20. The Pennsylvania Railroad shut down the Allegheny Portage Railroad in 1857
After purchasing the Main Line, the Pennsylvania Railroad simply turned its back on the canals. The Allegheny Portage Railroad, and the work begun on the second portage, was dismantled. The engines and locomotives transferred to other sites operated by the Pennsylvania. Canal basins and boatyards at Hollidaysburg and Johnstown fell into disuse and deteriorated. The booming waterfronts in both towns decayed. The summit where the Allegheny operated for two decades fell silent, after the machinery was removed, as well as most of the rails. The engine houses, connecting sheds, and other support structures were left to crumble in their places.
Teamsters continued to use the Skew Arch bridge, though freight traffic carried by wagon continued to trickle down to next to nothing, it too unable to compete with the railroads. The Staple Bend Tunnel was closed to rail traffic. It became a popular picnicking spot for nearby residents, attracted by the decorative façade installed by its builders. The Lemon House returned to private use, no longer the host for visitors to the site. The Pennsylvania Railroad abandoned the canal system in its entirety, and the Main Line’s many support facilities, reservoirs, aqueducts, toll houses, locks, and the canals themselves fell into disrepair.