Grading and construction were very slow owing to financial problems, and in August 1877 Thomas Mellon, a Pittsburgh banking magnate, agreed to purchase the line.

[3] The segment that would have linked Bolivar was never constructed, leaving the coal mining community of Fort Palmer as the northernmost extent of the Ligonier Valley Railroad.

[4] Four of the five stopped at all stations, while one train per day served only Latrobe, Kingston, Darlington, and Ligonier.

However, the June 1916 edition of the Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States shows two trains per day in each direction serving (in order from south to north) Ligonier, North Ligonier, Hannah's Run, and Wilpen.

The passenger coach, crowded with revelers returning from a holiday celebration, absorbed the brunt of the impact.

Investigators were shocked that the railroad had been relying solely on oral instructions to avoid collisions.

[6] Both freight and passenger service ended on August 31, 1952, except for the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) Latrobe-Kingston segment which was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad as an industrial spur.