 1 

BLANK
 This book is dedicated to the memory of my parents,
HELEN & JOHN M . HARTZLER
My father originally told me of the old KV, and when I was a child, the
three of us walked the deserted roadbed in search of rusty railroad spikes .

Copyright © 1988, 2008 John G . Hartzler

All Rights Reserved
This, the second edition of The Ol’ Hook & Eye, was
written, illustrated, designed and self-published by:
John G . Hartzler
520 Markel Rd .
Conshohocken, PA 19428
http://www .kvrr .net
Printed and bound in the United States of America
First Edition, First Printing, 1988
Second Edition, First Printing, 2008
ISBN Number: 978-0-9620642-1-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008900687

Cover: The KV Picnic train proudly posed for a photograph at Gibboney Park.
(Mifflin County Historical Society collection)
Title Page: The evening eastbound train running beside Apple House Road
after leaving Union Mills Station, circa 1938. (Author's collection)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Area Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1. Beautiful Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Valley history, Belleville & early railroad attempts
2. A Dream Come True . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Building the railroad (1892-1893)
3. The Old Home Gathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
KV Picnics at Gibboney Park
4. A Day in Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Attemps to take over the railroad (1893-1917)
5. Simon Pure Grit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Industries served by rail
6. Boom Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Dividend years (1917-1930)
7. KV Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Recollections
8. The Last Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Abandonment (1930-1942)
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Appendices
A. History in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
B. Roll Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
C. Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
D. Track Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
E. Passenger Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
F. Freight Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
G. Financial Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
H. A Collection of Poems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
I. Past & Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
J. Area Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
The author, in engineman garb, stands on the abutment
of KV bridge No .2 on December 24, 2007 .
Preface
But though we rave and rant
About our famous “Hook & Eye,”
I like her cars and steam and smoke
And will until I die.
Albert G . Gibboney

T he Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad—after you learn to pronounce

its name (Kish-e-kō-kwil´-lis), the sound will be like music to
e
)

your ears . The railroad was built over a century ago, and like most
shortlines—the KV was only nine miles long—it overflowed with
character and charm, from its second hand equipment to its colorful
old-time employees .
I was raised in Belleville (current population 1,386) terminus
for the KV, and my first recollection of the “Ol’ Hook & Eye” was of
taking Sunday walks with my family along the deserted right-of-way
when I was only five years old . You see, I was born about 20 years
after the railroad went out of existence . During my college years I
became interested in model railroading, and it soon became obvious
that the KV would be the perfect shortline to model . I began to do
extensive research for that project, and before I knew it, I wrote the
first edition of this book . Two thousand copies were printed in 1988
and within a couple of years, all were sold .
The catalyst that started this second edition was the discovery
of the first minute book of the KV Railroad’s board of directors . An
interesting story of how this book came into my hands follows .
It began in March of 1942, when Anne Bonson of Reedsville was
working on a High School report on the KV Railroad . During her
research, she went directly to the source—Dr . John P . Getter, the
man who started and nurtured the railroad throughout its 47-year
lifespan . During an interview, Getter loaned her the old KV minute
book . Less than a week later Getter died and Anne was left with the

1
book . It was packed away and forgotten until 58 years later when Steve
Dunkle, a member of the Kishacoquillas Valley Historical Society,
gave Anne (now married with children, but still living in Reedsville)
a society calendar filled with old photographs of the region . This
reminded her of her attic treasure and she said, “You know, I have
something that your society might like to have .”
I shudder to think the fate of the minute book had Getter not
given it to Anne!
A second source of inspiration came when lost issues of Belleville’s
first newspaper, The Belleville Times, were found and copied onto
microfilm, providing me with additional new information . With this
and the minute book in hand, I found the incentive to amend and
revise this history of the Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad .
The outline of The Ol’ Hook & Eye is more or less chronological .
It begins with the early settlement of the Kishacoquillas Valley and
the town of Belleville, long before the railroad was built . From there
you follow the course of the KV, from its birth to its eventual demise .
Along the way you will encounter, as I did, many colorful stories, and
meet the people who ran the line .
The project started with the love I
have for a local backwoods
railroad, long
forgotten . The
book before you
is the result of
my wish to share
with others the
fascination I have
found along the
way .
Happy KV
Railroading!
John G. “Jerry”
Hartzler the KV
w h o thinks m 1:12
e a
only on ive ste rd J.
o r i s n ot the . Above is a l R i c ha
th el ha t
The au e fun to mod gine No.6, t in the 1950’s
would
b V en ting n)
re p l i ca of K years fabrica eith collectio
s c a l e h re e Jim S . K
spent t athe. (
Stokes omemade l
h
using a

2
Acknowledgments
And since my thoughts would backward turn,
In retrospect I see,
Familiar faces that have meant,
So very much to me.
C .R . Klepfer

I first got the idea for writing my book on the KV while listening to
the fascinating, late Harvey Kanagy, reminisce about his job with
the railroad . Other interesting people with colorful stories began to
surface, among them; John W . Dalby, Arthur W . Kauffman, John A .
Hostetler, Mildred Zook, Archie Stuck, Dr . Marlin Helfrick, Bruce
Kauffman, Christian L . Siebert Jr ., Joe Campbell, Dorothy G . Snook,
John Haughwout, David E . Yoder, Betty M . Myers, Jim Dahl and
Stanley Omwake . Although, many of you have passed away to the
Great Roundhouse in the sky, I thank you all .
One individual I’m especially indebted to is Robert G . Lewis, who
allowed me to borrow many of his KV photographs and personal
letters from Dr . John P . Getter . Also of great value was the information
concerning Mr . Lewis’ unsuccessful purchase of the railroad . I often
wonder what would have happened if you ever got your hands on
the KV, Bob . Thank you for everything .
I also wish to thank Robert B . Maclay Jr ., whose grandfather and
father were secretaries of the KV Railroad . Through Mr . Maclay Jr .,
I got my hands on the KV 1915-1940 directors’ minute book . Other
folks who have either helped track down or given me valuable
information were; Betty Wilson, Mary Himes, Mary Ann Stratton,
Jean Suloff, John B . Hartzler, S . Duane Kauffman, Christopher D .
Coleman, Ann Thompson, Abram Burnett, Barry Narehood, Eric J .
Bickleman and Michael Bezilla . Thank you .
During my initial research of the KV, I spent countless enjoyable
hours researching in Lewistown . Most of my time was spent poring
over microfilm of old newspapers at The Sentinel archives, thanks
to James McClure . If not there, you would find me at the Mifflin
County Historical Society in the old Lewistown courthouse . I am
very grateful to all past and present volunteers of the society who
have helped me in my research . In particular, Paul Fagley, who got

3
permission for me to scan photographs from the historical society’s
collection . Being the cultural educator of Greenwood Furnace State
park, he was also indispensable to my research of that industry .
Thank you, Paul .
I owe a debt of gratitude to Molly Bourg, Forrest Kauffman and
other volunteers of the Kishacoquillas Valley Historical Society in
Allensville . It is they who notified me of their acquisition of the first
KV minute book (1892-1914), which provided me the inspiration
to write this second edition . I can’t begin to list all of the things
Molly has done for me . She was my lifeline to the valley and would
promptly answer my many genealogical questions . She also allowed
me sole access to the society’s microfilm archive of The Belleville
Times during the winter, when the museum was normally closed .¹
Thank you, Molly . Belleville historian, Forrest Kauffman, was just
as helpful . He was happy to have me photocopy the first KV minute
book and to scan photographs from his vast Kishacoquillas Valley
collection . Thank you, Forrest .
A wealth of material was found at the Railroad Museum of
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
(PHMC), in Strasburg, Pa., especially photographs of the KV. I met
some wonderful people there who helped me in my research, including;
Kurt Bell, David Dunn and Benjamin F .G . Kline Jr . Thank you .
Other institutions I wish to acknowledge include; Chuck Blardone
and the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society, Nancy
S . Shedd and the Huntingdon Historical Society, E . Hostetler and
the old Interstate Commerce Commission, John F . Chester and the
Belleville Historical Society (now a part of the Kishacoquillas Valley
Historical Society), Ron Carson and Belleville Fire Company No.1,
the Pennsylvania State Archives, the State Library of Pennsylvania,
the Cape May Historical Society Library and the Mifflin County
Mennonite Historical Society . Thank you all .
1 The society has practically every issue of The Belleville Times from 1909 to
its last edition in 1973 . Although the newspaper started in 1894, many of its
earlier issues were destroyed when the Times building was bombed in the
early hours of April 25, 1926 . Charles E . Allison, editor of the then Republican
newspaper, blamed the explosion, caused by one or two sticks of dynomite,
on “political enemies .” He had to travel to Lewistown to call authorities
since the local Belleville telephone exchange was closed nights .

4
 Many readers have told me that the photographs are what “make”
my book . The people who have helped me accomplish this by permitting
me to scan their photo collections were John H . Harlacher, Gwin W .
Ault, Elwood C . Harman, Mary Hoxie, Roy C . Hunt, Roy E . Hunt,
Robert Young, Al Baker, Barbara Harmon, Connie Bridgens, Forest
Fisher, A . Frank Gibboney IV, William P . Hayes, Jim S . Keith, Mary
McNabb Laughlin, Sally Hursh, Maureen Stell, Daryl K . Heasley &
Deborah B . Preston, Jon Zimmerman, Fred Lerch and Dorothy Yoder .
Some of the photos used in the first book were old and needed some
touchup work and I had Jesse Hornyak, John P . Mertz and the Penn
State University Photo/Graphics Department to thank for that . I
want to thank you all for making this history come alive .
Last, but certainly not least were my editors . Helen F . Hartzler,
Allen J . Levin and Dan Cupper helped with the first edition, and Gene
Poppel and Peg Miceli with the second . Thank you for proofreading
my manuscript and for your many insightful suggestions . Needless
to say, any factual errors are mine alone .
There are some contributors that I may have forgotten to mention
here . If so, I sincerely apologize for that . You are my unsung heroes
and I extend a heartfelt thank you .
Without the cooperation and generosity of all of these people
and institutions, this book and its predecessor never would have
gotten beyond my desk . My hat’s off to you all!

KV brakeman's cap.
(Kishacoquillas Valley Historical Society)

5
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LEWISTOWN NARROWS
 PAGES 8–28
NOT INCLUDED
IN PREVIEW
A Dream Come True
Soon we hope to hear the whistle
Of the engine on the way;
To the little town of Belleville
In the evening of the day.
The Lewistown Gazette
Author Unknown

I n 1891, Belleville looked like a town that time had forgotten. A few fortunate
natives who made it “out into the world” returned to tell of great advancements
made by other communities, and to complain of Belleville’s backward ways.
One such person was Dr. John P. Getter, but rather than complain, he did
what people thought was an “impossible dream”—he built a railroad that
would become the opening wedge in the development of a new Belleville.
Getter was born on October 27, 1857, near Newville, in Cumberland
County. After completing medical school in 1885, he started a practice in
the small town of Allensville, where he met his future wife, Clare W. Webb.
In April 1887, he and his wife moved to Belleville, where he continued his
practice of medicine. To drum up business, Getter would ride his carriage
from one end of town to the other, back and forth, making people think that
he was a very busy and popular doctor. Shrewd business tactics and a special
sense of humor made “Doc” Getter an instant success among the town folk.
If a patient was strapped for cash, Getter would barter, accepting food or
services. He was never too busy to listen to the troubles of his patients, and
was bound to lift their spirits by kidding around a bit.
How this mild-mannered doctor became a railroad tycoon can
be traced to the summer sands of Cape May, NJ, in 1891. Here,
Doc Getter was bitten by the railroad bug while vacationing
with his wife. It all started when the two bought a ticket on
the Delaware Bay & Cape May Railroad to see “Jumbo,” a

 29 
30 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

rather unique 40-foot tall wood and tin structure resembling a large white
elephant, which housed a bazaar .¹
The narrow-gauge train, with its little cars drawn by a “dinky” engine,
carried the Getters and several hundred other passengers the three miles
from Cape May out to Cape May Point . This line terminated at the pier of
the steamship Republic, with service from Philadelphia, and the famous
pachyderm that stood nearby . Apparently the railroad was of more interest
to the doctor than either “Jumbo” or the steamboat, for he began to fantasize
about building a similar kind of road between Reedsville and Belleville .

Wedding photos of Dr. John P. Getter and his wife taken in December of 1885.
(Sally Hursh collection)

When the Getters returned home, the doctor got two of his friends in
Belleville, William Maclay and William Gibboney, interested in his railroad
dream . No doubt, Getter knew about the town's first attempt to build a rail
line through the valley, since William Gibboney’s father had been secretary
and treasurer of the first Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad . They continued to
talk about the road to their friends and even held several small meetings,
but they were not taken too seriously at that time .

