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Description
When The Baltimore and Ohio railroad carved its way into the land scape of Southwest Pennsylvania, they knew full well they would have to build a tunnel somewhere, though they didn't want to.

As they reached the summit, the surveyors found that an impassable part of Negro mountain lay in the path of the soon to be built Railroad, and as they searched for other routes, it became clear that this mountain was to be Tunneled. In 1854 work crews began a long and painful construction project on the first Sandpatch Tunnel. The Juniata sand stone made for easy, but troublesome boaring. After a long, cave-in prone, civil war postponed Tunnel construction project, in 1871, the Sandpatch Tunnel was open for freight and passenger travel.

When finished it was 4,475 feet long (more than four times the length of the Titanic!) and was the gateway to the east and west, bringing prosperity to Western Pennsylvania and Western Maryland. The traffic became so heavy, yards were constructed on both sides of the tunnel, and the town of Sandpatch was built near the west portal to accommodate engines, crew and passengers. Things got so busy, a turntable was constructed.

Though the tunnel did have its drawbacks. Heavy drag freights that stalled in the tunnels suffocated their crews, and the week rock formations made for frequent cave-ins.

In 1911, a shorter, stronger, less-steep tunnel was constructed just north of the old Sandpatch Tunnel, and after very long, the first was forgotten, and left to the elements.

Today, the tunnel sits abandoned, badly eroded and filled with 11 feet of water almost the entire length of the tunnel. The town, yards and turntable are gone. The ground around the portals is beginning to give way, and soon the tunnel will be lost to time.

Description
When The Baltimore and Ohio railroad carved its way into the land scape of Southwest Pennsylvania, they knew full well they would have to build a tunnel somewhere, though they didn't want to.

As they reached the summit, the surveyors found that an impassable part of Negro mountain lay in the path of the soon to be built Railroad, and as they searched for other routes, it became clear that this mountain was to be Tunneled. In 1854 work crews began a long and painful construction project on the first Sandpatch Tunnel. The Juniata sand stone made for easy, but troublesome boaring. After a long, cave-in prone, civil war postponed Tunnel construction project, in 1871, the Sandpatch Tunnel was open for freight and passenger travel.

When finished it was 4,475 feet long (more than four times the length of the Titanic!) and was the gateway to the east and west, bringing prosperity to Western Pennsylvania and Western Maryland. The traffic became so heavy, yards were constructed on both sides of the tunnel, and the town of Sandpatch was built near the west portal to accommodate engines, crew and passengers. Things got so busy, a turntable was constructed.

Though the tunnel did have its drawbacks. Heavy drag freights that stalled in the tunnels suffocated their crews, and the week rock formations made for frequent cave-ins.

In 1911, a shorter, stronger, less-steep tunnel was constructed just north of the old Sandpatch Tunnel, and after very long, the first was forgotten, and left to the elements.

Today, the tunnel sits abandoned, badly eroded and filled with 11 feet of water almost the entire length of the tunnel. The town, yards and turntable are gone. The ground around the portals is beginning to give way, and soon the tunnel will be lost to time.