BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Brookville Equipment Corporation signed a 20-year lease in 2021 for guaranteed access to all rail, as well as the buildings and facilities.
Early 1900s
This property has a long history dating back to the early 1900’s. A group who worked for the Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern (PS&N) Railroad started building a rail route toward Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The railroad was to operate from Brockway, PA to Freeport, PA and was originally known as the Brookville and Mahoning Railroad. Brookville would also be known as the company’s home for base operations, like rail yards, scales, car shops, steam shops and mechanical department offices. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1905. After bankruptcy and a lease in place with PS&N, the railroad changed its name to Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad. The lease was in place from 1906 to 1916. After termination of the lease, both PS&N and Pittsburg & Shawmut operated separately.
The mainline was completed in 1917, where they constructed many trestles and tunnels to keep grades manageable for small 2-8-0 and 2-8-2 locomotives. The Shawmut Line offered passenger services from the time it began until it dropped its remaining gas-powered locomotive in 1938, which to date, was used mostly for hauling kids to and from school in Kittanning and Brookville.

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Kocher.
Pittsburg & Shawmut dieselized in 1953 with a small fleet of nine EMD switchers. The P&S units underwent a paint restoration from their maroon and yellow paint scheme to a red, white, and blue bicentennial scheme. All the units were renumbered to represent important numbers in American history.
Photo Courtesy of Wayne Kocher.
Pittsburgh & Shawmut Acquired by Genesee & Wyoming
Pittsburg & Shawmut operated under its own management until 1996, when it was then acquired by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. The location still used the Pittsburg & Shawmut name until January 1, 2004, when it was absorbed into the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, which is another G&W company. There are several areas of the main line that were abandoned.
Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad housed the location until they slowly started dissolving from the mid to late 2010s. The property was vacant for only a couple of years before Brookville Equipment Corporation started looking into partnering with G&W to lease the property.
Brookville Equipment Corporation Signs a 20-Year Lease for the Previous Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Facility
Brookville Equipment started working with Genesee & Wyoming on assistance with using their property to test some of BROOKVILLE’s equipment. BROOKVILLE had received permission to use the test track, but was able to acquire the rest of the property through a grant and a long term lease.
In 2021, Brookville Equipment signed a 20-year lease. BROOKVILLE used some of the grant money to pay for the lease and to do some necessary repairs keep the rail line open.
Through recent renovations, BROOKVILLE has started utilizing the property on a daily basis to house the MWAA project and its piece parts. The company has done extensive clean up to be able to make the building habitable, after being vacant for a couple years. Some of the work has included, eliminating hazards, upgrading the garage doors, replacing man doors, removing a dilapidated building, and residing the main building. BROOKVILLE also completed some work to the office buildings to make them usable again, which included cosmetic work, as well as fixing the plumbing and electrical. The office building housed some of the engineers who were working onsite during the MWAA tagging and teardown process. BROOKVILLE also cleaned up the offices and shop floor in the main building to make them usable again.
Future Plans for Brookville’s Lower Campus
In the next six months, BROOKVILLE plans to install a Paint Booth in the far bay of the main building.
Depending on potential projects BROOKVILLE would receive, there is a possibility for expansion via a new construction building to hold future active projects.
For more information about Brookville Equipment please visit www.brookvillecorp.com.