1 Originally named “Light of Asia,” Jumbo was built as an advertising gimmick in

1884 by James V . Lafferty to sell beach property . A concession stand was in the
elephant’s large “stomach,” reached by a spiral staircase through the hind legs, with
refreshment stands in the front legs . Concession and admittance fees never covered
the exorbitant construction costs and the oddity was torn down in 1900 . Jumbo’s
older sister, “Lucy,” built by Lafferty in 1882, still stands in Margate, New Jersey, and
is open to the public .
 A D R EA M CO M E T RU E 
  31

Of course, the problem was that Belleville still remembered the failed
attempt of the previous valley railroad. In 1869, it had taken the original
directors over a year just to raise $30,000 from the valley folk. Some residents
even lost money when the first “paper” railroad folded and they thought it
better to try, as was done many times before, to persuade outside investors
to build through Kishacoquillas Valley.
Rumors began circulating that Huntingdon County was negotiating
with a large carrier to build through the valley—notably the Philadelphia
& Reading. In March 1892, at a meeting in Huntingdon, a grand 92-mile
route was drawn up, connecting the Philadelphia-Williamsport main line
of the Reading, at Winfield, Union County, to the Pittsburgh Division of
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) at Hyndman, Bedford County. The
route was a much shorter line to Pittsburgh from the Reading’s anthracite
coal fields and naturally ran through Huntingdon via way of Kishacoquillas
Valley. The effort was a waste of time and energy. When Huntingdon laid
the matter before the Reading’s officers, the railroad made it clear that it
had no intentions of expanding at that time. Very likely the reason was that
three years earlier, the Reading and B&O entered an agreement with the
Western Maryland Railroad to compete with the PRR and its subsidiary, the
Cumberland Valley Railroad, via a southerly route—through Shippensburg,
Cumberland County, and Hagerstown, Md.
While all of this Reading talk was going on, a few forward-looking men
decided that the only way to get a railroad to Belleville was to build one
themselves. They joined Getter’s group to form a board of directors. These
included some of the more prominent people in Belleville: Samuel Watts,
Andrew W. Campbell, Abner Y. Detweiler, Alexander C. Henderson, Jonas
K. Renno, Jacob Y. Zook, Henry S. Wilson, John M. Fleming and the original
three—William M. Gibboney, William B. Maclay and John P. Getter. This
group of doctors, bankers, lawyers, merchants and farmers together pooled
a total of $22,000 in subscriptions, of which 10 percent in cash was invested
in the railroad, enough to secure a charter. As one Lewistown newspaper
reported: “The valley people mean business when they undertake to build
a railroad, and they are pushing things in a way that must make our electric
railway heads swim.” The reporter’s exasperation is understandable—the
Lewistown & Reedsville Electric Railway Company (L&R) was chartered
three months before the KV, but would take seven long years to gain the
approval and the support needed to begin construction.2
The KV stockholders elected Watts as president. This was the same
Samuel Watts who was a stockholder and director of the first Kishacoquillas
Valley Railroad back in 1868. The founder of Watts’ Department Store in
2 For further reading on this trolley, try to find Lewistown & Reedsville Electric
Railway Co.: The Life and Times of a Country Trolley Line (out of print) written by the
late Gordon P. Frederick (Ben Rohrbeck Traction Publications, 1983). A condensed
version of this book can be found in Lewistown and the Pennsylvania Railroad: From
Moccasins to Steel Wheels.
32 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

Belleville and president of Reedsville National Bank, Watts was a wealthy

man. He subscribed $10,000, almost half of the investment.
Zook was elected vice president and Gibboney, following in the footsteps
of his father, became the railroad’s treasurer. Maclay filled the spot of
secretary—a position he would hold for many years.
On June 11, 1892, Watts, Gibboney and Getter came before Justice of the
Peace Miles Haffley in Mechanicsville, in order to draft the Charter. They
chose the exact same name as its predecessor, since it most aptly described
the route—The Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad Company (KVRR or simply
KV). The capital stock was set at $100,000, at least $10,000 for every mile of
track proposed.
Three days later, in Harrisburg, the charter was approved by the Department
of State. Governor Robert E. Pattison applied the state seal to the charter,
and the little railroad was in business.
The purpose of the railroad was strictly one of convenience. Although
the Kishacoquillas Valley was rich in agriculture, lumber and minerals, there
was not enough of any of these to really interest outside investors. Unlike
many neighboring railroads, such as the East Broad Top in Huntingdon
County, the Lewistown & Reedsville Railway and the Mifflin & Centre
County Railroad, all of which relied on outside financing, the KV was to be
built by means of local stock subscriptions only. In this way the road could
be directly controlled by Big Valley people.
For advice, the directors contacted and received help from James Fulton,
president of the Stewartstown Railroad in York County, which was completed
in 1885, and financed in the same manner. Fulton’s railroad was built to
connect his community with the Northern Central in New Freedom—a
mere 7½ miles away. His first suggestion to the newly formed KV Railroad
was to secure the desired stock before beginning any construction on the
road. This the directors wisely took to heart, and passed a resolution that
surveys and the building of the road would not start until $75,000 of stock
was subscribed (this figure was not chiseled in stone and was adjusted
when the estimated cost of the railroad changed). Furthermore, to entice
subscribers, another resolution was passed that no stockholder needed to
pay until the construction contract for the road was let, at which time only 10
percent would be required. The balance was then to be paid in installments
as work on the road demanded. The directors divided the stock into 4,000
shares and began selling it to local investors at $25 each.
The directors first tried to solicit a large subscription from the Logan
Iron & Steel Company (successor of Freedom Iron & Steel, which was to
sponsor the first KV Railroad—see previous chapter), since it owned and
operated Greenwood Furnace. As early as May, the directors appointed a
committee composed of Getter and Gibboney to visit Burnham and try to
sell stock to the steel company.
Dr. Getter was a people person, no doubt a trait he picked up from being
a country doctor. This made him a perfect choice to be on the railroad’s
 A D R EA M CO M E T RU E 
  33

(Kishacoquillas Valley Historical Society collection)

 PAGES 34–54
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IN PREVIEW
The Old Home Gathering
I’ve traveled round from coast to coast,
but let me here remark,
I’d give them all to ride again
the train to Gibboney Park.
Albert G. Gibboney

B y the end of June, the new KV Railroad was in operation. Dr. Getter
explains, “When I say WE WERE OPERATING I mean exactly that for
almost everyone who owned one share of stock thought he knew best how
the road should be operated.”
One thing that everyone did agree upon was that they should take a day
off to celebrate their “dream come true” with a grand picnic. The directors
picked a date late in August so stockholders who were farmers could come
after harvest. They then began to look for a suitable site along the line for a
park in which to hold the festivities. They didn’t have to look far. A beautiful
spot was located two miles outside of Belleville on a 15-acre plot of natural
timberland directly at the foot of Jack’s Mountain, from which a picturesque
view of the Kishacoquillas Valley, railroad bridge and creek could be seen.
Situated on the sprawling farm of Adolphus Franklin Gibboney, and only
three city blocks west of his woolen mill, the site had a picnic tradition years
before the railroad existed. As early as 1884, the Union Sunday School Picnic
of Schoolhouse No.5 was held in the woods near the mill. But it wasn’t until
the railroad was interested in holding its picnic there that the site became
known as Gibboney Park.
Hearing of the railroad’s intentions, Gibboney and E. Bruce Alexander
got together to form the Gibboney Park Association. On July 22, 1893,
Alexander met with the directors of the KV and a deal was struck whereby
the association would prepare the grounds for picnic purposes for 10 percent
of all passenger receipts to the park.
 55 
A scenic view of the railroad bridge crossing Kishacoquillas creek, as seen from
Gibboney Park. Notice the cows grazing in the background-with no fence to
keep them from wandering onto the tracks. (Mifflin County Historical Society)
Stamp in lower right. (Kishacoquillas Valley Historical Society collection)

Even before the railroad’s opening jubilee, the Normal Students of

Belleville became the first ones to use the new park. These were students
studying to become schoolteachers, and rather than celebrating the beginning
of the railroad, they held a picnic to celebrate the end of their classes. They
left on the train from Belleville on Saturday afternoon, August 5, 1893, and
were said to have had a grand time at the park.
They were soon followed, on Thursday, by the Presbyterians, Lutherans
and Methodists of Reedsville, who, upon scheduling a special KV train,
filled a boxcar “with the good things of life” and four coaches (three were
rented from the PRR) “with comely wives and mothers, gray haired sires and
sturdy men, beautiful maidens and fine looking young men and a host of
young children,” and set off to Gibboney Park for a day of recreation. The
picnic went off without a hitch and many thanks went to the railroad crew
for handling the crowd carefully and expeditiously. This was the start of an
annual event that became fondly remembered for many years as Reedsville’s
Union Sunday School Picnic.
The Reedsville people certainly enjoyed their outing at the park for they
were soon back, being a good part of the crowd that showed up to celebrate
the KV’s grand opening. The big celebration was held on Wednesday, August
30, 1893, and was a rather simple affair, consisting of a business meeting
followed by speeches and a basket picnic. Nevertheless, between 1,500 and
2,000 of the valley folk attended, traveling on the KV combine and two large
Engine No.1 pulling a crowded KV picnic train of three PRR rentals. Undoubtedly,
this is the most publicized KV photograph. It is heralded as the “First KV Picnic,”
but the coach on the end suspiciously resembles combine No.2, which the
road didn’t purchase until 1895. (Mifflin County Historical Society collection)

coaches and an observation car rented from the PRR . The attendance would
double, triple and even quadruple in later years as the KV Picnic became
increasingly popular and people became less afraid of riding the crowded
cars on the new road .
Undoubtedly, the best part of the day was the series of addresses given
by 13 local speakers . Since this event formally opened the railroad, it was
fitting that the subject of those addresses focused on the road .
More than a quarter of a century ago some of the citizens of the valley
organized a movement to build a railroad from Belleville to Reedsville but
unfortunately their plans were frustrated, although in June 1892 a similar
organization formed with probably one or two of the former citizens, for the
same purpose, and today you behold the success of the latter organization,
a completed railroad from Belleville to Reedsville, successfully transporting
passengers, freight and express… This railroad has aroused the people of
Belleville and vicinity from their long Rip Van Winkle
slumber, and suddenly brought them to the
front of civilization by being connected to
the long unending glistening lines of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, a corporation which
cannot be equaled, and now these citizens
are accessible to all kinds of traffic from
near as well as the distant Pacific states .
58 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

So spoke President Hugh Walters in his opening address. Between the

speeches music was played by the Belleville and Yeagertown bands. Singers
of the Belleville Glee Club added to the musical entertainment.
Dinner followed the morning speeches, and within a short time the park
was converted into a vast dining hall. Families and friends mingled, chatting
pleasantly as the picnic-basket goodies rapidly disappeared. “Verily, they
all dined sumptuously,” reported The Lewistown Gazette. “This was a good
picnic to attend and this was the best time to attend it.”
The program continued after dinner with even more speeches. E. Bruce
Alexander, Belleville’s colorful attorney and soon to be treasurer of the KV,
was so popular that he would become one of the regular speakers at the
event. He had this to say about the valley’s new railroad:
This is the formal commencement day of the K.V.R.R. when trained
and disciplined in the school of construction, decorated with wreath and
garlands that fair hands have woven in its honor clothed with the color of
its Alma Mater, it goes forth with the consciousness of being prepared to
perform its duties and obligations and eager to assume its position as an
agent of progress and civilization. It is a primary principle, a self-evident
truth, that with new privileges come new responsibilities. Thus with the
advent of this railroad within your midst, connecting you, not only with
the great centers of trade and commerce, but also with the intelligence,
the culture, the refinement and all that is best in our civilization—with
these advantages, this community will measure up to a higher standard of
progress and advancement… If there is anything that deserves sympathy it
is those pessimistic individuals who predict misfortune for the future, who
wage warfare against public enterprise and progress. God has no place in
the economy of this universe for such men and the K.V.R.R. Co. that has
been great enough to attain the object of its organization is magnanimous
enough to forgive those who opposed it.
Among the other speakers were several directors, Engineer Frank Whittekin
and President James Fulton of the Stewartstown Railroad, who said to the
valley people, “you built [the KV] better and wiser than you knew.” One of
the last speakers, G.W. Elder, with “wit, wisdom and prophecy,” closed his
talk by calling “three cheers for the long haired hook and eye railroad,” which
were freely given. The Lewistown Gazette was bold enough to print this, but
the Democrat and Sentinel decided not to humiliate the railroad further and
censored the closing remark to “three cheers for the …………… railroad.”
Although the end of the speeches formally closed the day’s picnic, many
couples stayed after dark, “tripping the light fantastic,” or “spooning” in the
many hidden recesses on the grounds, lingering until the final train left, at
10 o’clock that evening.
All in all, the first railroad sponsored picnic was a success “with the
biggest kind of S” and the railroad was besieged with requests to make it an
annual event. The railroad complied and the KV Picnic became an annual
celebration for the next 23 years, a celebration which (it was said) could be
compared only to Christmas Day.
 T H E O L D H O M E G AT H ER I N G 
  59

(Mifflin County Historical Society collection)

 PAGES 60–82
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A Day In Court
She’s been criticized, condemned, and cussed
More oft than I can tell.
Yet three times every day you’ll hear
Her whistle and her bell.
Albert G. Gibboney

T he future looked bright for the 247 stockholders of the new railroad during
the first KV Picnic in 1893. During his speech, KV President Hugh Walters
announced that from its commencement on June 26 to August 19, 1893, the
road had earned an average of $23.65 a day. This exceeded daily operating
costs by about nine dollars. Future receipts were also projected to rise from
shipments of forest products and other commodities. Optimism showed
through Walters’ speech as he went on to say, “If the future management is
successful and free from great disasters, it is now thought that the outlook
for the stockholders is quite promising.”
However, things were not as peachy as the management made them
seem. The financial picture was not as solid as President Walters painted:
there were personnel problems, the railroad had yet to settle land disputes
with Samuel Watts and it appeared that some valley residents were trying
to sabotage the little railroad.
Some people resented the railroad pestering them to pay off their stock
subscriptions, or for disturbing their tranquil valley with its fire, soot and
noise. A few fought back by literally placing obstacles in the railroad’s path.
The train crew usually spotted the obstruction in time to avoid an upset,
except once, resulting in the KV’s first known accident.
On the evening of October 11, 1893, after a day of hard work, the track
hands were hastily returning home on a cart being pushed by the handcar. A

