In the early days of the coal industry, a mine owner/operator was limited as far as site selection went - he had to go where the coal deposits were located. In many cases, this meant remote areas that were far away from established settlements. Railroads had to be built to these areas so that the coal could be shipped to market, and this is why the railroads came to Heilwood.

Almost a year before J.H. Weaver arrived in Heilwood and began building the town, construction of a rail line from Mitchell’s Mills (now Diamondville) and Hine’s Junction to the Possum Glory area coal fields was started. Charles Sims was in charge of the construction and necessary grading for the new branch line, and scores of newly arrived immigrants were utilized in its construction. Having arrived in the Possum Glory area in the Fall of 1904, the workers began an extension into the Leonard’s Run area, where additional mine openings were to be made.

The construction was not without its problems. September 26, 1904 issue of the The Cambria Freeman, a newspaper published in Ebensburg, Pa., reported the following:

Last evening about 11:30 o’clock, a heavy charge of dynamite was touched off under the commissary building of the Sims Construction Company, blowing up two men and reducing the structure to kindling wood…. This morning another charge of dynamite was found under one of the other buildings of the contracting company, done up in a red handkerchief…. The occurrence is supposed to be the result of a feud between the Italians working for the commissary department of the Sims Contracting Company and a number of Italians employed by the Possum Glory Coal & Coke Company…. The later being former employees of the construction company…. Five men have been arrested but two men appear to have alibis provided by several different witnesses….

Despite these incidents, coal began to be shipped on the new line by the Fall of 1905.

This newly established “Possum Glory Branch” was the joint work of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the New York Central/Hudson River Railroad (NYC&HR). Both lines, having arrived in the Cherry Tree area almost simultaneously, came to an agreement to develop the Indiana County coal fields together. Thus, the Cherry Tree & Dixonville Railroad was born (for a detailed explanation of the history of the CT&D, see Henry Statkowski’s website).

In the early years, the coal shipped from Heilwood was all destined for markets in New York. This was due in large measure to the fact that many influential members of the newly created town’s Board of Directors had significant interests in New York industries that required a good supply of coal.

The types of engines that serviced the Heilwood coal fields were varied. Either “2-8-0” or “4-8-0” steam engines generally provided the motive power to haul coal to market (see photos).