Exploring the Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County

Exploring the Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County Pennsylvania.

The Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County has the distinction of being the first railroad tunnel built in the United States!

The brick lined entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel along the former Allegheny Portage Railroad in Cambria County.
The brick lined entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel.

Constructed as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, this 901 foot-long tunnel was built between November 1831 and June 1833, progressing 18 inches each day, with crews working simultaneously on both sides eventually meeting in the center. 

A construction diagram for the Staple Bend Tunnel along the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
A construction diagram for the Staple Bend Tunnel.

Today, the tunnel is operated by the National Park Service as a unit of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.

Staple Bend Tunnel National Park Service sign.
Staple Bend Tunnel is operated and maintained by the National Park Service.

Visitors can hike or bike the 2.5 mile-long (one-way) Staple Bend Tunnel Trail from a parking area along Beech Hill Road in Mineral Point westward to the tunnel.

The ornate western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
The ornate western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.

History of the Staple Bend Tunnel

The Staple Bend Tunnel was just one part of the larger Allegheny Portage Railroad, the first railroad to cross the Allegheny Mountains.

Looking up Incline Number 6 towards Engine House Number 6 at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona Pennsylvania.
Looking up Incline Number 6 along the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

This 36 mile-long track allowed for canals on the eastern and western sides of the state to be connected, cutting the travel time between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia from weeks to just days.

A map showing the location of the Allegheny Portage Railroad near Altoona.
How the Allegheny Portage Railroad connected canal systems in eastern and western Pennsylvania.

Using an ingenious system of 10 inclined planes, 10 stationary steam engines, and a series of rails, cables, and pulleys, canal boats carrying freight and/or passengers could be loaded on flatbed train cars and winched up and down over the mountains, similar to how a modern day ski lift operates.

Drawing of how Engine House Number 6 looked during the time the Allegheny Portage Railroad was in operation.
Drawing of how Engine House Number 6 looked during the time the Allegheny Portage Railroad was in operation (public domain image).

Between these 10 inclined planes were areas known as “levels” – literally flat sections of the railroad where the rail cars could be pulled by mules (and in later years by small steam locomotives).

An artistic rendering of the Staple Bend Tunnel, on display at the Allegheny Portage Railroad Visitor Center.
An artistic rendering of the Staple Bend Tunnel, on display at the Allegheny Portage Railroad Visitor Center.

Once across the Allegheny Mountains, the canal boats could be put back into the water to continue on their journey east or west.

What a canal boat hauling passengers would have looked like in the 1840s.
What a canal boat hauling passengers would have looked like in the 1840s.

The Staple Bend Tunnel exists on the “level” between the top of Incline 1 and the bottom of Incline 2, which makes for a nice flat hike or bike ride.

Mile marker 1.5 along the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Mile marker 1.5.

The Staple Bend Tunnel Trail

This historic rail trail starts at a parking area along Beech Hill Road near Mineral Point, 5 miles northeast of Johnstown.

How to find the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Map to the Staple Bend Tunnel trailhead in Cambria County.

The trail covers 2.5 miles, to and through the Staple Bend Tunnel.

A diagram of the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
A diagram of the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail.

The parking area along Beech Hill Road is located at GPS coordinates 40.376299, -78.835081.

The Staple Bend Tunnel Trail parking area.
The Staple Bend Tunnel Trail parking area.

You’ll find informational kiosks and restrooms at the trailhead.

Staple Bend Tunnel trailhead in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
Staple Bend Tunnel trailhead.

The trail runs parallel to (and slightly above) both the Little Conemaugh River and the modern Norfolk Southern rail line, and it’s common to see a train pass by on your way to/from the tunnel.

A Norfolk Southern train passing below the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail in Cambria County.
A Norfolk Southern train passing below the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail in Cambria County.

You’ll also pass several elaborate culverts that were dug beneath the Allegheny Portage Railroad, so water would flow under the railbed and not over it, preventing washout or other damage to the rails.

Culvert beneath the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail, formerly the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
Culvert beneath the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail, now bypassed by a more modern (and far less attractive) culvert.

At several points along the trail you’ll pass rows of “sleeper stones”, upon which the rails would have been mounted.

A row of sleepers along the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
A row of sleeper stones along the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail.

These large, square-cut stones were embedded in the ground so they were flush with the surface.

A stone sleeper that rails on the Allegheny Portage Railroad would have been attached to.
A stone “sleeper” that rails on the Allegheny Portage Railroad would have been attached to.

Since the rail cars on the “levels” were originally pulled by mules, not locomotives, sleeper stones were used instead of traditional wooden railroad ties so that no obstructions ran between the rails and the mules were less likely to stumble.

The levels at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona are a good example of what he Staple Bend Tunnel Trail would have looked like in the 1840s.
The “levels” at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona are a good example of what the Staple Bend Tunnel Trail would have looked like in the 1840s.

Each sleeper stone took an average of 24 hours of labor to cut and shape, and workers created approximately 200,000 stones for the Allegheny Portage Railroad!

