Park Information

Riverfront Park

  • Underpass and Trees to the Walnut Landing Docks
    Photographs of the trains, arifacts and other features of Riverfront Park in Sewickley Pennsylvania!!!

Riverfront Train Transfer

  • HK Porter Locomotive, Tender and Bobber Caboose
    Photos of the transfer of the H.K. Porter Locomotive and Bobber Caboose to Riverfront Park, Sewickley, Pennsylvania. The Porter Locomotive was built in 1897 in Pittburgh Pa. Photos of the transfer of the locomotive and caboose from Station Square in Pittsburgh to Riverfront Park are courtesy of Peggy Standish. Click on the images below for full-size photos.

Riverfront Park Phase II

  • Underpass and Trees to the Walnut Landing Docks
    Photos from the Park Phase II expansion in 2007 including the new river access!
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2. Trains & Artifacts

The following are artifacts of Pittsburgh history located at the park      

Click here for photos of the various artifacts located at the park

H.K. Porter 0-4-0T Locomotive (1897) and P&LE Bobber Caboose (late 1800s)

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  • Click here for photos of the H.K. Porter Locomotive and Caboose being moved to the park       

  • The
    locomotive at the park is an H.K. Porter 0-4-0T made in 1897 at the
    H.K. Porter Locomotive Works in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  It was
    originally used for maintenance purposes at the Duquesne Works of the
    U.S. Steel Corporation in Pittsburgh.  The engine was then displayed at
    Mr. Fred Okie's house on Backbone Road in Sewickley.  He was President
    of two railroads, the Union Railroad and the Bessemer and Lake Erie
    Railroad. The locomotive sat on his front lawn until he moved to a
    retirement home in 1978 and it was shipped to Station Square. When
    Station Square was sold to new owners (Forest City Development) they
    donated the cars back to Sewickley and to this Park.   See the links
    below for more information about Porter Locomotives:
           

  • The caboose is a "bobber" style caboose.   
    According to the Dataview Publishing website, the caboose was "built for the P&LE in the late 19th Century, this car was later transferred to the Pittsburgh & Ohio Valley, and then to the Shenango Furnace Company on Neville Island, PA. Retired in 1964, it was displayed for some time at Station Square on Pittsburgh's South Side before being taken to Riverfront Park in Sewickley, PA."   This cars were called "bobbers" because they only had two axles, which caused a harsh "bobbing" ride for those inside.
           

  • Inside the caboose is a mural of Sewickley history including old train schedules, and historical photos of the area.

  • Click here for a newspaper article about the trains being transferred to the park.

WWII Merchant Marine Anchor and Memorial
      

Anc


World War II Navy Anchor donated by the  American Merchant Marines. It weighs about 8 tons and was transported from Texas. The Merchant Marines built the base, the flagpole, sanded and painted this tribute to fallen soldiers. It was dedicated in the Sesquicentennial celebration along with the rest of the Park.  The Park is pleased and grateful that the Merchant Marines chose our park for this memorial. 

Large Cut Stones

Block


  • The stones are from old city schools and other demolished buildings in Pittsburgh.

Sundial
 

Sundial


While not an "artifact", the park includes a  large stone sundial along the gravel  path. The park found out through the internet that many of the European parks have interactive sundials. An interactive sundial means that a person's shadow shows the hour instead of  a pointed object. The park got the correct latitude and longitude for the position of the  sun's shadow at the exact spot at the park. The park then asked a Carnegie Mellon Math Professor to measure the sun's position and he supervised the construction of the sundial.