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One of the better known short-line railroads, the Ligonier
Valley Rail Road connected Ligonier Valley with the rest of the world via the
Pennsylvania RR at Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It also connected the rest of the
world with Pennsylvania's Mountain Playground, Ligonier Valley in general and
Idlewild Park in particular. Originally only ten miles long, the line was
extended six miles at the turn of the 20th century to service the coal fields
north of Ligonier.
The Railroad began operation in 1877 and during the course of
it's 75 years of operation it carried 9 million passengers and hauled 32 milion
tons of freight. 
The last run occured on August 31, 1952.
The photo on the left is the original Darlington Station in
1934. The photo on the right is the Darlington Station (Ligonier Valley Rail
Road Museum) today. The restoration of the Station began in the Fall of 2006
and was completed March 2009. It opened it as the Ligonier Valley Rail Road
Museum on May 21st. 2010
On the left is our 1905 Bobber Caboose passing historic Fort
Ligonier on its way to the Darlington Station. The caboose was moved from
temporary storage in Laughlintown to the Darlington Station on Saturday
February 16, 2008. The tracks were installed a few weeks before and Ligonier
Construction Company, of Laughlintown, transported the caboose and set it up on
the tracks. We are looking for volunteers to help us restore the caboose. To
read about the caboose project, please click on the Bobber Caboose link on the
left.
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