...and then there's this one. FAIL. Actually, it never even had
a chance. There was indeed a tunnel here, and the grading should be
obvious as well. Track was never laid here, however.
An excerpt from "The Monongahela Railway - Its history and
operation 1903-1993" (page 87) explains:
The Chartiers Southern Railway Company was organized by the
PRR in 1906 for the purpose of extending the line into Washington
and Greene counties from a connection with the Chartiers Southern
Railway (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis), one half
mile northeast of Van Emman to a connection with the Ten Mile Run
branch of the PRR one half mile north of West Zollarville.
In 1913, the PRR sold a portion of their interest in the line
from Van Emman southward to Eighty-four, one third each to the
P&LE and the B&O. Grading, masonry and tunneling between
Eighty-four and Marianna, 10.22 miles were completed at the expense
of $901,975.10. The work was suspended in January, 1915.
WARNING: The terrain rating is for real. This is a
very dangerous area, so heads up! You should be able to get within
a quarter mile or so by parking off of the National Pike (U.S. 40),
and the area above the tunnel is full of sinkholes and steep drops.
I recommend walking along the right side of the old railbed until
you are near the cache before making your way into the valley. I
tried at first to approach from the north, which would have been a
longer but flatter hike, but that area is literally swamped. I was
not able to get very close to the tunnel when I placed the cache,
but when I came back I got right up to it. The portal has
collapsed, but there is an opening. The average person could fit in
there, but despite having been through abandoned railroad tunnels
and mines before, I passed. You should too. Only a crazy person
would go in there, PLEASE use your very BEST judgement in the area
near the tunnel, should you get near it. It's been abandoned for
nearly 100 years, and part of it has collapsed. It doesn't take a
genius to figure that the rest of it isn't stable either.
I am not trying to scare you away, just making sure you are
aware that this is a dangerous area if you aren't careful. I would
not recommend brining the kids for this one. Keep your eyes in
front of you, and not fixed on the GPS, or you could have some
serious problems. I don't think that you will be able to find an
easy way to get there, but if you manage to, more power to ya.
Update: Name changed to become part of an upcoming series.