The Cherry Tree & Dixonville R.R.
Research & text by Henry Statkowski
The Cherry Tree & Dixonville Railroad was incorporated in 1903 as a jointly-owned company by the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads. Running westward from Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania into the eastern portion of Indiana County, it was designed to tap the bituminous coal fields in the area. Both the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads owned 50% of the CT&D, with each having trackage rights over the CT&D to operate their own trains (i.e., "Operating Rights" as opposed to "Overhead Rights"). Although the initial construction was paid for by the Pennsylvania Railroad, it was subsequently reimbursed for its share and all expenses thereafter were shared equally. The CT&D had no equipment of its own, and track maintenance was performed by the New York Central Railroad (charged against the CT&D and reimbursed per the ownership agreement previously mentioned).
Heading west from Cherry Tree up the valley of Cush Cushion Creek, the railroad crested the Mini-Continental Divide (separating the Atlantic Ocean watershed from the Gulf of Mexico watershed) at Fleming Summit and followed the North Branch of Two Lick Creek down to Wandin and then into what was to become the coal mining town of Clymer, Pennsylvania. From Clymer, the CT&D turned northward up the valley of Dixon Run, reaching its goal of Dixonville and the end of the line at Idamar.
Like most railroad coal operations of its time, the railroad had numerous branches. The most significant branch was the Possum Glory Branch. This line cut south from Wandin along the South Branch of Two Lick Creek, crested Holmes Summit and then dropped down into the valley of Yellow Creek to what is now Heilwood, Pennsylvania. Heilwood's name was originally Possum Glory, hence the name of the branch line. When Possum Glory's name was changed to Heilwood in 1912, however, the branch line's name was not changed.
This railroad was new from the beginning. Unlike some others, it did not take over existing, older lines. According to the ICC's 1929 Valuation Report, the line was built in the following years:
· 1904:
1. Main Line (Cherry Tree to Wandin) - 13.3 miles
2. Shanktown Branch - 0.9 miles
3. Pompey Run Branch (not mentioned in the ICC report) - mileage unknown · 1905: Possum Glory Branch (Wandin to Heilwood) - 7.1 miles · 1906:
1. Main Line (Wandin to Idamar) - 7.8 miles
2. Long Run Branch - 0.5 miles
3. Buck Run Branch - 1.3 miles
4. Rodkey Branch - mileage unknown
5. Western Branch - 1.3 miles
6. Price Run Branch - 0.5 miles
7. Sample Run Branch (came off of the Western Branch) - 0.8 miles
· 1910: Loop Cut-Off - 1.2 miles
Of note, the Western Branch, running down the valley of Two Lick Creek westward from Clymer, was originally proposed to run to a terminus near Homer City, just south of Indiana. This complete line was never built. The Western Branch officially ended 1.29 miles west of Dixon Run Junction (also called Clymer Junction) at Sample Run Junction (where there really was no junction) to become the Sample Run Branch.
At Heilwood, where the Possum Glory Branch ended, the Yellow Creek Branch continued on for 0.2 miles, serving a Bethlehem Mines Corp. facility.
A 1905 PRR map, revised in 1906, shows the Pompey Run Branch, located near Commodore, already having been abandoned.
In 1914, the Cambria & Indiana Railroad arrived at what was to become an interchange with the CT&D trackage at Manver. The C&I was owned 60% by Bethlehem Steel, and 40% by the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation. The CBC, in turn, was 100% owned by the New York Central Railroad. With a significant ownership in an adjoining railroad, one could easily see the benefit in generating traffic for the New York Central via the CT&D.
This was not a passenger railroad. The railroad was designed and built from the outset to do one thing - haul coal from eastern Indiana County. Its so-called "bridge traffic" consisted of coal originated from the Cambria & Indiana Railroad connection at Manver for New York Central connections. The Pennsylvania Railroad also interchanged at Manver with the C&I, but they also had other, closer connections at the other end of the C&I along their Black Lick Branch.
Since this was not a passenger-oriented railroad, any such trains were limited in size, frequency, and importance. Sorry, no "name" trains here. The 1930 employees timetable shows one train, most likely a single gas-electric car, running from Cherry Tree to Wandin, down and back on the Possum Glory Branch, and continuing on to Clymer and Idamar, and then immediately departing back for Cherry Tree without any side trip on the Possum Glory Branch. The 1947 passenger timetable shows one train a day coming up out of Cresson on the PRR, running to Idamar and back with no side trips.
_The photograph is a 1997 satellite shot of the area surrounding Fleming Summit, Pennsylvania on what used to the the Cherry Tree & Dixonville Railroad.
In the center of the picture you can see where the Loop Cut-Off Track used to run, and also where it used to connect to the Main Line.
You can also see where the New York Central Railroad's wye track was located just to the north, and about a half-mile in on the Loop Track. The wye, although mentioned in the 1930 timetable's Special Instructions, was not listed as a separate location from Fleming Summit, even though it clearly is (or was).