Mr. Schnure's Chrono logy was accompanied by several bands and "a big jolification." Such excursion trips became a re gular feature of the line for some years after the road was open and flourishing, and only declined with the advent of the motor car.

Although the opening of the railroad line was one of the most propitious events for the area, only one of the three weekly papers being published in Sunbury 80 years ago devoted a paragraph to the event. A comparable event today would command much more space and attention.

The Sunbury American, which came out on Saturday, December 2, 1871, has this to say about the momentous event in Selinsgrove of the previous day: "Sunbury and Lewistown Railroad. This road now under control of the Pennsylvania Railroad commenced running trains between this place and Lewistown Friday morning. The train for Lewis town leaves this place at 6:30 in the morning and arrives from Lewistown here at 3:35 in the afternoon." This was stuck away on page three of a six page paper.

In 1888-89 the old wooden bridge which carried the tracks from Selinsgrove to the Junction was replaced by the present structure, traffic on the line flourished for many years and was at its peak in the early 1900"s when approximately 1,000 freight cars moved over the S.-& L. in a day.

It was about 1908 that the Pennsylvania Railroad began diverting freight from the line and from then on a gradual decline set in, which was accentuated further in the 1920's after World War I. It was in 1931. 60 years after the line was opened that the last local passenger tram was removed from the service, the victim of the truck and motor car.

Although only two regularly scheduled freight trains now move through Selinsgrove in a day, one eastbound and the other westbound, the line is booming again with large supplies of anthracite coal for the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company plant at Shamokin Dam being shipped over the line from Northumberland to Selinsgrove and -then north on the spur to the plant, and bituminous coal supplies art transferred from the main line at Lewistown and brought over the Old S&L line to Selinsgrove and Sunbury.

Many railroad men who rose to responsible positions on the Pennsylvania worked on the line from its inception through the early 1900s. One of the most noted was W.H. Brown, appointed the first superintendent of the S&L who later became chief engineer of the PRR and designed the train shed at Broad Street Station in Philadelphia.

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In February of 1899, M.L. Wagenseller was circulating a petiton for a new station at Selinsgrove Junction, and also for a reduction in fare across the Selinsgrove bridge.

On February 24 1899, "Selinsgrove shifter kills Alexander Shaffer at Selinsgrove Junction."

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