The Bellefonte Historical Railroad, established in 1984, is a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the local railroading heritage and educating the public about it. The railroad offers annual rides for residents and tourists interested in scenic railroading.
Railroading in Bellefonte dates to 1859, when the Bellefonte & Snow Shoe Railroad was created to access coal deposits in the Mountaintop area. Bellefonte’s brick passenger station was built after the Lewisburg & Tyrone Branch was completed in 1885.
Beginning in the early 20th century, railroad passenger service steadily declined as automobile travel expanded. Bellefonte lost its passenger service in 1950. By the early 1970s, railroad freight service was similarly declining as railroads faced competition from trucks using the new Interstate highway system. When six major railroads in the Northeastern United States went bankrupt, Congress created Conrail in 1976 to take over their tracks and equipment.
In central Pennsylvania, Conrail was abandoning much of the remaining trackage. This led the Susquehanna Economic Development Agency-Council of Governments to establish the Joint Rail Authority (JRA), a separate entity, to meet central Pennsylvania’s transportation needs.
In 1984, the authority bought 82 miles of track from Conrail for $2.13 million. JRA contracted with the Nittany & Bald Eagle, a new short line railroad, to operate freight trains on the newly purchased lines. This preserved rail service for shippers, including the Corning-Asahi plant at Dale Summit and local quarries.
Two Bellefonte residents, Kerry Uhler and Merv Lucas, recognized an opportunity to create a tourist railroad that would strengthen Bellefonte’s growing interest in its Victorian past. They envisioned restoring passenger service to Curtin Village, an ironmaking site in the Bald Eagle Valley.
Because passenger service had been nonexistent for three decades, few residents had experienced passenger train travel. To gauge public support, Uhler and Lucas organized a community meeting in July 1984 that led to the enrollment of about 150 members. The group incorporated on November 14, 1984, as the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society.
In December 1984, the new organization acquired a rail diesel car, which was a self-propelled, stainless-steel passenger coach, with the aid of State Senator J. Doyle Corman. The senator arranged to transfer RDC 9167 to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which subsequently lent it to the Bellefonte Historical Railroad. The 88-seat car required engine work, system overhauls, and interior and exterior repairs. Volunteers completed the restoration.
The newly restored car made its first revenue trip on July 4, 1985. By the end of the summer, it had carried nearly 2,700 passengers, primarily between Bellefonte and Unionville. In 1986, its first full operational season, the car transported 6,400 passengers.
Service to Curtin Village was delayed until the necessary eastern segment of the line, between Milesburg and Curtin, was obtained from Conrail. After a $5,000 contribution from the Bellefonte Historical Railroad, trains began operating to Curtin Village in 1987.
Regular seasonal service operated from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with routes serving destinations in the Bald Eagle Valley and toward Dale Summit. Foliage excursions were added in the fall.
In 1989, JRA acquired the segment of the Bald Eagle Branch between Curtin and Mill Hall from Conrail to support regional freight operations, and the historical railroad received permission to operate on the line. In May 1992, summer passenger service was extended to Lemont.
During peak season in the 1990s, the railroad operated a dozen or more trips each week, including chartered and scheduled runs. These trips were supported entirely by the volunteer workforce and revenue from ticket sales, making the railroad a largely self-sustaining enterprise. Charter operations included excursions featuring live musical performances, wedding receptions, birthday parties, and whistle-stop campaign trains for local political candidates.
In 1992, a second rail diesel car, RDC 9153, was acquired to serve as a backup and to add capacity for popular events. It, too, needed to be restored. It was ready just in time to handle overflow crowds traveling to Curtin Village’s annual Apple Butter Day.
In 1994, Port Matilda was added as a regularly scheduled stop for summer holiday runs, including Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Labor Day. By 1999, welded rail had been installed on the main line, modernizing the Bald Eagle Valley corridor.
However, in 2005, the railroad suspended operations due to mechanical difficulties, increasing operating expenses, and new regulatory requirements. Both RDCs were taken out of service.
In 2008, Bellefonte Historical Railroad excursions were revived, thanks to a tri-party agreement between the Nittany & Bald Eagle Railroad, the JRA, and the Sunbury-based Penn Valley Railroad. They included seasonal fall foliage trips to Lemont, Pleasant Gap, Sayers Dam, Tyrone, and Lock Haven. The popular Santa Express trains also were introduced as annual December events. About two years later, the historical railroad added rides in speeder cars, which carry two to four passengers and were formerly used for maintenance.
In 2014 the railroad received a $325,000 grant to refurbish RDC 9167. The work took longer than expected, but the car returned in 2023 with a welcome-home ride. That year, after a new agreement was reached with the Nittany & Bald Eagle Railroad, Christmas excursions resumed with the railroad’s locomotives and passenger cars.
RDC 9153 was still sidelined in poor shape, but volunteers refurbished the train in less than a year, and it was coupled with RDC 9167 for the 2024 Christmas rides. Together, the two cars can carry about 160 passengers.
The Bellefonte Historical Railroad remains active. However, because no railroad volunteers meet updated certification standards, train operations are handled by the Nittany & Bald Eagle Railroad. Excursions are held about twelve days annually based on the availability of volunteers. The excursions often sell out.
Peter Williams
Sources:
Beach, Joe. “Riding the Rails on the RDC.” Centre Democrat, July 15, 1987.
Bellefonte Historical Railroad. bellefontetrain.org. (Accessed January 15, 2026)
Bezilla, Michael. Branch Line Empires: The Pennsylvania and the New York Central Railroads. Indiana University Press, 2017, pp. 336–40.
Bezilla, Michael. Interview with Peter Williams, February 4, 2026.
Bezilla, Michael. “Volunteerin’ on the Railroad.” Town & Gown Magazine, May 1994, pp. 82–91.
Durachko, Dan and Gail Durachko. Interview with Peter Williams, February 9, 2026.
First Published: March 17, 2026
Last Modified: March 18, 2026