The Abandoned Knox Dale Tunnel - Former Pittsburg & Shawmut Line - Feat.
Over the last year I've been exploring many of the abandoned Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad locations around my area. The man focus has been the former line which ran between Brookville and Kittanning, which has several tunnels and viaducts along it. The first of these tunnels is Knox Dale, which is I believe 915' long and is located at what would've been milepost 28. During my meet up with friend/fellow YouTuber, @eddierools (Eddie) back in October, we headed out for the day to explore some of the former P&S locations, Knoxdale Tunnel being one of them.
We approached the tunnel from the northern end, which is now the easiest to access since the Knox Dale underpass was taken out earlier this year. When approaching this end, there is a concrete barrier laying out from the tunnel a few yards, which would've blocked off the entrance when Buffalo & Pittsburgh abandoned the line in 2005. A chain link fence which also blocked off the tunnel has been ripped down, and this is likely because people ride ATV's through here now. Going into the tunnel, there are piles of bricks on each side, which are the outer layer of the walls which have collapsed over the years. Eddie also notices some cutouts in the walls, which would've been where you would duck into if a train were coming through.
When we approach the southern end, we notice part of the roof has failed, and a large slab of concrete is dangerously hanging there. This has been the case for at least the last year now, however I've started to notice more cracks opening up along the southern end of the roof, and the piles of debris down below seem to be getting bigger. The southern end is definitely showing signs that it may collapse in the near future. Still, Eddie and I continued on out of the southern entrance, where again we find the barrier moved out of the way and the fence ripped down. We hang out here for a little while before heading back north through the tunnel.
Overall Eddie and I enjoyed checking out the tunnel, even if things are starting to become a little iffy there now. Like I said earlier, the southern end is really starting to show serious signs of failure, and personally I feel it may not make it through the winter. Sadly, this is what happens when structures like this have been abandoned and/or neglected for almost 20 years, and I dare say someday the entire structure itself will fail. That being said though, it's great to have the chance to explore these places while you still can.
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