21. The Main Line shaped the economy of Pennsylvania
Though it operated for just two decades, the Main Line and the Allegheny Portage Railroad’s impact on Pennsylvania remain an important part of the state’s history. It was the first successful transportation system to penetrate the eastern mountain barrier. It became a vital engine for the economy of the state, creating new industries and businesses. Thousands of skilled workers flocked to Pennsylvania to contribute to the canal and railroad, many of them immigrants. Stone masons from Italy and the German provinces shaped the pavers which lined the canal beds, supported the rails, and decorated the facades of buildings and tunnels. Irish, German, Polish, Italian, and Dutch immigrants became part of Pennsylvania’s population, bringing aspects of their old-world culture to the new, where they flourished.
Some aspects of the Allegheny Portage Railroad survived into the 20th century, including the concept of using inclines to cross the summits of the mountains. Most did not. The Pennsylvania Railroad became the new Main Line across the state, with feeder lines into towns and counties formerly serviced by the canals. Across the United States, similar events transpired. The booming canals were replaced by the much faster trains, steelmaking surpassed boatbuilding, and America began to move at a faster pace than ever before. Railheads connected with steamboats, using the rivers as highways into the interior. The Pennsylvania Railroad entered into competition with the Baltimore and Ohio and New York’s Central Railroad, to dominate American transportation.