Cheswick and Harmar Railroad: A walk down the 1903 rail bed

The Harwick Coal Mine in Harwick, Pa. opened in 1901 as did the Cheswick and Harmar Railroad. The railroad was incorporated to remove coal from the mine and was constructed in two phases. The first phase was to immediately transport coal to the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Cheswick, Pa. The second phase, completed in 1903 took a second set of tracks from the mine to the Bessemer and Lake Erie line at the north approach to their bridge crossing the Allegheny River.
The railroad was approx. 4 miles in total length but was considered an interstate carrier.
As a side note: The Harwick Mine was the site of a devastating explosion that claimed the lives of 179 hard working miners in 1904. The Carnegie Hero Fund was started as a result of this tragedy.
Presented here is a walk following the C and H Rail Bed beginning at the north approach to the bridge of the B&LE continuing through to the former Harwick Mine area.