The P&WV Hi-Line

[tcwright973]

I'm hoping someone can give me a short history lesson here. I noticed that the trestle over the Parkway West is lettered for the Norfolk & Western. I'm curious about the timeline and what railroads have owned this trackage in the past. Thanks

[Guest]

The trestle over the Parkway West...I'm assuming your reference is the one at the Fort Pitt Tunnels...is actually the 2nd trestle at that location.
Originally the trestle was the Wabash-Pittsburgh Line that when originaly constructed extended from Downtown, Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh Junction, Ohio. Bankruptcy then recievership, those original 60 odd rail miles ended up becoming the Pittsburgh & West Virginia which added the West Side Belt (lower Parkway Bridge) via construction of a short piece of track at
Banksville Junction that linked both the P&WV and WSB. The West Side Belt ran from the Ohio River to Clairton. In the early 1930's, the P&WV built East to the Western Maryland at Connellsville.
In 1964 the P&WV is leased by the Norfolk & Western which becomes Norfolk Southern in 1982. Norfolk Southern vacated this former Pittsburgh Division in 1990 and the new regional Wheeling & Lake Erie becomes operator of the P&WV as NS subleases the P&WV. There still is a P&WV Trust Company where lease money goes.

[tcwright973]

Thanks. That is the trestle I was asking about, and that is exactly the information I was looking for. I appreciate your response.