 83 
84 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

little below Gibboney Station both vehicles abruptly left the track and all 12
passengers were violently thrown down an embankment. Upon inspection it
was found that someone, “either brainless or altogether devoid of principle,”
bolted two pieces of iron angle bars to one of the rails. All of the workmen
were injured, some quite seriously, and only five were able to report for work
the next morning. Fortunately, after a week all were able to be out and about
again. The railroad placed a $50 bounty on the person(s) who caused the
derailment, but no one was reportedly apprehended.
In the fall of 1893, the entire railroad, including rolling stock and real
estate, had cost $71,353, and the capital of the company at that time was only
$68,500. This was due to the fact that a few stockholders were delinquent
in paying for their shares, giving the company a floating debt of several
thousand dollars. Because they were unable to sell any more stock, the
directors in November 1893 were forced to issue bonds to pay off their bills.
One hundred five-year bonds were authorized at $100 each with John W.
Wilson and Andrew W. Campbell trustees, payable to Reedsville National
Bank (RNB). This was the last thing the railroad wanted to do, since it had
to pay semi-annual interest rates to the bondholders. But as Getter later
wrote, “If we did not use good judgment in everything in connection with
the road you must give us credit for not going with the plan of ‘paying for it
while you use it.’” Fortunately the company sold only $3,300 worth of bonds
at five percent interest. However, when the bonds came due five years later,
the KV had to extend some ($2,000 worth), and it was not until 1900 when
all of the bondholders were paid and the unissued bonds canceled in 1907.
One major buyer of bonds was to be the Reedsville National Bank (RNB),
with whom the railroad did all of its business (Belleville didn’t have a bank
until 1900). Before the bonds were issued, the railroad and the bank struck
a deal whereby the RNB agreed to purchase $1,000 to $5,000 worth of bonds
at six percent interest. Since the bonds were printed stating that the interest
rate was to be five percent or less, a written guarantee of an additional one
percent was endorsed. But when the railroad, with bonds in hand, met with
the bank, the cashier unexpectedly refused to accept the written guarantee.
Perhaps Samuel Watts, president of the RNB, had a hand in this. Negotiations
quickly deteriorated to the point where the KV board of directors moved
to sever ties with the Reedsville National and to transfer all of the railroad’s
accounts to the Banking House of Russell & Son in Lewistown.
Although the contractor’s job was done and trains were moving, the road
was still not completely finished. An eight-ton Fairbanks-Morse scale had
to be placed in Belleville, several switch tracks to local industries had to be
laid and several buildings still had to be erected. Once the Belleville Station
was complete, work began in November on an engine house and the little
station stops along the route. The stops were recognized for their comfort
and beauty, especially Union Mills Station which had a stove and was said to
have looked “nobby.” The Free Press would chastise the PRR by writing that
“the picturesque little stations, artistically painted with overhead protections,
 A DAY I N COURT 
  85

strung along the [KV] line should

put those old sheds on the M&C
[sic] road to blush .”
On Monday, December 26, 1893,
the day after Christmas, the KV
began its anticipated three-round-
trip schedule by adding a noontime
train . The railroad also managed
to shave five minutes off its runs
making a trip to Reedsville in 40
minutes . The Lewistown Gazette
explained that the road was “get-
ting in good condition and better
time can be made on it with per-
fect safety .” A revised schedule appeared in The
In May 1894, the first financial Lewistown Gazette on January 4, 1894.
report was presented . Contrary to Hopefully Hooley Station passengers no-
its good start, after the first nine ticed the typo for train No.101. (Kishacoquillas
Valley Historical Society collection)
months the company found itself
in the red, with operating expenses being $335 greater than its earnings
of $5,444 . The directors shrugged this off, urging stockholders not to be
discouraged since the past year had been a bad one for all railroads . Indeed,
the country was in one of its worst depressions in history . The Panic of 1893,
resulting in over 150 railroads going bankrupt . Had the KV not been paid
for, it too would more than likely have gone into receivership .
The directors explained that the expenses of their railroad were greater
than the norm because of much unusual work being required in track
repairs necessary to put the road in good running condition . For example,
no ballast was used in the construction of the track; ties were laid directly
on the ground, and the directors had no idea that a track required so much
support . For the next several years the KV constantly struggled to keep its
rail joints from sinking into the mud, and to keep its track in line . To cut
costs, the railroad occasionally used inexpensive cinder shipped in from the
Standard Steel Works in Burnham as ballast, although it didn’t hold up nearly
as well as limestone . For a sturdier main line, the KV made its own ballast by
having its track crew break up—by hand—large rocks found along the line
or from a quarry it owned . This continued until 1899, when a stone crusher
was reportedly being used along the track . By 1909, the general manager
was ordering cars of crushed rock from the National Limestone Quarry
near Shrader Station along the M&CC branch . Getter deemed it cheaper at
45¢ per ton F .O .B . than having it broken at “our home quarry .” Almost every
year KV trackmen piled about 1,000 to 1,200 tons of ballast onto the roadbed .
Not only that, but the road’s 21,000 untreated wood ties had to be replaced
every four or five years . All in all, Getter roughly figured that maintaining
the roadway cost the company about $6,400 annually including labor .
86 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

Aside from keeping its rails “afloat” the railroad soon found that one
combine car was wholly inadequate in transporting the road’s growing
number of passengers. A committee was formed on February 2, 1895, to
purchase another passenger coach. Two weeks later, the committee reported
to the board that they examined several cars in the shops of E.H. Wilson
& Co. and chose a second-hand combination car undergoing repairs. After
some dickering, the dealer agreed to sell the car for $1,100, including delivery
to Reedsville once it was finished. The treasurer cut a check and the KV
added combine No.2 on its roster. Similar to combine No.1, the new car
had a seating capacity for 40 people in addition to space for freight. This
proved to be quite adequate for the railroad’s needs at that time and was a
welcomed addition from a comfort point of view. Although the wooden slat
bottomed seats were a novelty on combine No.1, they were hard on both the
posterior and clothing, which got snagged. The Lewistown Gazette praised the
railroad for getting new equipment and quipped that “the clothing dealers
in Lewistown will no doubt mourn the departure of the slat seated car.” The
dealers needn’t have worried. Within a month, a broken wheel truck under a
freight car caused the new combine to be thrown off the track and damaged,
so much so, that it had to be sent to Lewistown Junction for repairs. In the
meantime, combine No.1 was pulled back into service and would continue
to be on the roster as a back-up.
The new combine arrived near the end of February, possibly delayed
by severe winter storms. Bad weather started a month earlier on January 16,
when ice and snow on the rails of the Wilson & Maclay Roller Mill siding

The railroad station at Belleville in about 1895. The

train consists of engine No.1 and coach No.2.
The old Wilson & Maclay Roller Mill is in the
background. (Author’s collection)
Cars waiting to be loaded with stone at the quarry in Shrader along the
M&CC branch. The KV often purchased ballast from here. (Forrest Kauffman
collection)

The crossing at Hooley Station. Coach No.2 is shown in passing. (Doro­thy

Yoder collection)
PAGES 88–188
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Boom Times
But with laughter and song they roll along
As the cinders about them fly.
And a noise is made like a real railroad
When the KV train goes by.
Robert F. Lantz

A fter 24 long years, the KV stockholders had yet to see any return from
their investment. That is, until the evening of June 9, 1917, when the
directors gathered at the Belleville Station after their annual stockholders̕
meeting. Getter, general manager of the road, gave the annual report on its
financial condition. The outlook was indeed promising, for upon a motion
by William B. Maclay, the company’s secretary, the board immediately
authorized payment of a three percent dividend. This became the first of
12 dividends, ranging from two to four percent, which the company issued
within a period of 14 years remembered fondly as the KV’s “Boom Times.”
Though the first dividend was small and temporarily put the KV in the
red that year, management was optimistic. The books for 1916 showed the
largest gross earnings to date, $19,003. The past five years had been good
ones for the railroad and averaged an annual profit of $1,436. Passenger and
freight receipts were on the rise.
Belleville had grown in population and industry, and although the KV
was responsible for this growth, it, in itself, would never really attain financial
success. Costs continued to plague the road and, despite the company’s
permanent improvement policy, heavy right-of-way maintenance expenses
were frequently incurred. Unlike other money-strapped railroads, the KV
seldom practiced deferred maintenance and it was reported that few finer
stretches of railway could have been found anywhere.

 189 
190 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

The stockholders’ meeting of 1917 also saw the election of a new president.
W. James Hayes, who held the post faithfully since 1897, died on December
27, 1916. The stockholders chose as his successor, J. Milton Campbell, the
KV’s vice president since 1899.
With Campbell at the helm, the board’s first order of business was to set
the salaries of its officers. Up to this point, the officers had enjoyed extravagant
wages, set in 1908 during the Big Valley Street Railway’s attempt to seize
control of the railroad (see Chapter 4). Since all of the officers were large
stockholders (owning 69 percent of the stock) and receiving dividends, the
board prudently decided that, for the best of the company, pay cuts were in
order. During a special session held in July of 1917, Getter’s salary as general
manager was reduced from $800 to $600 a year and the auditor’s (Stockton
Bates & Sons) fee of $300 was cut to $200. It was also decided that the president,
vice president and engineer would no longer be paid—a combined savings
of $750. Clare Getter’s annual salary of $350 for being treasurer remained
the same. One new position was created, that of assistant general manager.
Brown Wills fit the bill and was paid $100 a year on top of the $840 he was
already receiving as conductor. Additionally, all directors who attended
board meetings during the past year were paid $20 each.
A motion was also made to cut the secretary’s annual wage from $300 to
$100 (the same as it was before 1908), but was not voted on. William Maclay,
the secretary since the railroad’s beginning, didn’t like this at all and when
the motion was adopted in October he tendered his resignation to take effect
immediately. The meeting went downhill from there and Maclay’s last entry
in the minute book was that the remaining directors left the room without
taking any action nor to fix a time for the next meeting. This resulted in an
eight-month gap in the minute book until the board met again after the
stockholders’ meeting in 1918. At that time Maclay’s resignation was accepted
and his son, Robert, was elected secretary at $100 a year plus an additional
$25 to close the books on the previous fiscal year. Robert B. Maclay would
hold this post until the railroad’s abandonment 22 years later. His father,
although no longer secretary, remained on the board until 1922.
In 1918, the United States was in the middle of the Great War (WWI). In
an effort to expedite the considerable amount of war supplies and troops, the
US government assumed control of the Nation’s 260,000 miles of railroads on
December 28, 1917. Under the thumb of Uncle Sam, railroads were guaranteed
a net operating income regardless of their actual income, but any amount
above that had to go back to the government. Fortunitely, shortlines were
released from government reign after only six months and the KV enjoyed
prosperity, handing out dividends for the next seven years.
A week prior to the war’s ceasefire, President Campbell died in office
after serving for only 17 months. As was usual, the directors waited until the
next annual election to vote in a new president. Whenever an officer died
or resigned during his/her term, the position usually remained vacant until
the next stockholders’ meeting.
 BOOM TIMES 
  191

The KV president voted in on June 14, 1919, was none other than Dr .
John P . Getter, the man who first envisioned the railroad . Getter had been
the general manager of the KV since its beginning, and continued to hold
this position, as well as that of president, until its end . Besides being one
of the town’s leading physicians, Getter, always a booster of his community,
was also active with and held offices in the Belleville Water Co ., the Farmers’
National Bank, the local Chamber of Commerce and the fire department .
His influence earned him a place in the 1908 edition of Who’s Who in
Pennsylvania . Getter’s position as railroad president was unpaid, but he still
received an annual salary as the road’s general manager .
Getter was always pleased to report that no passengers on his railroad
were ever seriously hurt . The only suffering the passengers experienced was
an annoying inconvenience . In one incident in April 1918, Engineman Billy
Patton had just gotten the afternoon homeward-bound train over a heavy
grade near Hooley Station, when one of the axles on the tender snapped .
He immediately slapped on the air brake and had visions of the old tender
coming right up over his cab . Two freight cars
were derailed but not the coach, and the only
thing the passengers felt was an unusual
jolt . Eight passengers, five men and
three women, were aboard . The men
continued their journey to Belleville
on the tenderless locomotive, while
the women set out and hiked to the
nearby home of Kate Hooley . As was
usually the case, the KV made quick
repairs and the train resumed its regular
schedule the next morning .
Accidents proved to be more painful
for passengers when the railcar was involved .
In 1918, the railroad still had on its roster
railcar No .2 that it purchased seven years
before . This car was involved in the KV’s first
major mishap where paying customers were
injured (see Chapter 4) and would be
involved in a second, more serious,
accident in 1918 . During a return
trip to Belleville on the evening
of December 11, the car collided
Dr. Getter was 61 when he was
elected president, heading
into his golden years.
(Kishacoquillas Valley
Historical Society
collection)
A truck patiently waits as a KV railcar cautiously crosses a road near Union Mills
in the late 1930’s. For railroads, any crossing poses a serious threat, especially
if a lightweight railcar is involved. Unlike railcar No.2, the Studebaker shown
here was not reported in any accidents. (Forrest Kauffman collection)

