Dangerous Abandoned Rail Road Tunnel Near Coburn, Pennsylvania, Falling Rocks

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The Coburn Tunnel, also known as the Beaver Dam Tunnel, although I don’t know why, was built between 1872 and 1877 by the Lewisburg, Centre and Spruce Creek Railroad. The tunnel is 260 feet long and named after Colonel J.P. Coburn one of the railroad directors. Unfortunately the rail line was a financial loser from the start. On December 13, 1879, the company defaulted on its bonds, and on December 31, 1879, it was reorganized as the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad. The new company was leased to the Pennsylvania RR the next day on January 1, 1880. In 1915 it was merged with the Pennsylvania RR. In 1970 Penn Central abandoned this portion of the line and the rails were removed the following year.
So basically as of 2021 this tunnel hasn’t seen rail traffic in over 50 years.
GPS Location: 40º50'56.7"N 77º27'09.4"W

[@aaronschulte3207]

Satoli thank you, be safe

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

Always! I think I might start wearing a hardhat when entering these tunnels.

[@johnswigler6512]

🧢🇺🇸Great job, Satolli . You're putting in the miles. Beautiful!!

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

That was from 2 years ago! I have another 285 videos that still need editing. :)

[@musclecarmitch908]

Awesome tunnel! Mighty unstable but beautiful! Awesome find thanks for sharing it with us!👍

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

It was a slick little tunnel that you can drive right up to. However it's on a deadend road so most of the outside world doesn't even know about it.

[@TonyTitleGuy]

As a young man - a train buff - I used to love exploring these places. Now I'm 77 and not too stable on my feet; so I depend on you to take me on these jaunts with you. Thanks. I've been to Coburn, Virginia in the southwestern VA. coal fields some years back. May have been named after the same guy. The financiers of that period had a habit of showing up in different places.

[@TonyTitleGuy]

Guess I was wrong. Spelled Coeburn. In my own defense, however, different spellings of names sometimes found their way into the record books in those day.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

@@TonyTitleGuy I agree. I've seen the same name spelled several different way and even number engraved backwords on schoolhouses!

[@jeffs5093]

That is a cool find, awesome tunnel.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

It's definitely a beautiful tunnel.

[@wiscpoi]

I get sad when I see graffiti in natural places. Great video. Love that tunnel!❤

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

I agree 100%. This graffiti will outlive the person who did it. Basically this says the mark on the wall was their greatest achievement in life.

[@joeanderson9852]

❤❤

[@aaronschulte3207]

Looks like a mushroom painting on the wall

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

That's what it looks like to me too! :)

[@Ootgreet1]

When you're walking up to that entrance the geology of the hill is striking. It's clearly uplift geology ... the layers of rock that form an upward angle. I'd be wearing at least a cheap hardhat in that tunnel even though it wouldn't protect much against a rock bigger than a baseball. And the orange painted thing is supposed to be a psychedelic mushroom, IOW some kids who like weed have been through there. That defacement is minimal compared to such sites in most areas. That tunnel is almost pristine.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

I did go out and but a hardhat after that adventure. :)

[@APR4U]

That was a psychedelic mushroom pictured on the wall.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

And you know this how??? :)

[@dalejensen5828]

I wonder who owns it now.

[@TonyTitleGuy]

In those days much of the old RoW land - when abandoned - reverted to the adjacent land owners. The government wanted to be able to collect taxes on it; which is hard from a bankrupt railroad. Also the RoW land may have previously belonged to adjacent land owners, before the government seized it for the railroad. In other words, it was just being returned to the rightful owners (or taxpayers). Sometimes it ends up in the hands of a third party. But why? What can you build on a long, narrow piece of land that looks like spaghetti on a map. I ran into a situation in the Buckhannon, West Virginia area. A guy bought an old RoW - tax auction, I think - for next to nothing. Landlocked and about 50' wide by several miles long. Basically unbuildable. Pretty stupid, right? EXCEPT... Every pipeline, access road, cable line that crossed it had to buy the rights to do so. Not so dumb after all.

[@historyinyourownbackyard2363]

@@TonyTitleGuy well he was thinking ahead!