Heritage: Mifflin & Centre County Railroad

CT 1000, 1945: Eastern Region, Eastern Pennsylvania Division, Middle Division

Middle Division ETT, 1954: Eastern Region, Middle Division, Lewistown Secondary

Timeline

During the 1870s, shops were built at Lewistown Junction. There was a frame enginehouse with four stalls and a 50' turntable. (The turntable would later be upgrade to __' and again to 110'.)

In 1886, a new enginehouse was constructed, but it was consumed by fire in 1887. It's replacement was built by 1889 and was believed to have 12 stalls. By 1917 it had been reduced to six stalls and by 1928 it was down to three stalls. It remained in service until consumed by fire in 1967 or 1970.

Valuation Maps

1918 valuation map 16.0.PA-01_A updated to 1919. A 75' turntable is indicated; the roundhouse is down to six stalls 21000 gallon water tub indicated A Master Mechanic's Office is indicated There is a coal trestle feeding the wharf There is a unique wye arrangement feeding the turntable The yard is still from its coal marshalling days Car Inspectors Building #3 is indicated Spur indicated below retaining wall and behind tool house M.W. Kitchen & Dining Room indicated Car Inspectors Storehouse, Car Inspector Foremans Office, and Carpenters Shop & Oil House are indicated	1918 vsluation map 16.0.PA-01_A updated to 1949. Turntable enlarged but size not indicated 50,000 gallon water tub indicated Master Mechanics Office removed Coal trestle removed; wharf replaced Wye track arrangement expanded to through tracks Many yard tracks added where coal sheds had been Bunk house and Office & Store Room added near roundhouse Spur removed below retaining wall; Tool House relocated to near Scale House M.W. Kitchen & Dining Room removed Car Inspectors Storehouse, Car Inspector Foremans Office, and Carpenters Shop & Oil House removed; Foremans Office and Garage indicated Car Inspectors Building #3 still present Station track still present; LCL track has not yet been installed
1918 valuation map 16.0.PA-01. Substantial switching at Stannert Sand Two crossovers to the east of the scale house Trainman's Building and Car Inspectors Building #2 indicated Spur indicated below retaining wall and behing tool house	1918 valuation map 16.0.PA-01 updated to 1949. Trackage at Stannert Sand has been simplified One crossover east of the scale house has been removed The spur below the retaining wall has been removed; the tool house was relocated to near the scale house Trainman's Building and Car Inspectors Building #2 have been removed
NOTE: The right end of the above map is included in the Lewistown (LN) location in the CT1000.
Notes from a 1939 field check: Map 1: Reedsville & Lewistown Ry. Track removed sta. 11.00 to 16.00 Map 1: 450' Ice House siding retired. Sta. -0.43 to 4.07 Map 1A: Six wheel tracks removed - Locust Street 80' each Map 1A: Concrete Acetylene Storage House added - Locust Street. Map 1A: Car Inspectors store house relocated 70' west of old location (map correction) Map 1A: Narrow Gauge Tracks added 390' 485' 640' and two narrow gauge turntables.
	1920 map and agreement on joint facilities between Middle and Sunbury divisions at Lewistown. Courtesy of Susan Yoesten.
	1922 update to map and agreement on joint facilities between Middle and Sunbury divisions at Lewistown.

Sanborn Maps (1923)

Shops

Listed in the PRR 1923 and 1945 CT1000's.

Turntable in 1956.
Machine shop.	Sand house.
	Master Mechanics office.
Yard office in 1970.	Yard office in 1970.
Brakeman's building.	Bunk house in 1956.
New ice house.	MoW Bunk House.
Old ice house.	Oil house.
Car Inspector's building #1.	Car Inspector's building #2.
Car Inspector's building #3.
Carpenter's Shop, Storehouse.	Carpenter's Shop, Foreman's Office.

Photos from a presentation given at a PRRT&HS annual meeting:

American Viscose Corp.

American Viscose manufactured rayon fiber (primarily for rayon-belted automobile tires), polyester and Avistrap.

Shown on the 1910 and 1928 Sanborn maps.

Listed in the PRR 1923 and 1945 CT1000's.

