PITTSBURGH — Workers digging a light-rail tunnel discovered a trove of 19th century artifacts, including a toothbrush, bottles, plates, pencils, kerosene lamps and toys.

"These are actual physical pieces of our past," said Benjamin Resnick, cultural resources manager for GAI Consultants, a group hired by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which is overseeing the tunnel project.

"The artifacts are from a narrow time frame. It allows us to form a picture of the people who lived here," Resnick said.

While digging a shaft for a boring machine that will tunnel under the river, workers found an abandoned well that likely was used as a garbage chute after it ran dry.