All Aboard the Oil Region Express!
- Lydia Seaton
- Oct 6
- 5 min read
Railroads have been a large part of the Oil Region’s history. With the growth and expansion of the oil industry, railroads also experienced significant development. By the end of the 19th century, railroads were commonplace and well-established throughout Venango County and Western Pennsylvania. The dramatic commercial growth of the 1860s also helped other industries in the region to flourish, such as the railroad. When the boom struck, there was a significant push from the railroad to capitalize on the influx of wealth flowing into the region.
The Atlantic & Great Western Railroad was the first railroad line to make its way into Venango County, arriving in Franklin on May 30, 1863. In late 1885, the line also reached Oil City. Here, the trains were able to meet the needs of Oil City's warehouses and storage facilities, and connect this line to the Erie Railroad system. From here, goods and products could be transported elsewhere in the country, such as to New York Harbor.
The second railroad in Oil City was the Oil Creek and Pithole Railroad. This line entered the north side of the city and opened rail traffic along the Allegheny River Valley, heading upstream. The Farmers Railroad then went north from Oil City and traveled to Petroleum Centre, where it connected with the Oil Creek Railroad. This helped to create the Empire Line, which ran an express service between Oil City and Corry with affiliation to the Pennsylvanian Railroad. It was also around this time that the Allegheny Valley Railroad, which was leased by the Pennsylvanian Railroad, completed a line between Pittsburgh and Venango City – now Oil City’s South Side.
By 1867, railroads from Oil City transported crude oil to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, New York Harbor, and Philadelphia. The affiliations of lines and companies in charge of the tracks and routes changed over time; however, by the end of the 1800s, the Oil Region achieved resounding connectivity with other cities and regions.
"In 1865, Oil City had become the most important shipping point in the region, and numerous brokers and shippers had established their offices here. No prescribed place for transacting business had yet been thought necessary. Trades were made anywhere."
-The Petroleum Age, May 1885
The railroad industry was said to be a “boon” to the region. There was an influx of workers who were given steady, reliable employment and would in turn purchase food and produce from local farmers and stay at local inns. New businesses opened in response to the railroad, including inns in rural parts of Venango County.
One of these was in East Sandy Lake, where two hotels opened in 1904 to “relieve the wants of immigrants.”
A weekly newspaper in Seneca, called The Kicker, reported that over 1,500 men were employed by the railroad near East Sandy Creek, many of whom were Italian, German, or Eastern European immigrants or locals to the Rockland and Sandy township areas. It was said that farmers readily met the demand for goods like produce; however, the “demand [was] greater than the supply.” In addition to inns and hotels, large boarding houses were constructed. There were also “individual shanties” built for workers who brought their wives, reminiscent of oil boom towns that were common in the mid-to-late 1800s.
Oil City quickly became known as a “railroad town,” with trains frequently arriving and departing, often coming from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Olean, Corry, Erie, and Philadelphia. There were “moonlight” services that would travel between Pittsburgh and Buffalo, which stopped in Oil City to change crews on the overnight service.
Included in many of the train cars which passed through Oil City were “sleeping cars and buffet diners [...] the railway Post Office car [which] was on all trains.” There was also “all types of baggage" on trains, including “corpses in coffins.” A passenger reflected, “I remember seeing a baggage crew playing cards, using the top of a coffin as a table on one of my trips to Titusville in the baggage car.” Most coaches and cars were able to accommodate around eighty people!
“Ordinary People used the trains to get from one place to another. The depot was always full. People used to go to Pittsburgh to shop early in the morning and come back at night. Circuses and carnivals came by freight train on their own cars…In those days, Franklin and Oil City depended on the trains for almost everything.”
Along with cargo and passenger trains, there were also circus trains that traveled through the region. These trains averaged around thirty cars in length, with “old wood pullmans” carrying performers and “long, 80-foot flat cars” which transported the wagons and animal cages.
Numerous bridges and tunnels were also constructed for trains in the region, such as the Allegheny Valley Railroad Bridge, which spanned the Allegheny River from the East End of Oil City, connecting the land on both sides of the river. The first tunnel constructed in the region was located in Oil City and ran through Hogback Hill, featuring stone masonry and wooden posts at either end. The tunnel was built during a “flurry” of railroad activity and construction in the 1860s and cost approximately $100,000 to cover the 909 feet it spanned. This would be roughly $3.9 million, adjusted for inflation as of 2025.
The Union Station in Oil City was a bustling and stately facility. Built on the North Side of the city, multiple trains and lines would arrive and depart from the location daily. Whenever the trains passed through the station, friends and family members would be waiting to greet or bid farewell to loved ones visiting or leaving the region. Many of the communities in Venango County had a train depot of some sort, such as Rockland. Emlenton also had a busy depot, with many travelers and crowds of people coming to say hello or goodbye!
The final train to depart from Union Station in Oil City was No. 981 from Corry. This was the last scheduled passenger train, and following its departure, passenger rail service in Oil City concluded on June 9, 1953.
This gallery includes photos from the railroad history of Venango County and various train stations throughout the region.
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