“The Ghosts of the Knox and Kane Railroad”

In the mountains in the northern region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania was the Knox and Kane Railroad.  It was a short line railroad that ran on old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad abandoned the tracks and the Knox and Kane Railroad purchased them to run freight trains and excursions trains.  Yes, there were excursion trains run by the Knox and Kane Railroad.  Passengers boarded the train in Kane, Pennsylvania, and they took a ride.  As they rode out, they came upon the biggest feature of the ride: the Kinzua Bridge.  What was the Kinzua Bridge?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh, it was a bridge.”

But not just any bridge.  It was at one time the highest railroad bridge in the world.  As the train came upon the bridge, passengers looked down into the deep valley below.  It was an amazing site to see.

Sadly, in the early part of the twenty-first century, the Knox and Kane Railroad went through many mishaps and disasters to include a rare tornado destroying the Kinzua Bridge and fire to the railroad shops, the Knox and Kane Railroad was no more.

Today, as you drive east on U.S. Route 6 from the town of Kane, you see the old railroad bed.  You see the old train station.  You imagine the people boarding the train.  You can see the train departing the train station headed for Mount Jewett.  You continue along U.S. Route 6.  You see the old railroad bed cross the road and go into the woods.  You miss seeing the roadbed but wait.  What about the journey over Kinzua Bridge?  You continue to the town of Mount Jewett and make your way to the Kinzua Bridge State Park.  You see what remains of the train trestle, but you can see the train pulling onto the bridge.  You watch as the passengers are amazed at the valley below them but wait a minute.  Why are you just looking at the bridge?  You can look for yourself.  You walk over to the bridge, but you stop.  You see the rails and see the train on the bridge, but then you realize that only a portion of the bridge remains.  You go to the end of the overlook, and you look down.  You look down into the deep valley.  You see yourself on the train on the bridge.  As you look down, you see the train departing back to Kane.  The people wave, but you wave back.

You go back to your car.  You notice that the Knox and Kane Railroad is gone, but then you see that the train still comes.