Location(s)

At the head of Plane 8, the longest of the planes, difficult access even when it was first built, this structure has since been isolated by the railroad construction of the Muleshoe Curve [of the New Portage Railroad] and the present auto route 22.  Thus, it served neither as a quarry nor as a rubbish dump.  Natural erosion from the neighboring bluff and forest growth, however, covered the remains leaving only sections of walls exposed.  (Jacob Gruber, archeologist, 1969)

            The engine house at the head of Plane 8 of the Allegheny Portage Railroad was partially excavated by archeologist Jacob Gruber in 1969.  In his backhoe excavation, Gruber found that the plan of this engine house was different from that at the head of Plane 6.  Plane 6 crossed a steep slope as it neared the summit but Plane 8 was built into a side hill.  In order to minimize cutting and filling, the engineers designed an engine house to fit on a narrow ledge not much wider than the width of the railroad.  The boilers and engines were arranged in a line along one side of the sheaves.  At Plane 6, where space was not a problem, a set of boilers and engines was located on each side of the sheaves.

            Plane 8 is now part of the hiking trail system within the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.  It can be accessed from a parking area near the viaduct of the Muleshoe Curve.