with a mule-drawn wagon on the crossing at Cold Water Station. It was dark
and neither knew that the other was at the crossing (apparently the railcar
was run without lights). Upon impact, bodies and machines were thrown
every which way. Elmer Krebs, the wagon driver, was unhurt but his wife
was considerably cut in the collision. One of the two mules had a leg broken
and had to be put out of its misery. All of the six or seven passengers aboard
the railcar including the two “drivers,” George Carson and Ralph Manbeck
(according to PRR rules, a train crew of at least two was required if the car
ventured onto the Milroy Branch), sustained some injuries although luckily
no bones were broken. Manbeck was the worst hurt, being bedridden for a
week after. The railcar faired much worse and was crushed in the accident—
perhaps ending its jinxed career for good. This, in Getter’s eyes, was worse
than the railcar’s previous accident. He would boast 10 years later, that after
nearly 30 years and hauling “several million” (actually, less than a million)
passengers, this one minor incident was the only blemish on an otherwise
clean record, ignoring the earlier event.
Ralph B. Manbeck, known as “Collie,” began working for the KV in about
1911 as a substitute brakeman. By 1915, he was the full-time brakeman (replacing
James Orr) and occasionally stepped in as a temporary conductor. He resigned
his position in 1917 (replaced by Elmer Wyland), only to be rehired within a
year and subsequently injured in the railcar accident just noted. Manbeck
was said to have been an “industrious young man with sterling qualities”
 B O O M T I M E S 
  193

and was also known to be a ladies’ man. When he quit once again in 1920, it
was reported “that’s too bad—the ladies will miss him,” but to their delight,
within a few years he was back in the employment of the railroad.
When Manbeck quit the second time, a man named Bruce C. Harshbarger
took over the duties of brakeman for $65 a month. Bruce, a local boy, moved
away from home after school and got a job as a messenger on the PRR between
Harrisburg and Baltimore. Upon returning to Belleville, he moved his family
and set up housekeeping in the rooms above the railroad station.
Railroading was a family affair in Belleville. Manbeck and Harshbarger
were children who followed in their fathers’ footsteps. Harshbarger’s father,
William C. Harshbarger, was the KV’s track foreman for 10 years, starting in
1905. In fact, he had charge over Manbeck’s father, Hal H., and Engineman
Patton’s father, William J., who were both trackmen at the time.
In 1919, Engineman Billy Patton quit railroading after almost 27 years with
the KV to become a painter for Hertzler & Zook. In the eight years that he
was engineman, Patton worked beside three or four firemen. Bruce Warner
was hired the same time that Patton was promoted to engineman in 1911 and
served as fireman until October of 1913. He then tendered his resignation and
was replaced by Robert Vaughn. Caring for the fire didn’t suit Vaughn and
after a year he left the job of coal heaving to John Hackenburg. It is unknown
when Hackenburg left, but shortly after Patton had quit, newspapers were
reporting that a William Wilson was stoking the fire at $70 a month.
Usually when an engineman left, the job of running the train was passed
on to the fireman, but after Patton, a new face appeared on the right side of
the cab. The KV hired a colorful Irishman named Wilson I. McConnell in
January. Engineman McConnell was paid the same as Patton, around $80
a month, and went by a variety of nicknames, but the one that stuck was
“Red”—named after his bright auburn hair. Another characteristic was that he
had a heavy hand on the throttle. Whenever McConnell was at the controls,
the train was usually on time and very often ahead of time. As one newspaper
reported, McConnell “is now making as close time as the enginemen on the
Milroy Branch dare to.” This was quite an accomplishment, considering the
amount of freight the railroad was then hauling.
The increase of freight during the KV’s boom times kept the train crew
busy. One day in particular was on Tuesday March 25, 1919. Upon arriving
in Reedsville at noon the KV crew was instructed to unhook and run the
engine to the scene of a forest fire near Gibboney Park. When the engine
returned, it was already too late for its 2:05 p.m. departure and had to wait
for a Milroy train to get off the block. Once the right-of-way was clear, the
train crew shifted out two freight cars for Belleville and so left Reedsville
40 minutes behind schedule. In Belleville, the baggage compartment of the
combine was emptied of $5,000 worth of express packages and several freight
cars were shifted. The day’s last train left late, but “Red” handled the train so
well that he pulled up to the Reedsville Station near the same time that the
PRR Lewistown-bound train arrived. A large consignment of express was
PAGES 194–232
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KV Memories
When mem’ry keeps me company,
And I think about the years
That’s come and gone and just went on,
It moves me most to tears.
Albert G. Gibboney

O h, to ride the train to Lewistown again! There are many today who
remember that trip, but who can say that he has worked on the KV?
The late Harvey Kanagy, for one. For the first 20 years of his life he lived in
Ohio along the “Big Four,” the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis
Railroad. Later, he moved to Belleville and began work on the KV, part time, as
a trackman. He gradually worked his way up and was promoted to fireman in
1937, and later, claimed to work as an unqualified engineman. John W. Dalby,
another KV employee, insisted that Harvey never sat in the engineman’s seat.
However, the PRR kept a loose leash on the shortline while on the Milroy
Branch, and it would not be above the KV to use an inexperianced fireman
to pilot the train to Lewistown when the chief engineman was either ill or
on a hunting trip. Regardless, Harvey tells a good story.
He begins by telling about his first trip to Lewistown as engineman. It is
interspersed with old newspaper articles and memories of the KV recalled
by others. Many are from Albert G. Gibboney, one of Belleville’s best-known
residents. While he was principally the town’s druggist, it was as a country
style poet and humorist, going by the name “You Know Me Al,” that he became
most widely known for. He wrote the column “Town Topics & Country Chat”
for The Belleville Times and eventually became the paper’s publisher from
1936 to 1947. He reported on the community and dispensed pungent bits of
wisdom and homespun humor that attracted many readers.
So sit back, hand the conductor your ticket, and roll on down the tracks
of KV memory road!
 233 
234 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

Harvey Kanagy

“ In 1937 the conductor asked me at one time while I was free ridin’, ‘Wanta
job?’ Point blank, ‘Wanta job?’ Well, I wasn’t expectin’ very much . I did have
one job but it wouldn’t last . ‘Yes,’ I says, ‘I’ll take a job . What doin’?’ ‘Why,
runnin’ the fire, of course, first thing .’ Well I says, ‘I’m not qualified .’ ‘We’ll
get ya qualified .’ So it went from good to better .
”
John W. Dalby

“ I started [working on the KV] when I was really young . I rode the train
as a kid and helped whenever I could . Then they hired me . I took my tests
in Harrisburg and I was qualified as an engineer, fireman, brakeman and
conductor although fireman was my regular job toward the last .
”
Harvey Kanagy

“ In September I was called out and I made a trip or two and was learnin’
my ropes with Bruce Harshbarger . He was my senior engineer . I went with
him on experimental trips two days a week, Thursday and Friday . Bruce, he
had his levers set, and so did I . I had my injector set and my shovel set! I
set the injector and made it just so that it would dribble the water into the
boiler, and I’d use the foot lever to crack the door open to see what the fire
was doin’, ya know . Every once in a awhile, why, I’d take the hand lever and
lock it open, and throw in just a skin full of coal on this side, and another skin
full on that side, and back . I looked up at my gauge, and it was just playin’
around between 170-175, just like that . I said playin’ around and that’s all it
was doin’! And that’s the way he wanted it the whole way up, and that’s the
way he got it—the whole way up!
”
time and all of them were solicited
The Belleville Times by us boys hunting jobs carrying
February 22, 1940 sample cases and traveling bags
up town to various merchants.
I recall when we were living up
In the afternoon the local freight
on Gospel Hill that I could leave
usually arrived and again we were
the house when the KV gave its
on hand to haul merchandise up
long whistle for Belleville and
to the various stores. The pay
be at the station before the train
for this ranged from one cent to
came in sight around the curve at
a nickel which amount would be
the flour mills. Needless to say,
sneezed at by the average boy
I am not as fleet of foot now as
today.
I was then.
It was important that the —You Know Me Al
morning train always be met
because several traveling
salesmen usually arrived at this
Engineman Harshbarger inspecting No.6 as Track Foreman Hughes looks on.
Notice on the far left a gondola on Yoder’s coal tipple. (Author’s collection)

Harshbarger would instruct his firemen how to operate No.6 with finesse.
(Mifflin County Historical Society collection)
236 T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
 

Passengers prepare to board the train from Belleville Station. A leg of the
wye is in the foreground. (David Cope collection from the Railroad Museum of
Pennsylvania [PHMC])

Arthur “Art” W. Kauffman

“ I was friends with Bruce Harshbarger’s kids and I ran around with them
all the time . Bruce had a camp down there beside Jo-Jo Yoder’s place that
he built, and of course there was no road into it . So on Sundays he would
hook up a flatcar and put the kids on it and fire up the engine—of course
they kept the steam up all weekend anyhow—and we’d go down there and
play while he worked on his camp . Then at the end of the day we’d back ‘er
”
up to Belleville and park it .

down to longevity of life. Got

The Belleville Times
October 31, 1928
Charlie Zook, ice cream
magnate raised a rabbit hound.
Old adage says a cat has nine
lives but this pup of Zookie’s don’t
regard any member of the feline
species as a rival when it comes
hit by automobiles three times,
last week three cars of the KV
passed over him, but he had the
presence of mind enough to lay
down quietly between the rails
and thus avoiding going to the
factory where bologna is went
to be made.
—You Know Me Al
 KV MEMORIES 
  237

it properly weighed and loaded in

The Belleville Times
Janiary 4, 1940
Uncle Jim [Young] was telling
me just last week that when he
used to haul meat down to the KV
station for shipping, the old horse
would never scare at anything
about the locomotive except the
hissing noise that was made when
the air was released from the
brakes.
One day, Uncle Jimmy was
running a little late with his
shipment of beef and after he had
the express car, there was nobody
near to watch the horse while he
went into the station to get his
shipping receipt. Hurriedly he tied
the horse to the brace rod running
beneath the car and then ran
into the station to complete his
business there. Before he had time
to return, Uncle Tom hollered,
“All aboard,” and the KV moved
slowly out of the yards with the
horse and wagon running along
side trying to keep up.
—You Know Me Al

Harvey Kanagy
The Belleville Times
Janiary 20, 1910
“
One evening, I just finished
supper . This dropped on a Saturday .
They had Saturday evening trains
James Orr, the K.V.R.R. that went in to the movies, and, for
“brakey” is receiving all kinds one thing or another, in Lewistown .
of congratulations for the Now, I wasn’t expectin’ this . One of
performance of an errand which my neighbors came up and gave me
function he performed one day a telephone message . ‘Come down
last week. He was instructed by as soon as you can,’ he says, ‘and
the track foreman to stop up town take the train into Lewistown and
and get 20c worth of “Tenpenny” back . ’ OH! That was a shock to me .
[tobacco]. Mr. Orr in a rush to get I wasn’t expecting anything like that .
the mail to the train got twisted I went down, the train was all ready
and went to the hardware store at the engine house . I just got up
and ask for 10c worth of 20 penny on the platform and stood there a
nails. Mr. Utts smiled but did as little bit . ‘Over there is your place,
he was bade and looked wise. On on the right-hand side [engineer’s
Mr. Orr’s arrival at the station position] . ’ Oh . That was another
he was the center of attraction shock! Because I wasn’t qualified
and has since been busy trying to in the first place, and, in the sec-
commit to memory the different ond place, I still had a few things
brands of tobacco. to learn yet . Thinks I, if he [Bruce
—[Unknown Author] Harshbarger] done this thing or that
thing or adjusted this or adjusted
somethin’ else—that’s the way I must do . I looked across the various gadgets
and meters and so forth and so on and made them like he did when he was
ready to run . Pretty soon I got to highballin’, you know, and—Wah, Wah—
turned on the bell and off we went!
PAGES 238–264
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The Last Train
Still the morn, no KV whistle;
Still is the morn, no KV bell;
And with sorrow I remember
And with sorrow I recall
That its useful life is over,
That its life of toil is done,
Wrapped within the days gone by.
Lee Victor Alexander

P rosperity for the KV ended soon after 1930. Receipts for the next two
years took a dramatic nose-dive as area businesses became paralyzed
by the Great Depression, and the cheap, convenient gasoline engine began
to siphon off what little business the KV had. However, due to its tenacity
and some fancy footwork, the end was postponed for several years.
The KV jealously protected what business it had by keeping a diligent
eye on its competitors. When news was heard that two trucking companies,
Ira F. Stuck and Levi K. Yoder, were to apply for Belleville shipping rights
from the Pa. State Public Service Commission, the directors dispatched their
general manager to Harrisburg to attend the hearings. Getter’s presence
must’ve had some influence because after the hearing Yoder withdrew his
application and only Stuck was granted a certificate.
The KV’s mail consignment was also being threatened. For some reason,
Yoder’s Bus Line was carrying some of Belleville’s outgoing morning mail.
Getter made it clear to the bus line that it was the railroad’s responsibility
and that all morning mail, from then on, would be delivered by train.
Furthermore, a 5:00 p.m. evening mail run was established, but instead of a
train, the KV relied on Station Agent Dyson Kline to deliver the consignment
to Reedsville using an automobile.
Dyson F. Kline became the KV’s new station agent in September of 1931.
His predecessor, D.A. Hanawalt, was only 57 years old when he had a severe
heart attack and died in Dr. Getter’s office on June 14, 1931 (Hanawalt was at

