It was the Pennsylvania Granite Company Quarry. You should get the following book: The Mines and Minerals of Chester County, Pennsylvania by Ronald A. Sloto. It describes all the mines and quarries in that area. Many with old pictures.

Most likely the stone platform was for a water tank. Steam trains needed water periodically throughout their run. The water tank had to be elevated for Gravity filling.

The tracks you found coming off the RR branch west of the bridge over Mine Run were just for a turning wye, used for turning the steam locomotives. I have no idea why they chose the spot they did (requiring 2 more bridges over Mine Run). The wye appears to be out of service by the 1950's. No other maps i have found show any rail spurs coming off the branch before it reaches the switchback at Saint Peters (the tracks curve up to the north of the village, over the trestle, then must reverse on a switchback to get to the mill and quarry in the village). A 1905 topographic map does show a extremely small industrial spur coming off the branch west of Trythall Road. No idea what those stone pillars are. Your guess of a crane to load stone might be correct. The area was busy with timbering for charcoal, iron mines, and rocks quarries, so at one time there were access roads crisscrossing through the whole area. Edit: Found an aerial photo from 1946 that does show another railroad spur connecting from the branch to the water filled quarry you visited. That quarry does not appear on any topo map until 1956 when it is show as being filled with water. Again, no rail spur shown on any topo map though.

This always gives me a get away it's 30* and the wind is howling at 40 miles an hour. It blew our ladder down. It's starting to snow and the wind is supposed to go up to 50 MPH soon. Makes you want to stay in side 😎 Here in Albuquerque NM

My dogs love that howl, big thanks from central pa

So grateful for these recent videos. My ancestors built the Inn/the Excursion of St. Peter's Village and founded nearby Knauertown when Johann came from Coburg, Germany in 1753..They had mills and Davis Knauer founded the quarry and St. Peter's Village from what I've read

All kinds of interesting history out there✨Thanks👍

Hi Cliff, a nice hike with some history thrown in, awesome. Thank you for sharing, much love. xx💞

The two "railbeds" formed what railroads called a Y. They could turn entire trains around at a Y spur.

like all trees falling formations Nature is beautiful like d Day u got

I love the winter videos you create. The crunching underfoot, the extended view that exposes things you can't see when the woods turn green. A special experience, too, when the temperature is moderate so you don't have to bear the cold. Thanks for taking us along!

That was fabulous, love that stonework. What a great area that is. A really fun hike. Thanks for taking me along. Please take care

That is pretty, pretty cool. Shout from west Pa.

This was a great explore. You found so many interesting things. Thank you for letting folks tag along.

A very enjoyable video! I love exploring too. Nice finds a long the way.

Alco the Railroad Dog approves of this video. I enjoyed it also.

This looks like an area that could take days to fully explore. Extremely interesting, Cliff. Thank you.

My uncle had a camp ground there and there was rock quarry were use to jump and swim I love that place it was called franks folly .

Much better hike today, I'm thinking the high stone platforms were for wooden water tanks like we see the girls swimming in on the old TV show Petticoat Junction. They held water for the steam locomotives back then. The wood would have long been removed or rotted away. As for quarry swimming/jumping, if they want to do that dangerous crap please leave the call for help device home. Don't put first responders in harms way because you want to spit in deaths eye and do foolish stuff. I remember 2 scuba diver's drowned one winter scuba diving in a frozen over quarry here in Birdsboro, Berks County in 1990 or so. So sad but also so needless.😪😪😪

Ok. I’m pretty sure what you were seeing was a turnaround or “Wye” pronounced Why that hey used to turn the train around.

All your videos are my hometown .It would be nice if you could find actual vids of times passed by

Nice hike!! Try using LIDAR for terrain maps. Much more defined Don't know what those stone pillars are. The split in the rail bed is a wye for turning trains around. Ever use PSU mine map atlas? It answers alot of questions on mining areas.

I love watching your videos

Could be a Wye that they used to turn the trains around so that the engine was pulling forward.

Most likely narrow gauge railroad or built for ore cars to be pulled by horses. The ore would be loaded from the cars to a bigger Railroad Car. There is a Iron furnace just north of Morgantown , could these mines supply the iron ore for it.

That's a Granite quarry plain as day.

I love that kind of adventure.

I enjoy your videos very much!

Cliff, Was it my imagination or was there someone on the trail for a second, around 6 minutes or so? With those quarries and all those old structures and rail lines, I would think there has to be some written history of that industry, right? Cheers, Rik Oops!, I read below and other people knew all about it:( Sorry for the redundancy.

Thank you.

At 11:00; Those man made stone work pillars Could have supported a rail car dump where coal or something was transferred to another carrier.

It's a well. Means there was a home right there. Could have been an early frame house with no basement

Where is this as I know where I can find maps of areas like that. I might be able to find out how far it went.

Detective Cliff

would anyone have a map of this rail line ?

Just wondering if you noticed the animal that was watching you at about 5mins in

Time for Cliff to get a metal detector!

LOL here's the link to that abandoned stone bridge he forgot to add in the comments. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qMCabNCiv93UY2Q.html

I enjoy railroad history 🚆🚂

those could be old WPA works