An important factor contributing significantly to the early development of the town of Perkasie was the building of the North Penn Railroad in 1856. A major difficulty was constructing the railroad to go on high ground on an area known as the "Ridge" or Landis Ridge.

• In June of 1853 ground was broken for a tunnel. For three years hundreds of men worked with picks and shovels and gunpowder to cut through the half mile of solid rock. The completion of this 2,150 foot tunnel was considered an engineering marvel - the biggest engineering construction feat on the Reading line. This tunnel became known as the Perkasie tunnel. During the building of the tunnel many workers were injured.
• In 1854 the first contractor dug the tunnel about one-half way through Landis Ridge. A second contractor took over. A cholera epidemic broke out and the work was stopped for a short time.
• In the summer of 1856 the trains would stop at the end of the tunnel and the people would walk over the top of the tunnel and get on the train at the other end to finish the trip. The hand dug tunnel was finished and a single track was laid through the tunnel in 1856.
• In 1858 the ceiling of the North end of the tunnel was arched with brick for about 500 feet.

The news items below were reported about the tunnel in the local paper of the time - the Central News. The dates are the publication dates in the paper.

• February 1, 1883 - rock feel from the roof of the tunnel and the tunnel was not secure.
• August 5, 1886 - work continued on the tunnel, widening it for a double track. Seven men were overcome with gas caused by the trains in the tunnel and were carried out unconscious. Falling stones injured two men the previous week. The entire work force on the tunnel went on strike due to the danger of the job. They demanded an advance of 25 cents, or $2.00 a day instead of $1.75. It was reported that the 50 men threatened violence to anyone who will attempt to work.
• March 8, 1888 - frequent falling rocks were again reported. A year before workmen worked on arching the tunnel, but stopped before the work was completed.
• September 6, 1888 - work would resumed for laying a double track in the tunnel (the only part of the line without a double track).
• November 12, 1903 -James Prurello, a 30 year old Italian had both feet crushed at the Perkasie tunnel when he tried to board a freight car to return to Rockhill where he was a stone crusher. A special train from Lansdale came to Perkasie in 16 minutes and took him to the Bethlehem Hospital in 25 minutes.
• November 2, 1905 - "Express trains run from the entrance of the tunnel to the watchbox in 13 seconds. express trains run from the tunnel to Sellersville Signal in one minute - at the rate of 90 miles and hour."
• August 5, 1909 - "The Reading Railroad has had blueprints made to change the route of the road at Perkasie and abandon the tunnel just above the borough" due to the bad shape and frequently falling rocks.
• April 19.1911 - "The railroad company is tearing out about 140 feet of the roof of the tunnel, at the North end, and arching it with brick and concrete. The work is going on every day including Sunday."
• Peter Bintzer, night watchman during cold weather at intervals during the night, would go into the tunnel and with a hatchet, cut down the ice which forms along the sides. At about 2:00 a.m. he entered the tunnel and a large block of ice fell upon him pinning him to the northbound track. The tunnel watchmen waved his lantern and the locomotive engine man saw his lantern waving wildly and stopped the train within 20 feet of Peter Bintzer.
• March 13, 1912 - A man was cut in half at the railroad tunnel and the body was brought back to Perkasie for burial.
• November 10, 1915 - The P & R.R. is cementing the tunnel. . . The process employed required several cars to hold the machinery that shoots cement through pipes to the arch of the tunnel. All trains were run through the tunnel on a single track system, and a telegraph operator is stationed temporarily to assist in the handling of the trains.

Two tracks circa 1940.		Two tracks at tunnel entrance on Southern (Perkasie) side.

• May 18, 1944 - Charles L. Krous, the engineer of a train was decapitated near the Perkasie entrance. "Official investigations of the accident expressed the opinion that Krous may have had a heart attack before his head struck against an abutment inside the Perkasie tunnel." The accident was not discovered until the train, without an engineer passed through the Quakertown train station. Fireman Hone applied the emergency air brakes.

Railroad tunnel under the ridge 1954.		Color illustrated postcard of Perkasie side of tunnel.

• In 1950 the double track in the tunnel returned to one track