 265 
266  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 

one time president of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the

Mifflin County Welfare Society and a member of the KV board of directors
in 1930 and 1931). Charles R. McColm came on board as a replacement for
three months until Kline, who had experience working for the PRR at the
Lewistown Junction Station, was hired full-time.
One of Kline’s jobs was to help Getter entertain railroad clients. In an
effort to keep its patrons happy, the KVRR joined an organization called the
Keystone Transportation Club, formed by a group of Lewistown railroad
men to help resolve shipping problems. In November of 1931, Getter had
the club hold its monthly meeting at the Belleville Station and invited a
number of local businessmen to air their concerns. Benches were set up and
as the people gathered, Paul Kline, of Logan Iron & Steel, provided musical
entertainment on a piano.
Once the meeting came to order, several complaints were heard from
the heavy shippers of Belleville. No explanation was reported when Walter
Foltz of the local flour mill asked why it cost the same to ship a carload of
flour to Harrisburg as it did to New York City. Next was Frank L. Campbell,
the farming implements dealer and KV director, who was not pleased
when it took three days for a manure spreader just to go from Lewistown to
Belleville. A PRR official of the club tried to explain that this was due to a
certain shifting crew that got the cars to Reedsville too late to catch the KV
train and that it would be remedied in the future. “Joe” Young (J.M. Young &
Co.) said he had no complaints, claiming he had nothing to ship and Isreal
Z. Hertzler reportedly forgot his H&Z shipping data, but expressed sincere
appreciation for the club visiting Belleville.
Perhaps the reason the businessmen showed up at all was the enticement
of free food. Getter and Station Agent Kline did not disappoint. The door
to the freight house was opened leading to a table filled with cheese, raw
cabbage, ice cream, apple cider and coffee. After the meal Brown Wills,
in his role of assistant general manager, “opened his guns” on the local
merchants present by chastising them for shipping parcels via Post instead
of the railroad’s express service. The merchants saw their actions as only a
drop in a bucket of troubles belonging to the shortline, but the railroad’s
view was that every little bit helped.
The KV was able to drum up some new business. In an effort to stimulate
industrial recovery the federal government began pumping money into
highways and other construction projects. During this time, the road from
the Mifflin and Huntingdon County line to McAlevy’s Fort was to be rebuilt.
Crushed stone from the Bethlehem Steel Quarry in Naginey was earmarked
for this project and the KV wanted in on this lucrative trade. At the time,
it was cheaper for the road contractor to ship the stone by truck, but the
directors concluded that the railroad could compete if the PRR could be
persuaded to lower its rates in shipping the material. Getter was able to do
just that, and in May of 1932, an unloading pit had been built in town and
70-ton cars from Naginey, filled with top dressing stone, were being hauled
The dinner train leaving Union Mills heading towards Reedsville, circa
1939. Freight has slacked off with only one boxcar in the consist. (Author’s
collection)

by the KV from Reedsville to be unloaded in Belleville. It’s ironic that in order

to survive, the KV indirectly helped in its demise by supplying material for
roads that motor vehicles would use to take away its business.
Try as it might, the railroad could not stop the downward spiral of freight.
In 1931, the KV was living off of 12,152 tons of freight. Two years later this
figure would plummet to 4,640 tons, the lowest the KV would ever have. The
local condensery was shipping by truck, as was Yoder’s Coal Yard, and milk
traffic on the Milroy Branch was evaporating. Milk revenue dropped from
$10,444 in 1931, $5,625 in 1932, $1,422 in 1933 to less than $500 in 1934-35, before
completely drying up. Although, tonnage would increase in following years,
it would never again reach above 10,000. Passenger patronage was suffering
as well. In 1932, ridership was down to 21,921, less than half of what it was in
1928 when the KV first began running trains to Lewistown.
What looked like a brief reprieve occurred in 1931, when the American
Shortline Railroad Association notified the KV that it had brokered a deal
with the ICC, granting shortlines less than 10 miles in length, two days of
free unloading time for all loaded freight cars received from connecting
carriers. Unfortunately, the order was short-lived and was annulled by the
US Supreme Court at the end of the year. Adding insult to injury, the ruling
was made retroactive to January 30, 1931.
Stern measures had to be taken to save the company. In 1932, expenses
were cut by reducing the wages of salaried employees and officers by 15
percent. Trackmen’s hourly wages did not change, but they were authorized
to work only a four-day (nine hours per day) week. The following year,
Getter reported that an additional wage reduction of 10 percent was made
268  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 

on all employees and officers . This caused

dissatisfaction among some, but Getter settled
it by using his usual forceful negotiating skills .
He also persuaded the PRR’s Middle Division
(Harrisburg-Altoona) superintendent to
reduce the trackage rights charge between
Reedsville and Lewistown, from 25¢ to 15¢
per train-mile .
After curtailing expenses, manage-
ment tried several tactics to lure the pub-
lic to travel again by train . Passenger fares
were slashed by over 35 percent . A ticket
that used to cost 55¢ from Belleville to
Lewistown was reduced to only 35¢ .
Roundtrip tickets were cut from 90¢
to 50¢ and a workman’s 10-trip book-
let was half price at $1 .75 . A trip from

Below: The Saturday Night Special on

the PRR Milroy Branch steaming into
Lewistown Junction in the summer of
1938. (Roy C. Hunt collection) 10-trip
ticket (Kishacoquillas Valley Historical
Society collection)
  T H E L A ST T R A I N  269

Reedsville to Lewistown cost a dime. The new rates were about half the cost
of traveling by either bus or trolley.
In all honesty, the railroad wasn’t concerned much about trolley competition
anymore. By 1932, Lewistown & Reedsville Electric Railway buses had virtually
replaced all of the trolley runs and the company no longer maintained a
regular rail schedule. A year later the railway was abandoned. Although
buses would lower their fares, the cost of traveling the KV train remained
competitive.
Passenger receipts slowly began to rise. In 1933, the KV hauled what may
have been its longest passenger train. The Sentinel reported that “Memories of
happy days were recalled Saturday morning [May 6] when the Kishacoquillas
Valley Railroad teemed once more with life and excitement”—no doubt
referring to KV Picnic trains in bygone years—when a large contingent of
211 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) boys from Philadelphia detrained
in Belleville on their way to set up camp in Alan Seeger. These were young
unmarried men who were hired to work in forest camps, planting trees,
building roads and creating state parks, all part of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s “New Deal” plan to help combat unemployment caused by the
Great Depression. Not only did the KV have to transport the troop, but their
18-20 tons of equipment as well. So large was this haul, that the KV had to
supplement its fleet of two passenger cars with an additional six cars borrowed
from the PRR. It made quite a stir for people accustomed to seeing only one
or two coaches passing at a time, to see the KV engine pulling a long string
of eight passenger cars from Lewistown to Belleville.
After arriving in Belleville, the CCC troop was loaded on back of trucks
for a 14-mile bone-jarring trip over the mountains. The jaunt was said to
have “knocked the pep out of many recruits and made them sorry they had
ever joined up.” Many wondered why the train didn’t travel to Milroy since
the distance to Alan Seeger would’ve been half that from Belleville and the
mountain roads were in much better shape there. The reason was probably
because the KV only had trackage rights as far as Reedsville and not beyond.
However, when the Penn-Roosevelt CCC camp was opened a month later,
the PRR (no doubt to the chagrin of the KV) made up a special train of five
coaches and two baggage cars and “without any ifs, ands [sic], or buts” took
the boys to Milroy.
A year later, through a stroke of genius, the KV Railroad began experimenting
with what was called “The Saturday Night Special.” With a reduced rate for
trackage rights, the railroad could justify running a special passenger train
from Belleville to Lewistown on Saturday evenings. The first run was made
on February 10, 1934. The train left Belleville at 6 p.m., and about an hour
down the tracks arrived in Lewistown, letting off people who wanted to
catch Roy Rogers on the silver screen or go shopping. Meanwhile, the train
continued to Lewistown Junction where the engine was refueled and turned
around. The train then returned to Lewistown proper to wait at the Dorcus
Street siding beside the freight station. Those who returned to the cars early,
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Appendices
330  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 

HISTORY IN BRIEF
Feb. 3, 1755 Land office opens, although settlers began moving
into Kishacoquillas Valley in late 1754 (page 12)
May 26, 1755 Valley named after Chief Kishacoquillas (page 11)
April 1, 1800 Greenwood is offered postal service and village name
is changed to Belleville (page 14)
Sept. 1, 1849 Pennsylvania Railroad officially begins train operations
between Harrisburg and Lewistown. (page 21)
May 1, 1865 Mifflin & Centre County Railroad (PRR Milroy Branch)
track reach Reedsville. (page 21–22)
June 2, 1868 Charter granted to the first Kishacoquillas Valley
Railroad Co. (page 23)
June 14, 1892 Second charter granted to the Kishacoquillas Valley
Railroad Co. (page 32)
Oct. 24, 1892 Contractor Edgar A. Tennis begins construction of
the KV. (page 40–41)
June 26, 1893 Regular train service begins. (page 52)
Aug. 30, 1893 First KV Picnic at Gibboney Park. (page 56)
Nov. 1, 1893 Bonds issued to liquidate floating debt. (page 84)
June 22, 1895 Clare Getter elected treasurer, becoming possibly the
only member of her sex to achieve such a high rank
in railroading. (page 88)
Aug. 18, 1900 In Watts vs. KVRR, Mifflin County Court rules in favor
of KV in selling 870 shares of stock to F.F. Whittekin
for permanent improvements. (page 99)
Aug. 22, 1901 KVRR’s first fatal accident. C.C. Bent fell between
cars and killed. (page 76)
March - 1902 Turning wyes completed in Reedsville and Belleville.
(page 103)
Aug. 4, 1902 Fire destroys much of downtown Belleville. Locomotive
runs into drug store delivering fire engine from
Lewistown. (page 104)
June 13, 1908 R.W. Jacobs, largest KV stockholder, becomes direc-
tor in his quest to make the railroad part of his Big
Valley Street Railway. (page 120)
Aug. 30, 1911 First accident where paying passengers are injured.
(page 130)
Aug. 24, 1916 Last KV Picnic at Gibboney Park. (page 76)
  A PPEN DI X A : H I STORY I N BR I EF  331

June 9, 1917 KV issues first dividend. (page 189)

June 14, 1919 Dr. John P. Getter elected president of KV. (page
191)
April 19, 1925 Tornado destroys engine house along with much of
eastern end of Belleville. (page 203)
Jan. 20, 1928 KV assumes responsibility to operate passenger ser-
vice between Reedsville and Lewistown on the PRR
Milroy Branch. (page 209)
Dec. 30, 1930 Last dividend issued. (page 231)
Feb. 10, 1934 First run of the Saturday night movie train special.
(page 269)
Dec. 5, 1935 Milton Henry Dean killed by KV train while walking
along the tracks near Yeagertown. (page 275)
March 20, 1936 KV begins repairing PRR Milroy Branch after the St.
Patrick’s Day Flood. (page 281)
March 15, 1937 Thomas E. Zook, president of the Hertzler & Zook
Co. and a staunch supporter of railroad, killed in
auto accident with KV train. (page 289)
Aug. 1, 1937 KV hosts excursion for the National Railway Historical
Society. (page 293)
March - 1938 Afternoon train to Belleville replaced by Studebaker
auto fixed to run on rails. (page 303)
Dec. 30, 1938 Directors unanimously decide to abandon the rail-
road. (page 307)
April - 1839 PRR purchases pieces from a KV car to use in an old
coach being renovated to show at the NY World’s
Fair. (page 307)
Sept. 7, 1939 Application for abandonment filed with Interstate
Commerce Commission and Pennsylvania Public
Utility Commission. (page 311)
Feb. 15, 1940 Last scheduled run. Tribute meeting held afterward.
(page 313)
March 18, 1940 KV sold for scrap to Rochester Iron & Metal Co.
(page 316)
Oct. 14, 1941 Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad Co. dissolved. (page
323–324)
March 24, 1942 Dr. John P. Getter dies. (page 324)
332  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 

ROLL CALL OF…

OFFICERS: The first KV stockholders’ meeting was held on May 28, 1892.
All subsequent annual meetings were held on the second Saturday of June
at the Belleville station, at which time a president and a board of directors
were elected. The newly elected directors would then hold a meeting to
elect the officers for the ensuing year. If an officer’s position was left empty
by death (D) or resignation (R), the position usually remained vacant until
the next stockholders’ meeting.
President Term Vice President Term
Samuel Watts 1892 – 1893 Jacob Y. Zook 1892 – 1893
Hugh M. Walters 1893 – 1894 Henry S. Wilson 1893 – 1895
William M. Gibboney 1894 – 1895 John M. Fleming 1895 – 1896
Henry S. Wilson 1895 – 1896 R W. James Hayes 1896 – 1897
W. James Hayes 1897 – 1916 D John M. Fleming 1897 – 1899
J. Milton Campbell 1917 – 1918 D J. Milton Campbell 1899 – 1907
John P. Getter 1919 – 1940 Frank F. Whittekin 1907 R
Secretary Term J. Milton Campbell 1907 – 1917
John M. Fleming 1917 – 1923 D
William B. Maclay 1892 – 1917 R
Jeptha E. Hostetler 1923 – 1937
Robert B. Maclay 1918 – 1940
Frank L. Campbell 1937 – 1940
Treasurer Term
Auditor Term
William M. Gibboney 1892 – 1893 R
G. Fay Gracey 1893 – 1895 R
E. Bruce Alexander 1893 – 1895
W. James Hayes 1895 – 1896
Mrs. Clare W. Getter 1895 – 1896
Jeptha H. Peachey 1896 – 1899
John M. Fleming 1896 – 1897
Geo. E. Middlesworth 1899 – 1903
Mrs. Clare W. Getter 1897 – 1937 D
William M. Gibboney 1903 – 1913
Robert B. Maclay 1937 – 1940
Stockton Bates & Sons 1913 – 1923
General Manager Term Mrs. Clare W. Getter
John P. Getter 1893 – 1940 & Robert B. Maclay 1923 – 1940

DIRECTORS: Below is a list of men who served on the KV board of

directors at one time or another. The first board in 1892 consisted of 10
directors. After a change in the company’s by-laws in 1893 only eight directors
were voted in yearly.
(F) Members of first board of directors in 1892.
(L) Members of last board of directors in 1940.
E. Bruce Alexander Jacob K. Detweiler Daniel A. Hanawalt
Gilbert B. Brindle John M. Fleming F Solomon Z. Hartzler
Andrew W. Campbell F Joseph M. Fleming John F. Hayes L
Frank L. Campbell L John P. Getter F W. James Hayes
J. Milton Campbell A. Frank Gibboney Jr. L Alexander C. Henderson F
Abner Y. Detweiler F William M. Gibboney F Jonathan B. Hooley
PAGES 333–377
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378  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 

PAST & PRESENT

Although, I have mainly concentrated on the past in The Ol’ Hook & Eye,
I believe it is important to give the reader a glimpse into the present with
photographs . Not only is this a benefit to show landmarks for those of you
who wish to explore the old KV yourself, but it’s entertaining to see how a
scene has changed over time . Below are photos that I have taken in the last
few years and the page numbers to the corresponding past photos . Enjoy!

