The following is an excerpt from the Altoona Mirror article published January 10, 1959:
The little 2-6-0 Mogul locomotive stood at the Juniata terminal of the Altoona and Wopsononock Railroad nearly opposite the entrance gate to the recently erected Juniata Shops of the Pennsylvania railroad. Attached to the locomotive were two cars in which at least two dozen passengers were seated awaiting the first trip up the mountain to the Wopsononock Hotel and recreation area.
The Mogul, under a full-head of steam, had been brought to the terminal from the engine house near where the present silk mill stands by Engineer John Fisher and Fireman Joseph Shiffler.
Back in the cars Conductor George Adams was collecting tickets from the various passengers and every once in a while glancing at his watch. The scheduled departure time was 8:30 a.m. on the morning of June 11, 1891, and Conductor Adams did not want to be late starting his first run on the new line.
Mountain Scenery
All these preparations were the culmination of an idea of a group of men who decided to exploit the advantages of the mountain scenery at Wopsononock and also tap the rich coal fields surrounding the village of Daugherty and the area to the north.
No record is available as to when the first meeting was held by a group of Altoona citizens to formulate plans for constructing the railroad but prior to the construction of the road a company official known as the Wopsononock Stage Coach Co. hauled passengers from Juniata to Wopsononock, and of the new railroad and the event
A notice appearing in the Altoona Mirror of May 17th, 1890, stated that F. C. Patterson, W. L. Shellenberger, vice president of the Richland Coal Co., S. J. Westley, H. J. Davis, Andrew Kippie, John Loudon, William Loudon, A. C. Shand, C. A. Wood, W. I. Calvert, Scott Gwin, Thomas Bell, W. W. Yon, John A. Cana and W. J. Heinsling, had applied to the state of Pennsylvania for a charter for a railroad to be known as the Altoona and Wopsononock Railroad.
Prior to the granting of the charter the officials of the new road called for bids for the grading, within a period of 60 days, for nine miles of road-bed beginning at what is now 4th Ave. and 1st St., Juniata.
Get Contract
Five contractors submitted bids, all within a few dollars of one another, but the successful bidder was found to be McGovern Brothers of Tyrone. The grading was to begin no later than 30 days following the awarding of the contract.
On June 14th, George McDonald, a civil engineer employed by the company to survey the route, reported that the route had been staked, sheds had been erected for the track laborers and the grading work was marked with a banquet at the Logan House.
On June 24th, 1890 F. L. Ferris of Bellwood, who possessed considerable knowledge of the Juniata area over which the new road would be built, was named chief engineer of the road in charge of construction.
It is interesting to note that on June 9, just five days previously, the officials of the Wopsononock Stage Company officially announced the company’s retirement from business in favor of the new railroad and the event was marked with a banquet at the Logan House.
On July 9th, 1890, it was decided that business of the road would no longer be transacted group of Altoona business men formed the Wopsononock Improve (Continued on Page 17 Col. 4)
