Cactus Jack-I found a brief (6 paragraphs) writeup on the Kinzua & Tiona in the book "Sawmills Among The Derricks" by Thomas T. Taber, III, book number 7 in the series Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania. The write up appears on page 742 and appears under the heading "George W. Campbell and Sons, Dew Drop, Warren County".
The discussion of this line states that George Campbell purchased 5000 acres of land and located a sawmill at Dew Drop Run near the mouth of the Kinzua Creek in March of 1897. On May 24th of that year Campbell formed the "Kinzua & Tiona Railroad" to run 8 miles from Dew Drop to Tiona. However the railroad never got within 5 miles of Tiona. (It didn't get to Kinzua either but was named so since the tract of land was primarily in Kinzua Township.) The mill started operation in late 1897 or 1898.
According to a Mr. Burdette, who was the last known living employee of the Campbell operation, Mr. Campbell did not have any camps in the woods but ran a daily train into the woods, carrying men and horse teams, and bringing them out again at the end of the work day. Poor's Manual and the Official Guide of the Railways were consulted by the author and showed that a daily train left Dew Drop at 6AM carrying the crews into the woods with arrival time being 7:11. A mid-day train would take loaded log cars to the mill and return to the worksite, with the evening train departing at 6:18PM for the 1 hour, 11 minute run back to Dew Drop.
The line listed a roster of 4 stock cars (For carrying the horses), 2 box cars for supplies and worker accomodation, 15 log cars and 3 locomotives.
According to the text, George Campbell died in October of 1902 with the mill continuing to operate until the spring of 1904. As the tract had been logged off of all useable timber, the mill, townsite and railroad were all dismantled. The official abandonment date is listed as November 15, 1904-several months after the actual removal.
Campbell's sons then moved to Marlinton, WV to continue lumbering activities in that region.
The Taber book lists a roster of 3 two-truck Shays operated on the Kinzua & Tiona:
Number 4 was a 30 ton locomotive built in 1889, construction number 241, purchased new.
Number 5 was also a 30 ton locomotive built in 1887, construction number 184, purchased used from the Mitchell Brothers of Cadillac, Michigan in 1890.
Number 6 is listed as 35-40 tons, built in 1891, construction number 347, also purchased new.
Numbers 4 & 6 were transferred to Marlinton, WV after the operation ended. The disposition of number 5 is somewhat cloudy and there is some question as to whether the locomotive did ever operate on the K&T.
Art Audley, AA3RT
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