Page 37 Top

Title Page Page 37 Bottom

Page 102 Top Page 113

PAGES 379–395
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396  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
INDEX
Photo pages in bold
Abbotts Dairies Inc., 151, 164
Africa, J. Murray, 49, 123
Ahrens Construction Co., 113
Alexander, James, 13
Alexander, E. Bruce, 55, 58, 67–68, 73,
74, 88, 133, 147, 242, 244, 323, 332, 368
Alexander, Lowell H., 174, 176
Allensville, 6, 14, 21, 23, 29, 36, 38, 46,
49, 50, 62, 64, 72, 116, 123, 155, 186,
207, 275
Allgyer, John, 180
Allison, Charles E., 4
American Shortline Railroad Ass., 267
American Telephone & Telegraph
(AT&T), 46, 262
American Viscose, 162, 199, 211, 260
Amish, 14, 45, 49, 60, 73, 134, 154, 167,
241–242, 294, 326
Amtrak, 386
Andrews, H.O., 169
Andrews, Walter, 169
Apple House, 137, 177, 178, 179
Arms, George H., 24
Armstrong, John, 11
Armstrong, John “Jack”, 11–12
G.W. Ault Gas & Oil, 102, 186–187, 188,
213, 340–341
Aurand’s Bus Service, 196, 197
Axe, Reuben, 45
Bailey, Carl C., 220
Bailey, J. Reed, 164
Bailey, Jonathan M., 91, 99
Bald Eagle Valley RR, 22, 386
Baldwin Locomotive Works, 24, 94,
100–101, 143, 162, 219, 220–221
Baltimore & Ohio RR, 31, 384
Barr, W.A., 229
Bateman, T.H., 229
Stockton Bates & Sons, 190, 332
Beatty, Charles, 11
Beaver, James A., 60–61, 188
Bebelheimer, Daniel, 390–391
Bell, William, 14
Belle Theatre, 148
Bellefonte Central RR, 194, 245
Belleville, 12, 37, 180, 185
decline, 28, 326–327
early history, 14–17, 28
fire of 1902, 104, 105, 238
growth, 139, 151, 188, 325
map, 6, 21, 341
tornado, 158, 171, 203, 204–205
Belleville & Reedsville RR, 120–121
Belleville Carpet Factory, 154, 155, 156
Belleville Chamber of Commerce, 179,
183, 191, 266, 286, 314
Belleville Community Hall, 184, 293,
294, 299, 314, 320
Belleville Community Sale, 183, 184–185
Belleville Condensed Milk Co., 132, 147,
148 149, 150, 158–159, 174, 210, 303
Belleville Dairymen’s League Co-Op.
Assoc., 150
Belleville Deposit Bank, 105, 121, 285
Belleville Electric Co., 73, 158
Belleville Fire Co., 79, 105, 148, 158, 160,
171, 191, 203, 286, 320
Belleville Fireman’s Festival, 79
Belleville Flour Mills, 136, 153–154, 162,
163, 169, 182, 183, 203, 204, 205, 206,
213, 323, 340–341
Belleville Foundry & Machine Shops,
44, 76, 158, See also Hertzler & Zook
Machine Co.
Belleville Grain Elevator, 125, 132, 153,
168, 169, 170, 172, 205, 340–341
Belleville High School, 79, 149, 156, 165,
311, 314
Belleville Library, 275–276
Belleville Livestock Market, 164, 183,
185, 326, 340–341
Belleville National Bank, 133, 148, 285
Belleville Post Office, 14, 52, 105
Belleville Station, 51, 54, 86, 91, 101, 102,
113, 134, 203, 236, 266, 276, 298, 303,
317, 340–341
The Belleville Times, 4, 148, 167, 233
Belleville Water Co., 159, 191
Belton & Temple Traction Co., 119
Berrier, Roy E., 229
Bessemer & Lake Erie RR (B&LE), 270–
272, See also KVRR coach No.6 & 7
Bethlehem Steel Quarry, 266, 281, 294
Big Four Implement Co., 180, 181
Big Valley, 9, 11, 285, 360
  I N DEX  397
Big Valley Street RW (BVSR), 6, 116,
118–121, 123
Bigelow, Israel, 64
Bontreger, John, 160
Boston & Maine RR, 93, 310
Bradley, Claire, 124–125, 333
Brindle, George E., 146, 184, 293
Brindle, Gilbert B., 98, 121, 332
Brindle, John, 110, 333
Brindle, Richard, 23
Brindle, Richard E., 180, 181
Brown’s Mills, 13, 19, 21, 154
Burke, Jane, 294
Burke, Sam, 286–287
Burnham, 7, 15, 22, 62, 71, 96, 127, 143,
157, 160, 256, 289, 313, 314, 387, 389
Burnham Park, 71
Burns, William J., 194, 198
Byler, A.D., 172
Byler, Menno Z., 110, 131, 333
Byler, Solomon, 39
C ampbell, Andrew W., 23, 31, 43, 84,
332
Campbell, Frank L., 132, 181–183, 266,
311, 332
Campbell, J. Milton, 99, 112–113, 120,
131–132, 190, 244, 332
Campbell, Joe, 260
Campbell, John A., 98
Campbell, Robert D., 23
Carnegie, Andrew, 24, 25
Carothers, Newton, 110, 333
Carson, George, 192, 369
Cedar Hill, 141, 142
Cedar Hill Station, 7, 90, 113, 141, 144,
195, 202, 211
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), 145,
269, 273
Clark, David B., 195, 196, 202, 224, 333
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St.
Louis RR: 233
Coffee Run, 7, 141, 144
Cold Water, 6, 45, 73, 90, 110, 137, 192,
197, 239, 240, 241
Conrail, 386, 387
Contner, Davis M., 23
Co-Operative Creamery Co., 172–173,
174, 176
Cumberland Valley RR, 31, 51
Cummings, John W., 46
Cummins, Samuel, 23
Cupper, Homer B., 107–108
Dahl, Jim, 137
Dahlen, Fred, 69
Dalby, John W., 233, 234, 238, 271, 275,
282, 333
Daylight Saving Time, 197
Decker, Gertrude, 130
Delaware Bay & Cape May RR, 29
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western RR
(DL&W), 41, 317
PA Department. of Internal Affairs
(DIA), 52, 112, 130, 134, 275, 303, 356
Detweiler, Abner Y., 31, 146, 332
Detweiler, David Z., 146
Detweiler, Jacob K., 332
Detweiler Creamery, 146
Eagle Hotel, 17, 23, 37, 69, 75, 104–105,
146, 184, 185, 293
Eagle Hotel Stable, 105, 183, 184, 185
Ealy, Ezra, 136
East Broad Top RR., 32, 38, 321
Elder, G.W., 58
Erie Canal, 17
S.H. Esh & Co., 146–147
Esh, Samuel H., 146, 317
Everett RR., 264
Fagley Paul, 144, 253
Fairbanks-Morse & Co., 52, 84, 127, 128,
159
Fairmont Foods, 151
Farmers’ Garage, 174
Farmers’ National Bank, 180, 191, 285
Farmers’ Telephone Co., 46
Fleming, John M., 31, 88, 332
Fleming, Joseph M., 23, 332
Floyd, John B., 76, 121
Focht, Benjamin K., 60
Folkhart, Bill, 262–263
Foltz, Lawrence, 45
Foltz, Walter, 153–154, 188, 203, 205,
266, 311
Foltz, Warren, 188
Foust’s Tavern, 121
Freedom Forge, 15, 22
Freedom Iron & Steel, 23–24, 25, 32
Freedom Iron Co., 22, 23, 24, 25
398  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
Freedom Iron Works, 22, 23, 142 Gibboney Park continued,
Fulton, James, 32, 36, 58 improvements, 73
Fultz, Allen, 28 map, 60
G ardner, W.C., 47, 205
pavilions, 61, 63, 65, 73, 75, 77, 78, 79
relations with KVRR, 55, 73
Geary, John W., 23 Gibboney, Penninah, 46
Gegenheimer, Edward C., 282 Gibboney Station, 6, 53, 60, 84, 140, 319
Gemmill, John B., 49, 52, 89, 333 Gibboney, Thomas S., 39, 42, 51, 52, 76,
Getter, Clare W., 29, 30, 88–89, 98, 103, 89, 103, 107, 108, 115, 124, 131, 244, 333,
120, 190, 206, 289–290, 307, 324, 332 367, 369
Getter, John P., 30, 78, 80, 106, 123, 263, Gibboney, William M., 30, 31–32, 39, 46,
288, 290, 310, 312 73, 88, 89, 90, 103, 120, 174–175, 244,
accident, 224–225 332, 333
benevolence, 74, 102, 105, 108, 226, Gibboney Woolen Mill, 55, 60, 140–141,
272, 292, 307, 311, 320 142, 202
community booster, 191, 285 Gibbons, Bill, 66
death, 324 Glasgow, Cyrus, 24
doctor, 29, 76, 89, 206 Glass, William, 25
illness, 122–123 Gotshall, Adam J., 7, 390, 391
KVRR founder, 29–31 Gottschalk, Hugo, 208
KVRR general manager, 35, 85, 91, 92, Gracey, George Fay, 89, 323, 332
96, 98, 100, 103, 111–112, 120, 126, 127, Great Depression, 145, 150, 163, 178, 231,
133, 190, 265, 332 257, 265, 269, 275, 291, 293, 325
KVRR president, 191, 195–196, 274, 332 Greenwood, 14–15, 21
KVRR stockholder, 131–132, 208, 323 Greenwood Furnace, 6, 15, 23–24, 28, 32,
NRHS excursion, 292–294, 299, 303 39, 45, 137, 141, 142, 143–144, 145–146
stories about, 252–253, 257, 262, 263, Greenwood, Joseph, 14, 17
361–364 Greenwood Ore Banks, 15, 23, 28
world cruise, 206–207 Greybill & Sons, 151–152, 153, 202, 255
writings, 55, 76, 84, 282, 290–292, Greybill, Harry, 153, 165
293, 308, 315, 316 Greybill, John D., 153
Gibboney, Adolphus F., 23, 55, 140 Greyhound Lines, 275
Gibboney Jr., A.F., 73, 177–179, 323, 332
Gibboney, Albert G., 23, 174 H ackenburg, John, 193, 333
Gibboney Jr., Albert G., 79, 175–176, 233 Haffley, Miles, 32
writings 73–74, 90, 92, 106–107, 135, Hanawalt, Dan A., 103, 148, 194, 225,
177, 200, 211, 219–220, 226–227, 265–266, 332, 333
234–246 passim., 287, 289, 307, 324, Harlan & Hollingsworth Co., 111
366–367, 368–369, 371, Harman, C. Elwood, 224, 226, 275, 276,
Gibboney, Alexander, 140 303, 304, 305, 317, 333
Gibboney Jr., Alexander, 140, 174 Harrisburg Car Co., 43, 46
Gibboney Apple Orchard, 177, 178–179 Harshbarger, Bruce C., 159, 193, 199–
Gibboney, Betty & Jane, 294 200, 226, 232, 234, 235, 236, 254, 259,
Gibboney Drug Store, 146–147, 174–175, 275, 282, 294, 296, 303, 312, 313, 317,
198, 340–341 333, 373
Gibboney, H.H., 141 Harshbarger, William C., 110, 158, 193,
Gibboney Park, See also KV Picnic 195, 333
baseball fields, 62, 80 Hartzler Anna M., 176
carousel, 67–68, 74, 76, 79 Hartzler, C.B., 172
fountain, 73, 81 Hartzler, “Jake,” 45
  I N DEX  399
Hartzler, John & Anne, 178
Hartzler, John B., 179
Hartzler, John M., 176
Hartzler, John Y., 41
Hartzler, Joseph., 41
Hartzler, Nicholas, 23
Hartzler, Solomon Z., 99, 332
Haughwout, John, 262–263
Hayes, John, 23
Hayes, John F., 132, 332
Hayes, W. James, 88, 93, 98, 99, 120,
131–132, 190, 244, 332
Heasley, Daryl K., 253
Helfrick, Marlin W., 245
Helfrick, Rachel & Albert C., 207
Henderson, Alexander C., 31, 40, 98,
332
Hertzler & Zook Inc. (H&Z), 127, 153,
158–159, 160, 161–163, 193, 199, 203,
210, 220, 275, 289, 304, 317, 340–341
Hertzler, Israel Z., 158, 162, 266, 311,
Hill Store (Belleville), 16, 148
Hooley, David K., 41
Hooley, Jonathan B., 40, 332
Hooley, Kate, 191
Hooley Station, 7, 40, 53, 85, 87, 108, 113,
115, 191, 211, 218, 250
Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington RR, 310,
316
Horton, W. “Tommy,” 69, 244, 368
Hostetler Coal Yard, 170
Hostetler, Jacob A., 146, 147, 150–151, 242
Hostetler, Jeptha E., 165, 323, 332, 333
Hostetler, John A., 241–242
Hostetler, John P., 42
Hostetler, John Y., 182
Hostetler, Joseph H., 106, 241–242, 370
Hostetler, Josh, 180
Hostetler, Samuel A., 170
Hughes, Charles, 218, 224, 226, 235, 239,
312, 333
Hughes, Edward, 110, 333
Huntingdon, 8, 19, 31, 116, 118, 123–124,
132–133, 143, 254–255, 278, 389
Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain RR,
93, 143
Huntingdon, Lewistown & Juniata
Valley Traction Co. (HL&JVT), 123–
124, 132
Hurricane Agnes, 199, 387
Inn the Pines, 207
Inter-Mountain RR, 6–7, 143–145
Interstate Commerce Commission
