Dunlap's Creek PA

Pike Mine and Century PA

south of Brownsville on the Monogahela Railroad: RR bridges and coke ovens

If you drive into Brownsville on old Route 40 ( on the map, the red bridge / road crossing the blue Monogahela River ) follow the road south marked in light red. This puts you on the west side of Dunlap Creek across from the village of Pike Mine and the mine of the same name.

Our picture below is of the first arch bridge of the Mon RR ( highlighted in light blue ) to cross Dunlap Creek ( to the left of the words "Pike Mine").

Let us begin our journey in Brownsville on the river by Union Station where the Monongahela Railroad's Dunlap Creek Branch splits off and heads south.

Here we are looking north to the Union Station.

Next is the first crossing of Dunlap Creek

...then up over the road.

Across the road again with a small trestle.

Below is the first arch bridge of the Mon RR ( to the left of the words "Pike Mine" )

Look closely at the stone and brick work.

While we are here, we look back northwest where a street bridge originally connected Brownsville with Pike Mine.

As we continued south into the community of Pike Mine, we first saw the deep cut in the hillside ( just above the "K" in Knoxville ( see Brownsville page on West Penn Railways, marked in yellow ). We are not sure what ran over top. Help !

Here is a different view of where we are looking northwest from the hilltop called Knoxville. The cut is at the end of the blue line.

Again, while we are here heading south along Dunlap Creek, we see the remnants of a street bridge from Pike Mine.

As the Mon RR crossed Dunlap Creek again, we saw remnants of the arch bridge that was gone ( why that one was torn down and not the others ? ).

Next, we crossed Dunlap Creek from west to east and found ourselves at the western battery of the Century coke ovens ( noted as red dots on the map ). The Mon RR had a spur that split off at Pike Mine and ran on the east side of Dunlap Creek

Continuing south brought us to the 3rd Mon RR arch bridge. This one is a beauty. If you went underneath the arches to the west, you would find another battery of coke ovens. They are either part of the Century ovens or called the Hiller ovens ( for the town that sits on the bluff above them ).

If you walk through the arch, you find the coke ovens.

There they are !!!

One can continue on the road which leads up the steep hill to the old homes of Century.

Our journey ended here. If we had continued on the Mon RR, we would have reached the Simpson Tunnel. ( photo courtesy of Waymark ).