The First Steam-Powered Lumber Railroad in Pennsylvania

What may have been the first steam-powered logging railroad in the United States began here in the forests of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. In this short documentary, Gary Gilmore recounts the story of Reuben Wright and the early lumber operation at Callen Run, where a steam-powered locomotive was introduced in the 1860s to haul empty log cars back up the mountain and speed the movement of timber to the sawmill below. The film also follows the installation of a new Pennsylvania historical marker recognizing this remarkable moment in the history of transportation, logging, and industry. Set against the landscape where it happened, this film brings to life a largely forgotten story from Pennsylvania’s lumber era.