17. The second Allegheny Portage Railroad
In 1840 the Commonwealth authorized the Main Line to build a second railroad across the portage, eliminating the inclines entirely. They planned the connection between the canals by direct rail, using some, but not all of the technology developed during the six years of operation of the Allegheny Portage. Plans were formulated and studies conducted. Work began on grades, even as the existing Portage hummed with activity. They came to naught. Before the second portage entered operation it was obsolete, and the project ended. The Pennsylvania Railroad completed the connection to Pittsburgh in 1854, and travel between Philadelphia and the forks of the Ohio River was reduced to 13 hours.
The Main Line could not compete in terms of speed, and the legislature decided to stop losing money on its operation. Privately owned canal boats meandered on both legs of the canal, but the main flow of freight and passenger traffic shifted to the railroad. The state first offered the canal system for sale in 1844, though no buyers appeared. It was offered again in 1854 with the same results. In 1857 the Pennsylvania Railroad purchased the Main Line Canal and the Allegheny Portage Railroad for $7.5 million dollars. The deal was formalized on June 25, at Philadelphia’s Merchant Exchange. Over the course of its existence, Pennsylvania taxpayers paid over $16 million for the system.