[3] Extensions west from Williamsport opened to Whetham in 1859,[4] Keating (as the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad) in 1862, reorganize in 1895 to Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway,[5] and finally reaching Emporium (also as the P&E) in 1863.

[6] A cutoff bypassing downtown Williamsport to the south, from Allen's west to Nisbet, opened in the early 1870s,[7] and is now part of the Buffalo Line.

Filming took place over three months during the daylight hours while the railroad ran its regular services at night.

The Pennsylvania Railroad ran several trains on this run between Buffalo and Washington, with major intermediate stops being Emporium, Williamsport, Harrisburg, York and Baltimore.

The last passenger train on the line was the Penn Central's unnamed Buffalo-Harrisburg successor to the Buffalo Day Express.