Kiski Junction Railroad

The region below Lake Erie is dotted with a number of small shortline operators who have given the public a great nod by offering seasonal tourist operations on their pikes. To the Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson and the Oil Creek & Titusville add the diminutive Kiski Junction -- proud owner of the finest looking Alco S-series I have seen in quite some time. The Kiski is a one-industry shortline, although there is discussion about the possibility of reactivating coal service from a nearby mine. Still, the good folks of this Allegheny River valley road open up their little line to the public every summer, even giving passengers a front row seat to switching operations at the mill -- a perk perhaps lost on the dozens of families who ride; cherished by railfans. A summer 2009 visit to the Kiski reminded me of why shortlines loom large in my pantheon of steel rail interests: the people. My father in a wheelchair, the crew of the KJR all afternoon went out their way to make him comfortable -- even assisting me in coaxing his wheelchair through the heavy gravel of the shop area in order to take a peak at their Alco lady tied up in the engine house, awaiting new brake shoes. Thanks Kiski Junction. It's likely you were host to his last run.