A brief overview of...
The Cherry Tree and Dixonville Railroad
The Cherry Tree and Dixonville (CT&D) was jointly owned by PRR and NYC. Both owners used the CT&D track to serve their own customers up there, operating their own trains. The railroad was built to PRR standards, with PRR standard buildings, but it was maintained by NYC. In 1963 the NYC had a Track Supervisor at Cherry Tree for the CT&D and the NYC lines to Curwensville (CB). In 1965 the job was moved to become the Assistant Track Supervisor at Clearfield, and the Track Supervisor at Clearfield took over the CT&D.
The transportation management of the CT&D changed every two years, switching from PRR at Altoona to whatever NYC division ran to Cherry Tree at the time. In 1965, that was the Syracuse Division HQ at Rochester. The CT&D was dispatched by NYC dispatchers at Jersey Shore, and later Rochester, regardless of who was the superintendent at the time, but they used PRR operating rules.
The NYC had a big interchange with the Cambria & Indiana at Manver. The PRR also showed Manver as an interchange with the C&I, but if I remember right, they did not use it very much. Both railroads (PRR and NYC) served a bunch of mines up there, around Clymer, Starford, Cookport, etc.
One interesting feature on the CT&D was the Loop at Fleming Summit. Both ends of the loop were close enough that a conductor could get off his caboose, walk over to the other end, and climb on the engine as it passed (s l o w l y). They had a "Loop Cutoff Branch" that connected both ends for downhill (DOWNhill!!!) movements, and it was just one mile shorter. The PRR printed the CT&D timetables in PRR style, and of course they were used by NYC and PRR crews when operating on the CT&D.
- by Gordon Davids
Notes: after the PRR/NYC merger, the Cherry Tree and Dixonville Railroad eventually became known as the CT&D branch of the Penn Central, then Conrail.
The CT&D branch was sold along with other CR branch lines in Clearfield, Centre and Cambria counties to RJ Corman in the mid-to-late 90's.
