The second Tarentum Station was built about 1870 near the site of the present JG’s Tarentum Station Grille restaurant.Ī third, larger Tarentum Station was constructed near Lock Street in 1892. It was decorated with red, white and blue bunting and had 100 dignitaries as passengers, including senators, congressmen and other state officials. On Oct.12, 1866, the first train passed through Tarentum. The company purchased the old canal rights of way and built its tracks on top of the old canal bed. The West Penn Railroad operated along the north side of the Allegheny River. In the 1920s, it again was renamed as Renoulf’s Beach Station after the immensely popular swimming area adjacent to it. Later, the station on the Lower Burrell side was renamed Craigdell Station. For a time, there were two Tarentum Stations, one on each side of the river. The station at the base of Craigdell continued to be called Tarentum Station for many years, even after 1866 when the West Penn Railroad began operating trains on the Tarentum side of the river. for its sand, which was used to make glass. At that time, the water downstream from Hairs Island was too shallow to make it practical for a single ferry to go around the tip of the island.Īround 1900, Hairs Island was removed by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. Then they would walk across the island to board a second ferry to take them from the island to Tarentum. Passengers crossing the river would board a ferry and travel to Hairs Island in the middle of the river. This was because passengers wishing to travel to Tarentum would exit the train and take a ferry across the river to Tarentum. That same year, the company opened a station at the base of Craigdell Road and named it Tarentum Station. In 1856, the Allegheny Valley Railroad completed its tracks between Pittsburgh and Kittanning. In the mid-1800s, Craigdell Road, which is behind the Giant Eagle on Tarentum Bridge Road, extended all the way down to the river. The Allegheny Valley Railroad on the Lower Burrell side of the Allegheny River was built before the West Penn Railroad on the Tarentum side of the river. There have been four Tarentum railroad stations over the years. While the route is no longer used for passengers, that wasn’t the case in the early days. The clamor of trains chugging through Tarentum - and perhaps the inconvenience of getting stuck at one of its crossings - is a daily reminder of the role locomotives play in the borough.
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