1899 Pittsburg (NOT Pittsburgh) Shawmut & Northern Railroad
100 Block East Water

photo credit:  Richard Tanner Collection

    1899: The Shawmut Railroad was competing against the Kushequa-Smethport Railroad
which was owned by Elisha Kane. Once the Shawmut Railroad  found out that Kane
planed to extend his tracks in Smethport, they had to put a stop to it. So they started to
build train tracks down Water Street , paying owners of property with cash on the spot so Kane couldn't lay his track down.

Close Call On The Tracks
McKean County Democrat April 2, 1914

Officer Foote rescued a poor unfortunate from the Shawmut tracks at the foot of Union Street, last Tuesday morning. The man was taking, nap on the tracks and officer Foote had not much more than got the man safely out of danger before a heavy freight train came thundering along. But for this timely rescue the man would undoubtedly have been ground to pieces, as it is doubtful if the train could have been stopped in time to have averted a terrible accident.

Click to see a present day picture of the Shawmut taken 2000 To Mechanic Street East on Water Street see a drawing of the train