History of the Counties
of McKean, Elk, Cameron & Potter, Pennsylvania Vol 1 J.H. Beers &
Co, Publishers ©1890
The
narrow gauge B. B.& K.
The B.B.& K. was first
begun at Bradford in 1880-81. It went from Bradford to Kinzua Junction
to Rew City so that the vast oil and lumber reserves there could be more easily
moved to market.
By May 19, 1880, seven miles of track had been laid and grading had
been completed as far as Knox City. On May 27, 11 miles of track
was completed and the road was within a short distance of Rew City.
Grading was complete for about 6 miles and track laying started the first
of May.
The decision was also made in 1880 to extend the railroad on to Smethport
and East Smethport.
In 1880 the branch to Smethport had over 300 men at work on its construction.
In October 200 more men were added to the Smethport project..
The Bradford to Rew City railroad branched off at Kinzua Junction to come
to Smethport. Construction time was 75 days.
The new Smethport B.B.& K. Depot was built below the Water Street
-Church Street intersection. In 1881 the Pierce
House Hotel was built on Water Street just east of the BB&K Station
The first stockholders meeting was held in 1881. A gala banquet
was held at the Bennett House in Smethport
and a special train was used for the stockholders, trip from Bradford to
Smethport..
The company purchased the first locomotive from the Parker and Karns
City Railroad. It was a small Model 2-6-0 built by Brooks, of Dunkirk,
N.Y. Highly ornamented with brass and had been sent to the Centennial
in Philadelphia in 1876, where it had won a prize, equipped with Ames vacuum
brakes and had a diaphragm air pump mounted under the cab. The cab
itself was made of black walnut, silver dollars had been cast into the
bell metal to give it a clear ring. The locomotive had 12x18 inch
cylinders and 36 inch drivers, and weighed 16 tons. The tender weighed
10 tons. Formerly Parker and Karns City No. 2, it was assigned No.
1 on the BB&K.
The B.B.& K., under the able management of Col. Carter, continued
to thrive. Trains ran frequently and were prosperous, both on the
Smethport branch and on the longer line to Eldred and Wellsville.
The branch to Attica over the T.V.& C. was not as profitable as the
other parts of the line but it was making money, and its trains were as
good as any on the B.B.&K. system, if not as frequent. There
were accidents, as usual, but they were usually minor and, as with most
hastily constructed short lines, they were taken in stride as something
to be expected.
Summer always came and with it the excursions that proved so profitable
to the yard wide railroad. A performance at the opera house in Bradford
was always reason enough to run at least one special train from Smethport,
and more specials were run when court was in session at the County seat.
Travel between Bradford and Smethport was very popular for both freight
and passengers. Oil boom town Bradford had lots of interesting shops
were open around the clock. The citizens of Bradford were used to
the excitement in connection with the B.B.& K.
The B.B.& K. hauled people and lumber back and forth. The
main sources of revenue earned by the lines in McKean County were, passengers,
oil well supplies, and general supplies for the oil towns they served and
the lumber industry. The main use for B.B.& K. was for lumber
when the lumber boom started going away the oil industry reenergized lumber.
Source: BradfordBordellandKinzua
© 1971By: Thomas Barber and James Wood