American Viscose received or originated 5,189 cars during 1947, an average of 14 per day. (Rails Northeast)

Richard K. Daniels described the viscose process based on operations at the sister plant in Front Royal, Va., in Model Railroader magazine:

Most rayon is made by the viscose process. It works by combining wood pulp and chemicals. Pulp arrives in bales via box car, as well as tank car loads of sulfuric acid, caustic soda, and carbon disulfide.

The bundled sheets of wood pulp, looking somewhat like yellow cotton bales, move by conveyor to the viscose department where they are mixed with caustic soda and water.

After steeping for two to four hours, the mixture was pressed to remove excess liquid and piped to the soda room where the pulp was shredded, emerging as "white crumb."

White crumb was aged in tanks up to 72 hours, then mixed with carbon disulfide to produce "yellow crumb." The yellow crumb was dissolved in caustic soda to form viscose, a lquid that looks like honey.

The liquid was aged in the viscose cellar for four to five days, filtered to remove particles, degassed to remove air bubbles, and pumped to the production department.

The production department was divided into three processes: box spinning, double deck spinning, and staple. Each process started with the viscose being forced through fine holes in a platinum die into an acid bath, forming rayon filaments.

When the reaction was complete, the acid was piped to acid reclaim -- a maze of tanks, evaporators, coolers, and pipes of all sorts containing million of gallons of acid. A by-product, anhydrous sodium sulfate salt, was removed in the acid reclaim.

In addition to wood pulp and chemicals, rail deliveries included coal for the powerhouse. Wood pulp arrived in boxcars, mostly from Canadian roads and Southern Ry. The Front Royal plant also required rock salt to soften its water. Salt arrived in boxcars, and later, in covered hoppers.

Wooden crates were often used to ship rayon fiberm, and the compay received boxcar loads of lumber. The plant also received machinery on flat cars, chemicals in boxcars and covered hoppers, and boxcars of other supporting materials.

Outgoing shipments of rayon and polyester finished fiber were loaded into boxcars, Chemical by-products were also originally shipped by boxcar; then later by covered hopper.

Page 90 of Triumph IV offers an excellent 1950 aerial photograph. The plant closed in 1972 following hurricane Agnes.

Pennsylvania Railroad Color Pictorial 3, p. 63, shows a BS12 shifting coal cars in/out of the plant in 1965... indicating the plant was busy enough to warrant two switches a day.

Penn Pilot offers a 1957 aerial view which provides a decent footprint for the plant, including substantial piles of coal reserves at the west end of the plant.

Rich Orr noted on the PRR Modeling list in 2008...

X29b equipped for rayon spools 29685, 27208, 27656, 27761, 27994, 28092, 28137, 28181, 28278, 28374, 28460-28469, 28491, 28580, 29465, 29834, 29848, 30042, 30065, 30097, 30268, 30436, 30442, 30638, 30783,
30846.

X37a equipped for rayon spools  66549.

During ther 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood.	1928 Sanborn map, corrected to 1948.
	One of 18 X37B box cars assigned to the Viscose plant.
American Viscose 44 ton locomotive.	A switcher working the plant in 1972.

Station

This references the back side of the main line station.

During the 1950s, the west end of the passenger station was reconfigured for less-than-carload (LCL) freight handling.

Shown on the 1910 and 1928 Sanborn maps.

Listed in the PRR 1923 and 1945 CT1000's.

Penn Pilot offers a 1957 aerial photo which clearly shows the LCL track to the back of the station.

"Merchandise Service" X40B LCL box car on the north side of the station, 1956.	LCL delivery trucks at the dock on the west side of the station, 1956.
1938 excursion on the Lewistown Branch.

Scales

Shown on the 1910 and 1928 Sanborn maps.

Listed in the PRR 1923 and 1945 CT1000's.

1928 Sanborn map, corrected to 1948.
Scale House, 1956.	Scale House, 1956.
Circa 1981-82.	Circa 1981-82.

H. J. Stannert Sand Co.

Sand quarry along the south shore of the Juniata River.

Listed in the PRR 1923 CT1000. Not in the 1945 CT1000. 

Lewistown Photo Scrapbook