Railfan's Guide - Cassandra and Jamestown, PA

The "Lilly" detector is located at Milepost 253.1 (Carney's Crossing). There is a dragging equipment detector and a hot box detector. (Lilly is located about 3 miles south of Cresson on PA Rt 53.) At milepost 255.8 is the abandoned iron bridge at Cassandra. To get to the iron bridge, continue on Rt 53 from Lilly. When you reach the bottom of the hill at the Gas Station/car wash/convenience store turn right onto Cassandra Road/main Street into Cassandra. The town of Cassandra had recently cleared some of the brush and placed a park bench at the Bridge for the purpose of attracting railfans. Note that the bridge is closed to vehicles.

From the Bridge, looking West towards Portage, you will see the Jamestown Bridge off in the distance as well as a signal tower. This is a long straight-away view. If you look East, you will see the track curve off to the left. There is an "island" to the right of that curve. From that island, you can see both the signal bridge at Lilly and the Cassandra Bridge.

The Interchange (milepost 256.8) for the Portage Industrial Track (formerly the Ben's Creek Secondary; "BC") is just west of the Cassandra Bridge. The Secondary was the original alignment of the mainline until 1896. Located east of "BC" is the site of the former Cassandra, PA station. The Jamestown Bridge is visible to the west at milepost 257.2 A Map of the "NY" Interlocking / "BC" Secondary is Available Here.

To continue on to the Jamestown Bridge (located at Milepost 257.2) , follow Rt 53 until you reach Township Road 406 (Jamestown Road}. Turn left.

The track shown as "old railroad grade" no longer exists. Located east of "BC" is the site of the former Cassandra, PA station.

NY tower once stood at milepost 259.1 and controlled train movements on several branches between Wilmore and Lilly.

The Portage Industrial track was formerly named the "BC Secondary". The track diverges at "NY", which can be reached by following South Railroad Street westward along the Portage Industrial Track from PA route 164.

NOTE: The track was the original alignment of the mainline until 1896. It cut through town and rejoins the main line at "BC" (milepost 256.8). The realignment between "NY" and "BC" shortened the distance but increased the grade to more than 1% (the steepest grade on the west slope).

"About the middle of the 19th Century, the old Portage Railroad pushed across the Alleghenies as laborers, led by surveyor's stakes and trailed by stone ties and iron rails laid across the mountains, arrived in this region. These laborers, comprised of mainly Welsh and Irish immigrants, established a small settlement at Leap's Crossing located along the roadbed of the railroad and only a few hundred yards from Number Three Plane. The settlers changed the name to Derby when a store and a hotel were built.

To the south of the underpass sat a group of homes the settlers called Oil City. Beyond Oil City, an oil pump station was built near the railroad and dam of water. This area, called Myra, was located at the bottom of "Peanut Hill," the end of the road coming down from Bens Creek. One of the original water supply sources remains today. As the coal mines of Bens Creek prospered, Derby grew to nearly 100 homes, and more stores opened. A good road was built connecting with the Sonman Road at Bens Creek.

By the turn of the century (1900), Derby was a thriving community. The railroad station located above the underpass that was the entrance to Derby was called the Ben's Creek Station. The picture above shows an eastbound view through the "Big Cut". This area is known as the deepest cut on the mainline because of the mountainous terrain that had to be cut through. In 1898, the new Pennsylvania Railroad Line was completed as these four tracks were laid from Lilly to Wilmore. The bridge in the far distance is the Iron Bridge at Cassandra.

In 1888, the town was laid out on 13 acres of property owned by Mathiot Reade as shown on a 1908 surveyor's drawing of the proposed borough. On September 23, 1908, the town was incorporated as a borough and named Cassandra after Mr. Reade's daughter. " (3)

Looking West toward Cassandra from the "island." Note the bridge. (1/30/98)		Looking West from the bridge. (6/97)
Looking West toward Cassandra from the "island." Note the bridge. (1/30/98)		Looking East from the bridge. Note the "island" to the right. (6/97)
	Looking West from the bridge. By Matt Fultz		Looking West from the bridge. By Matt Fultz
	Looking West from the bridge. By Matt Fultz	Looking East toward Lilly from the "island." Note the signal bridge. (1/30/98)
	A view of the Stream running under the mainline. 12-7-00.

	The Town of Cassandra has recently done some landscaping and beautification to the Iron Bridge Railroad Overlook. (6-13-00)		The Town of Cassandra has recently done some landscaping and beautification to the Iron Bridge Railroad Overlook. (6-13-00)
	The Town of Cassandra has recently done some landscaping and beautification to the Iron Bridge Railroad Overlook. (6-13-00)		Railfans (and my co-workers) at the Iron Brigde Overlook (6-13-00). L-Matt Fultz; R-Dave Shultz

"At one time, Old Route 53 wound through the town and what is known as "The Iron Bridge" allowed vehicular traffic to cross over the railroad tracks into Cassandra. When the bridge became unsafe for vehicle traffic, it was reclassified as a pedestrian bridge only.

For years the Iron Bridge has been just part of Cassandra-it was always there. All who have grown up in this little town have memories of this bridge. Grandparents and great grandparents may remember its importance as a vehicle bridge allowing traffic on Route 53 to flow through Cassandra. When this was no longer the case and the bridge became a pedestrian bridge, it was somewhat forgotten except for the town's residents.

In the Cassandra of 1999, it seems as though the Iron Bridge has been "rediscovered." This bridge spans the railroad's longest straight-away (three miles) and deepest hillside cut. Railroad enthusiasts have been stopping at the bridge to watch the trains and take advantage of this view. With their cameras and video cameras, they wait patiently to catch a glimpse of the trains as they chug east to west and west to east. In 1998, a local businessman who also doubles as the town mayor noticed an increase in cars with out-of- state license plates flowing through town. His curiosity got the best of him, and he began to investigate. To his surprise, their destination was the Iron Bridge. He immediately began a visitors Register for them to sign. In just a short period of one year, he had between 700 and 800 signatures from all over the United States as well as countries from around the world such as Australia, Great Britain, Denmark, Canada, and Germany to name but a few. There are signatures from all but three of the states east of the Mississippi River. It just may be true when they say, "Sometimes the best things can be found right in your own backyard!" "(3)