Sideling Hill
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Sideling Hill | |
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Ridge-and-Valley province, Appalachian Mountains | |
Topo map | USGS Wells Tannery |
Sideling Hill, also Side Long Hill,
Geology
Sideling Hill is a
Ecology
Most of the crest of Sideling Hill is forested, primarily with various
Highway, railroad, and canal crossings
Only a few major highways, one active and two former railroads, and one former canal cross this steep mountain ridge.
East Broad Top Railroad Tunnel (Pennsylvania)
The
The north portal was equipped with doors to prevent wind from blowing through the tunnel as the wind caused water percolating into the tunnel to freeze on the tracks in the winter. In 1911, this ice caused the brand new locomotive #12 to derail its pilot axle inside the tunnel then derail the entire locomotive at the Kimmel switch just beyond the tunnel. In the 1940s, the doors were equipped with remote actuators mounted on poles a few hundred feet before each portal. This allowed the crews to open and close the doors without stopping. The system did not work flawlessly and a door was ripped off by a caboose cupola.
The tunnel was in service from 1874 until the railroad ceased operations in 1956. The line is technically out of service (but not abandoned), and the track is still in place through the tunnel, although not serviceable. The tunnel and rail line are private property and not open to the public.
Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76)
The
Sideling Hill Tunnel (Pennsylvania)
The
The tunnel, the longest of the seven original turnpike tunnels at 6,782 feet (2,067 m) long, was used from the turnpike's opening in 1940 until 1968. Due to increasing traffic on the highway, the turnpike commission began upgrading all of its two-lane tunnels, constructing twin bores for its tunnels through the Allegheny, Tuscarora, Kittatinny, and Blue mountains, and bypassing the tunnels under Laurel Hill, Rays Hill, and Sideling Hill with new, six-lane highways climbing the adjacent hills. The Sideling Hill Tunnel and the nearby Rays Hill tunnel, along with connecting segments of four-lane highway, were used for many years as a testing facility for new highway technologies.[citation needed]
In 2001, the Sideling Hill Tunnel was sold to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy for $1, which now operates it as a bike trail.[3]
Sideling Hill Road Cut (I-68 and US 40, Maryland)
The Sideling Hill
Rest stop and former exhibit center
A highway rest stop, located near the eastern side of the Sideling Hill Road Cut on I-68 west of Hancock, includes a pedestrian bridge crossing I-68, connecting the eastbound and westbound rest areas and offering views of the cut, in which stopping is prohibited.
The rest stop formerly included the Sideling Hill Exhibit Center, a four-level geological museum and travel information center which opened in 1991. Due to state budget cuts, this facility was closed on August 15, 2009, as part of a $280 million budget reduction package, saving the state about $110,000 annually. Before its closing, the center served about 95,000 visitors a year.[6] Many of the geological exhibits from the former Exhibit Center are now displayed at the Hancock Museum in nearby Hancock, Maryland.[5][7]
The former exhibit center building was reopened as a welcome center on October 9, 2015. Only part of the facility is open, with the former exhibit center exhibits remaining at the Hancock Museum.[8]
National Road (US 40 Scenic)
Before construction of I-68, US 40 (now US 40 Scenic), the National Road, crossed Sideling Hill with a steep grade on each side and a sharp hairpin turn at the crest of the mountain.
Potomac River Water Gap
The
See also
References
- ^ a b "Feature Detail Report for: Sideling Hill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ^ "Fisher Point, Pennsylvania". List of Peaks. ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ^ Walsh, Larry (November 4, 2001). "Cycling: Tighter security near Confluence dam sends cyclists in search of new campsite". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on May 25, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2006.
- ^ "Construction Information about the Sideling Hill Road Cut & Exhibit Center" (PDF). Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Brezinski, David K. (1994). "Geology of the Sideling Hill Road Cut". Maryland Geological Survey. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
- ^ Keels, Heather (July 22, 2009). "Sideling Hill Exhibit Center to close". The Herald-Mail. Hagerstown, Maryland. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ^ "Welcome Centers". Visit Maryland. Maryland Office of Tourism. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ^ Baker, Tamela (September 25, 2015). "Sideling Hill visitors center to reopen in Hancock". Herald-Mail. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
External links
- Media related to Sideling Hill at Wikimedia Commons