(ICC), 107, 134, 263, 267, 310
Inwood Station, 6, 90, 133, 137, 245
Iowa Central RW, 50
Irvin, A.L., 41
Isenberg, F. Blair, 120, 124, 333
Jack’s Mountain, 6–7, 9, 11, 40, 210, 252
Jacobs, Roy W., 116, 118–121, 123–124, 132,
333
Johnstown Flood, 126, 278
Juniata, 9, 11
Juniata Valley Electric Street RW
(JVESR), 116, 118, 123, 132–133
Juniata Valley RR, 91, 387, 388
Juniata Valley Street RW (JVSR), 116, 123
KV Junction, 53, 128, 250, 251, 304,
305–306, 342–343
KV Picnic, See also Gibboney Park
alcohol, 75–76
attendance, 56–57, 64, 72
entertainment,
music, 58, 62
speakers, 57–58, 60–62
misc., 62, 65–67
fatalities, 75, 76
passenger service, 69–71, 131
weather, 74–75
wedding, 76–77
Kanagy, Harvey, 231, 232–263 passim.,
264, 304, 308, 316, 321, 333
Kauffman, Alden, 153
Kauffman, Arthur “Art” W., 236, 377
Kauffman, Bruce, 137, 247, 256, 257
Kauffman, Israel, 41, 50
Ka-Vee Ice Cream Co., 169, 175, 176, 177,
276, 340–341
Kelley, Joseph, 164, 255
Kennedy, Robert, 166
Kennedy, William T., 111, 166
Kennedy Jr., William, 167
Kennedy’s Bakery, 166–167, 210
Keystone State, 9
Keystone Transportation Club, 266
Kishacoquillas, 47, 60, 62
Kishacoquillas, Chief, 11, 13
Kishacoquillas Park, 7, 71, 72, 79, 273
400  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
Kishacoquillas Station, 6, 46, 47, 53, 131, KVRR locomotives continued,
164
Kishacoquillas Valley Inn, 293
Kishacoquillas Valley National Bank,
285
Kishacoquillas Valley RR (KVRR, KV),
abandonment, 307–324
accidents, 41, 76, 83–84, 86, 88, 104–
105, 106–109, 110, 122, 124, 128–130,
191–192, 195–197, 224–229, 238, 249,
275, 289, 290–291, 312, 313–314
alcohol policy, 97, 124, 128
automobile (train replaced by), 274
bonds, 23, 84, 202, 219
bridges, 41, 50, 100, 281, 320, 323
Belleville, 44, 45, 50, 130
Gibboney, 44, 50, 56, 100, 128, 129,
218, 244, 304
H&Z, 160
Union Mills, 44, 50, 129, 224, 329
wye, 102, 103, 127, 278
KV Bus Line, 274–275
carbarn, 113, 117, 186, 239, 285, 323,
340–341
competition from autos & trucks, 198,
207, 210, 229, 265, 267, 275, 307, 310
construction, 24, 40–50, 84
court cases, 47–48, 49, 91, 99, 110–111,
119–120, 289
dividends, 36, 97–98, 135, 189, 190,
203, 208, 224, 231, 291–292
elections, 23, 31–32, 48–49, 88, 98–
100, 112–113, 120, 121, 124, 131, 190–191
engine house, 84, 163, 171, 202, 203,
204–205, 206, 207, 208, 309, 322,
323, 340–341
excursions, 69, 80, 95–96, 135, 215,
273, 293–294, 295–302, 303, 311
expansion, 45, 143–144, 209, 308, 310
freight service, 50, 97, 138–139, 189,
193–194, 207, 210, 212, 267, 307, 317,
350–355
“Hook & Eye” (nicknames), 49–50
locomotives, 334–336
No.1, 41, 42–43, 44, 51, 57, 86,
92–93, 95, 98, 109, 194
No.2, 93, 95, 98, 109–110, 194, 202
No.3, 61, 100–101, 109, 110, 114–115,
161, 194, 200, 203, 205, 219, 272,
280, 282, 321
No.4, 200–201, 202, 203, 219, 280,
282
No.5, 194, 195, 200, 202
No.6, 2, 199, 207, 219, 220–223,
228, 229, 231, 232, 235, 246, 248,
258–259, 272, 274, 285, 288, 310,
313–314, 317–318, 319–320
No.1033, 102, 217, 229, 230–231, 240,
244, 282, 283–284, 288, 310, 318
No.2082, 217, 226, 251, 273, 282–285,
288, 291, 293, 299, 309, 310, 318
maintenance, 85, 97, 189, 359
organization, 23, 30–32
passenger service, 42, 52–53, 95,
97, 110–112, 127–128, 138, 145, 189,
207–209, 210–211, 267, 268–269,
273–275, 289, 304, 311, 346–349
passes, 48, 72, 88, 97, 107, 160, 219,
253, 291, 292
permanent improvements (roadbed),
98, 100, 103, 112–113, 130–131, 218,
224, 308, 359
railcars, 336
No.1, 112, 128
No.2, 127, 128, 129–130, 134, 191–192
No.3, 220, 224, 225
No.4, 102, 192, 251, 263, 303–306
relations with PRR, 53, 91, 95, 126–127,
209, 212, 214, 250, 252–253, 266,
268, 281–282, 292, 294
rolling stock, 337–339
baggage No.5, 212, 213, 221, 239, 323
coach No.4, 212–213, 221, 239, 274,
323
coach No.6 & 7, 270–272, 290, 291,
293, 296, 309, 311, 322, 323
combine No.1, 42, 51, 86, 130, 134,
207, 208
combine No.2, 57, 86, 87, 111, 130,
211, 308, 309
combine No.3, 111, 114, 115–116, 117,
130, 195, 203, 211–212, 274, 309,
323
flatcars, 46, 70, 95, 107–109, 111, 171,
205, 222, 236, 281
salaries/wages, 42, 52, 70, 88–90, 97,
103, 110, 113, 120, 190, 191, 267, 303
Saturday Night Special, 239, 268, 269,
270, 271, 272
  I N DEX  401
KVRR, continued,
schedules, 52, 59, 85, 90, 103, 127–128,
197, 207, 211, 213, 217, 247, 256, 274,
306
stock, 23, 24, 32, 34, 35, 36, 39, 46,
49, 52, 84, 89, 98–99, 111, 118–120,
131–132, 208, 291–292, 308, 323
surveys, 24, 32, 39–40, 47, 113, 131, 144
trestles, 51, 100,
water tanks, 46, 262, 263, 375
wyes, 52, 90–91, 98, 100, 101–102, 103,
127, 149–150, 165, 186, 202, 236, 250,
305, 314, 340–343
Klepfer, Clarence, 69
Kline, Charles (Mrs.), 130
Kline, Dyson F., 265–266, 274, 275, 333
Kline, Jimmie, 65
Kline, Paul, 266
H.E. Knepp Coal & Lumber Co., 314
Knepp, Harry, 67
Knepp, John W., 76
Kovalchick Salvage Co., 321
Krentzman's salvage co., 202, 318, 388
Krepps, Bert, 224
Krepps, Wesley, 224, 226
Kulp-Thomas & Co. RR, 7, 389–390
Kurts, Joseph Y., 164
Kyle, Frank “Teddy,” 39, 40
Kyle, Charles Strode, 69
L antz, Robert F., 307, 363–364,
372–373
Lantz, Samuel, 27
Lashell, R.C., 49
Laube, Amos, 242, 244
Laughlin, Mary McNabb, 167
Lee III, Richard H., 23
Lehigh Valley RR, 26, 27, 384
Leister, John, 148
Lewis, Robert G., 250, 257, 260, 292–
293, 294, 308, 310, 316
Lewisburg & Tyrone RR, 390
Lewistown, 7, 14, 17, 18, 21, 47, 60, 72,
79, 95–96, 104, 121, 122, 126, 157, 160,
197, 198, 203, 209, 211, 212, 225–226,
227, 229, 233, 253, 257, 266, 268–269,
273–274, 276, 277, 311, 317, 385–389
Lewistown & Kishacoquillas Turnpike
Co., 60, 388
Lewistown & Reedsville Electric RW
(L&R), 7, 31, 32, 60, 70–71, 96, 116,
119, 121, 122, 124, 198, 211, 229, 269,
342–343, 388–389
Lewistown Fairgrounds, 72, 96
Lewistown Freight Station, 261, 269
Lewistown Junction, 7, 21, 95, 209,
214–215, 258–260, 269, 270, 272, 277,
293, 294, 296, 313, 344–345, 386–389,
Lewistown School Picnic, 273
Lewistown Station, 21, 216, 217,
Lewistown Transportation Co., 229, 389
Lewistown Union Picnic, 72–73
Locust Grove Mennonite Church, 272
Logan, Chief, 13
Logan Iron & Steel Works, 24, 25, 32, 35,
145, 389, 391
Louisville & Nashville RR, 50
Lumber City, 7, 127, 103, 133, 194, 227–
228, 250, 272, 278, 317, 322, 342–343
Maclay & Campbell, 181, 182, 183, 210,
286, 340–341
Maclay & Royer, 180, 181, 182
Maclay & Son, 164, 183
Maclay, Lizzie, 131
Maclay, Ralph H., 333
Maclay, Robert B., 74, 132, 180–182, 183,
190, 290, 311, 323, 332, 333
Maclay Jr., Robert B., 183
Maclay, William B., 30, 31–32, 93, 99,
120, 131–132, 151, 153, 189, 190, 244, 290,
332, 333, 369
Main Line of Public Works, 17, 18, 25,
385
Manbeck, Frank, 110, 333
Manbeck, Hal H., 39, 193, 244, 323, 333
Manbeck, Ralph M., 107, 192–193, 197,
199–200, 225, 232, 239, 247–248, 250,
259, 275, 303, 312, 317, 333, 373
Mann, James, 23
Mann’s Narrows, 7, 14, 19, 27, 40, 60, 95,
210–211, 217
Marburger, A.S. “Ozzie,” 325, 327
Matthews, Vincent, 110, 333
McAlevy’s Fort, 6, 64, 132, 143, 144, 266
McBurney, Robert, 23
McClenahen Brothers, 46, 73
McClintic, Joseph H., 120, 333
McClure, H.M., 120
402  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 
McClure, John A., 16, 105 Nissley, Martin R., 147
McColm, Charles R., 266, 333 Norfolk Southern RW, 386, 387, 388
McConnell, Emma, 198–199 Northern Central RW, 32, 42, 339, 387
McConnell, Wilson “Red” I., 193, 195,
198–199, 246, 333 Ohesson, 10, 11, 14
McNabb, William J., 16, 333, 360 Omwake, Stanley, 308–310
McVeytown, 8, 54, 62, 116 Orr, James L., 108, 125, 126, 192, 237, 333
Mechanicsville, 16
Metz, Charles J., 153, 205
Panic of 1837, 19
Panic of 1893, 85
Metz, Jacob K., 23
Patterson, S.M., 121
Metz, Samuel, 72
Pattison, Robert E., 32
Middle Creek RR, 387
Patton, John, 333
Middlesworth, George E., 42, 51, 89–90,
Patton, William A., 97, 108, 129, 130, 136,
103, 108, 238, 332, 333, 366
191, 193, 194, 238, 323, 333, 367
Mifflin & Centre County RR (M&CC), 7,
Patton, William J., 70, 193
21–23, 32, 40, 53, 69, 72, 85 87, 91, 95,
Peachey Barn, 185
96, 342–343, 386–387, 389
Peachey, Dave, 180
Mifflin County, 11, 13, 14, 153, 163, 182,
Peachey, Ezra J., 129
197, 276, 311, 391
Peachey, Jeptha H., 99, 120, 332, 333
Mifflin, Thomas, 14
Peachey, John, 23
Mighty Haag Shows, 286
Peachey, John S., 172
Mill Creek, 14, 50, 116, 123, 278, 279
Peachey, Joseph H., 333
Milroy, 7, 22, 62, 69, 91, 92, 127, 196,
Peachey, Rufus, 41
197–198, 209, 269, 294, 308, 310,
Peachey, Solomon D., 36, 183–185, 333
342–343, 386, 387, 389–391
Penn Central Light & Power Co., 73, 121,
Milroy Branch (PRR), 7, 91, 92, 107,
160, 389
127, 192, 197–198, 209, 210, 212, 214,
Penn Central RR, 386, 387
215, 218, 226, 251, 256, 267, 268, 278,
Penn-Reed Milk Co., 150, 303, 307, 310,
281–282, 294, 301–302, 310, 342–343,
325, 340–341
387, 391
Penn State University, 61, 178, 245
Moist, Bessie E., 76
Penn, William, 9, 11
Mont Alto RR, 51
Pennsylvania Canal, See Main Line of
Moore, Luther W., 289
Public Works
Morrison, Ephraim, 23
Pennsylvania Game Commision, 136
Morrison, Joseph, 75
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commision,
Mount Hope Station, 6, 90, 203, 211,
310–311
247–248
Pennsylvania RR (PRR), 19–22, 24–26,
Myers, Betty M., 80
39, 57, 69, 70, 91, 95, 111, 116, 126, 127,
N aginey quarries, 22, 209, 387, See 136, 143, 179, 196, 209, 212, 214–215,
217, 226, 229, 250, 252–253, 266, 268,
also Bethlehem Steel Quarry
Narehood, Charles W., 112 269, 278–279, 281–282, 292–293, 294,
Narrow-gauge, 30, 38, 39, 310, 321, 389 307–308, 311, 313, 384, 385–388, See
National Limestone Quarry, 85 also Mifflin & Centre County RR
National Railway Historical Society (M&CC), Milroy Branch (PRR), and
(NRHS), 215, 223, 292–294, 295–302 Sunbury & Lewistown RR (S&L)
New Holland, 163, 170, 323, 325, 326–327 Pennsylvania Turnpike, 26
New York Central (NYC), 384, 386 Peters, Edward, 126, 333
New York Central & Hudson River RR Philadelphia & Columbia RR, 18, 326
(NYC&HR), 24, 26 Philadelphia & Reading RR, 25, 26, 31,
162, 384
  I N DEX  403

Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore E.G. Smith Colossal Shows, 287

RR, 212, 339 Smucker, B. Harry, 46
Phillips, E. Gordon, 333 South Georgia Railway, 318, 320
Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean, 186 South Pennsylvania RR, 24–27
Pinsly Railroad Co., 316 Southern Pacific RR, 200, 377
Pinsly, Samuel M., 316 Southern Railway, 200, 318
Pittman, Charles, A., 29–293 Spangler, William H., 174, 238, 244
Pittsburgh & Lake Erie RR, 25 Spangler’s Drug Store, 37, 105
Pittsburgh & Western RR, 26, 27 Spanish-American War, 95–96
Plank, Sam, 180 Spicher, Aaron, 136
Poe, James, 16–17 Staley, Cyrus “Sike” E., 39, 43, 51, 52, 54,
Pullman Car Co., 111 70, 96, 97, 104–105, 107, 108, 115, 128,
Q uigley, James I., 71, 388, 389
238, 307, 333, 366, 367, 369
Standard Steel, 24, 71, 79, 85, 91, 92, 94,
R ager, John (Mrs.), 227–228
126, 127, 145, 219, 256, 317, 387, 389
Stauffer & Sons, 40
Railroad Museum of PA, 230, 307
Stevens, John, 385
Reading RR, See Philadelphia &
Stewartstown RR, 32, 36, 52, 89
Reading RR
Stokes, Richard J., 2
Reconstruction Finance Corp., 308
Stone Mountain, 6–7, 9, 11, 12, 24, 45, 144
Reedsville, 7, 14, 22, 23, 39, 30, 41, 49,
Stone Valley RR, 143, 145
56, 60, 62, 64, 69, 73, 95–96, 116, 120–
Strasburg RR, 230, 326
122, 124, 127, 142, 154, 182, 184, 193–194,
Stroup, Charles, 52
198, 209, 212, 229, 253, 254–255, 269,
Stroup, David, 28
275, 278, 311, 317, 342–343, 386–389
Stroup, William, 107, 125, 333
Reedsville Milling Co., 154
Stuck, Archie, 242
Reedsville National Bank, 32, 84
Stuck, Ira F., 265
Reedsville Station, 46, 53, 229 252, 314
Studebaker, See (KVRR) Railcars, No.4
Reichley Brothers, 7, 390
Stuter, James D., 107, 113, 159, 171
Renno, Jonas K., 31, 333
Sunbury & Lewistown RR (S&L), 91, 127,
Rochester Iron & Metal Co., 316, 323
217, 386–388
Rodgers, John, 177
Swigart, Warren, 157
Rodgers, F.P., 39, 41
Swigart’s Garage, 156
Rohrbasser, Alphonso, 172
Ross, John C., 42, 43, 49–50, 51, 52, 70,
96–97, 108, 333, 366
T aylor, Henry F., 96
Taylor, Joseph J., 96
Rowles, George, 226, 312 Taylor, Robert, 333
Royer, Harry B., 180–181 Taylor, Robert M., 23
Russler, Charles., 150 Taylor Station, 6, 47, 53, 96, 131, 164, 211
Russler, Paul., 176 Taylor, William H., 121
S t. Patrick’s Day Flood, 276, 277–279
Tennis, Edgar A., 40, 42, 44, 45–46, 388
Thomas, Chester B., 389
Salzberg, Murray, 316, 317
Thompson, William M., 42, 51, 89, 333
Schlatter, Charles L., 18, 19, 20–21
Thomson, John Edger, 19, 385
Scotch-Irish, 12, 14
Tuscarora Valley RR, 38
Seaboard, Pennsylvania & Western RR
(SP&W), 24, 26–27
Shrader, 85, 87
U nadilla Valley Railway, 317
Union Mills, 6, 40, 53, 84, 137, 177, 192,
Siebert, Christian L., 252, 272 218, 242, 243, 267, 290, 327
Siglerville, 14, 62, 64, 146 Uttley, Thomas M., 111
Slear, G.C., 69 Utts, Wilson S., 16, 47, 360
404  T H E O L’ H O O K & E Y E 

Vallone, Frank P., 123–124 World’s Fair (1939), 307, 309

Wray, Billy, 69, 333
Vanderbilt, William H., 24–26 Wray, C. Perry, 7, 391
Vaughn, Robert, 193, 333 Wright, John A., 23, 24
Walters, Hugh M., 49, 58, 83, 88, 332, Wyland, Elmer, 192, 333
333
Warner, Bruce, 129, 130, 193, 333
Yeagertown, 7, 58, 62, 95, 96, 211, 229,
256, 275, 313, 369, 387, 391
Warner, Frank W., 46, 121 Yoder, Amos, 168
Warner, Roy A., 125, 129, 137, 199, 200, John D. Yoder & Co. Store, 276
220, 224–225, 275, 303, 321, 333 Yoder, Chester A., 198
Watts’ Department Store, 31, 37, 61, 134, Yoder, David E., 154,
168, 170, 276 Yoder, David I., 135, 371
Watts, John, 100, 119, 124, 168, 238, 333 Yoder, Irvin R., 317
Watts Memorial Methodist Episcopal Yoder, John H., 41
Church, 185 Yoder, Jonas, 23
Watts, Samuel, 16, 23, 31–32, 40, 46, 47, Yoder, Jonas D., 176
49, 54, 84, 90–91, 98, 99, 100, 118–119, Yoder, Joseph K. “Jo-Jo,” 133–134, 262
120, 121, 124, 164, 185, 332, 333 Yoder, Joseph W., 121
Weibley, Roger, 129, 130 Yoder, Levi K., 265
Weiler, David, 23 Yoder, Levi M., 121, 124, 154–157, 164, 224
West Kishacoquillas Turnpike Road Yoder, Lois, 290
Co., 60 Yoder, Moses P., 333
West Shore RR, 24, 26 Yoder, Reuben K., 170–171
Western Maryland RR, 31 Yoder, Steven I., 174
Whittekin, Frank F., 39–40, 41, 47, Yoder’s Bus Line, 198, 211, 229, 265, 274
49, 58, 98, 100, 103, 111, 112–113, 120, Yoder’s Coal Yard, 170, 171, 203, 235, 267,
131–132, 144, 281, 332, 333 340–341
William Penn Highway, 186, 187, 286 J.M. Young & Co., 164, 165, 186, 206, 210,
Willis, William, 23 218, 326, 340–341
Wills, James F., 314, 323, 333 Young, James, 237
Wills Jr., James H., 176 Young, John N., 333
Wills, Thelma, 228 Young, Joseph M., 113, 165, 266
Wills, W. Brown, 103, 107, 125, 126, 129, Young, Rev. L.P., 77
131, 136, 137, 148, 161, 190, 194, 197, 200,
207, 212, 217, 219, 226, 229, 247–249, Zook, Amos, 155
251, 259, 260, 262, 264, 266, 276, 281, Zook, Charles R., 175–176, 236
303, 312, 317, 333, 373 Zook, David, 16
E.H. Wilson & Co., 41, 44, 86 Zook, David M., 121
Wilson & Maclay Roller Mill, 86, 151, 158 Zook, Jacob Y., 31–32, 44–45, 89, 98, 110,
Wilson, Henry S., 31, 39, 46, 88, 99, 332, 172, 332, 333
333 Zook, John F., 172
Wilson, John, 48, 100 Zook, Jonas, 40
Wilson, John T., 51–52, 89, 333 Zook, Maurice “Moose” C., 226, 239,
Wilson, John W., 84 257, 275, 300, 303, 312, 317, 333
Wilson, William, 137, 150, 193, 199, 333 Zook, Mildred, 118, 242
Wilson, W. George, 151, 153, 311, 323, 333 Zook, Samuel B., 249
Withers, John, 23 Zook, Thomas E., 158–159, 220, 229,
World War I, 76, 137, 156, 190, 197 289, 333
World War II, 163, 325 Zook, Thomas K., 121
World’s Columbian Exposition, 54
BLANK
A charming backwoods railroad that ran
in beautiful central Pennsylvania, the
Kishacoquillas Valley Railroad was known
Praise for the 1st edition:
This could be one of the classic shortline his-
as “the short line with the long name,” and tory sleepers of our time . It encapsulates all
of the rich warmth of an old diary rescued
it’s no wonder that local residents cooked
from a musty trunk in the attic of an historic
up their own nicknames – “the Lofty Van- Victorian mansion, faithfully chronicled by
derbilt,” the “Hair Line” or the “Ol’ Hook an appreciative citizen of this sleepy old
& Eye” – reflecting its character and coun- town in the Pennsylvania mountains . Yet it
try mystique. For 47 years (1893-1940) this has been enhanced with excellent technical
standard-gauge railroad hauled passen- data, charts and fine hand turned graphics
gers and freight between Belleville and to delight even the most critical historian
Reedsville, a distance of only nine miles . searching for a classic history of a rural
For the last 12 of those years, KV passenger shortline . When this delightful experience
service extended an additional seven miles ended, I felt forced to make a whimsical
from Reedsville to the Pennsylvania main decision as to whether to place it in the
railroad section, or somewhere between
line at Lewistown Junction via trackage
“Our Town” and “Life On The Mississippi”
rights on the PRR’s Milroy Branch . Much with the true classics . For those who want
of the railroad's enchantment comes from a quintessential age-of-steam shortline his-
the fact that it was financed through local tory, this book is a must!
stock subscriptions only, and was con- H. Charles Yaeger, The Short Line
trolled its entire life by Belleville’s physi-
cian, Dr . John P . Getter .
Between the covers of The Ol’ Hook &
Eye lies the early history of Belleville and
the effect the railroad had on its develop-
A well written
ment: celebrating the annual KV Picnic at and
tory of a “backw carefully researched his-
Gibboney Park, attempts by trolley inter- of Pennsylvan
oods” short lin
e in the heart
ests to take over the line, industries served ia . One of the
railroad histor most enjoyabl
by the railroad, its relationship with the ies that we ha e
ve seen .
PRR, an NRHS railfan trip, humorous and Railroad Tran
sportation
nostalgic recollections and the road’s near
rescue and eventual demise . The layout is
first-class job.
This, the second edition of The Ol’ This book is a os numerous,
and there
e ph ot
Hook & Eye, has been completely revised excelle nt , th arts, rosters
al l th e m ap s, income ch
by the author with a wealth of new infor- are
could desire .
mation and photographs . It is the most etc ., that one e Coupler
eo rge N . P ie rson, The Scal
complete authoritative history of the KV G
railroad to date . A book you will read time
and again, it is a perfect addition to the
bookshelf of historians and railfans alike .
 Double the content! (408 pages) 
 Twice the photographs! (290)  $32 .95
 Complete Equipment Rosters 
 Maps & Track Plans 
 Passenger & Freight Statistics 
 Financial Records 
 Summary of Area Railroads 
― 406 ―
 Index 