Example of rails attached to sleeper stones at the Allegheny Portage Railroad Visitor Center near Altoona.
Example of rails attached to sleeper stones at the Allegheny Portage Railroad Visitor Center.

Visiting the Staple Bend Tunnel

The eastern portal of Staple Bend Tunnel is decidedly less ornate than its western counterpart.

The eastern portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
The eastern portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.

At the time of its construction, BOTH portals of the Staple Bend Tunnel were decorated with a Romanesque façade.

Joggers entering the western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
Joggers entering the western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.

At some point after the Allegheny Portage Railroad ceased operations in the 1850s, the east entrance façade was removed and reportedly reused on another building.

The eastern entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel, the oldest railroad tunnel in the United States.
The eastern entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel, the oldest railroad tunnel in the United States.

Both ends of the Staple Bend Tunnel were lined with cut stone for safety, as weather conditions near the open ends might cause rocks and dirt to fall on the train or the tracks. 

Exiting the western side of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
Exiting the western side of the Staple Bend Tunnel.

The center of the tunnel still has the original hand-hewn appearance.

The hand-hewn center portion of the Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County.
The hand-hewn center portion of the Staple Bend Tunnel.

There is no artificial lighting inside the tunnel, and bicyclists should dismount and walk through, even if you have a headlamp.

The reinforced entrance to the Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
The reinforced eastern entrance to the tunnel.

An informational kiosk outside the western portal of the tunnel tells you more about the tunnel and the Allegheny Portage Railroad in general.

Informational display near the western portal of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
Informational display near the western portal of the tunnel.

If you want to connect with history and enjoy an easy and beautiful hike or bike ride in the process, I highly recommend exploring the Staple Bend Tunnel in Cambria County!

The Staple Bend Tunnel Trail on a summer afternoon in Cambria County Pennsylvania.
The Staple Bend Tunnel Trail on a summer afternoon.

Nearby Attractions

As already mentioned, the Allegheny Portage Railroad is one of the most historic railroading sites in Pennsylvania!

Engine house Number 6 along the Allegheny Portage Railroad near Altoona.
Engine house Number 6 at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona.

Today, the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site is maintained by the National Park Service, allowing visitors to learn about and explore first-hand the “glory days” of the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

A sectional canal boat display inside the Allegheny Portage Railroad Visitor Center near Altoona.
A sectional canal boat display inside the Visitor Center at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site near Altoona.

The Johnstown Flood National Memorial honors the more than 2,200 lives lost and the thousands more injured in the Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889.

Johnstown Flood National Memorial sign near the visitor center.
Johnstown Flood National Memorial sign near the visitor center.

The Johnstown Flood National Memorial was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1964, preserving the remains of the South Fork Dam, the former Lake Conemaugh lakebed, the farm of Elias Unger, and the clubhouse and cottages of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, owners of the lake and dam which burst in 1889, causing the flood.

Inside the barn-shaped visitor center at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial.
Inside the barn-shaped Visitor Center at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial.

The Johnstown Flood Museum in downtown Johnstown also tells the story of the 1889 flood, but from a slightly different perspective and with different artifacts, exhibits, and an award-winning film.

Valley of Death exhibit at the Johnstown Flood Museum.
Valley of Death exhibit at the Johnstown Flood Museum.

Visitors to the Johnstown Flood Museum can get a sense not only of the causes of the flood and the devastation in wreaked, but of the recovery and rebuilding efforts as well.

A multimedia relief map showing the path of the Johnstown Flood, on display at the Johnstown Flood Museum.
A multimedia relief map showing the path of the Johnstown Flood, on display at the Johnstown Flood Museum.

Hinckston Run Falls is a man-made waterfall formed by the outflow of the Hinckston Run Reservoir near Johnstown.

Hinckston Run Falls near Johnstown PA
Hinckston Run Falls near Johnstown PA

Fans of all things old, abandoned, and slightly creepy will find the abandoned Cresson State Prison in Cambria County a joy to explore!

Razorwire and Tudor-style architecture at the former Cresson STate Prison in Cambria County.
Razor wire and Tudor-style architecture at the former Cresson State Prison in Cambria County.

The Gallitzin Tunnels are a trio of historic railroad tunnels through the Allegheny Mountains in Cambria County, very popular with railfans and “trainspotters”.

A westbound Norfolk-Southern train exiting the western portal of the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin.
A westbound Norfolk-Southern train exiting the western portal of the Allegheny Tunnel in Gallitzin.

The Horseshoe Curve was considered one of the “engineering wonders of the world” at the time of its completion in 1854, and it continues to offer railfans an up-close opportunity to experience the thrill of trains passing by along this 2,375 foot-long curved stretch of tracks.

A young railfan waves to a passin Norfolk Southern engineer at the Horseshoe Curve.
A young railfan waves to a passing Norfolk Southern engineer at the Horseshoe Curve.

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Rusty Glessner
Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and a frequently-cited authority on PA's best travel destinations.