West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad
| West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad | |
|---|---|
 East Market Street Station in West Chester, built 1875, in a 1930 photo. The station was demolished in 1968. |
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| Locale | Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania |
| Dates of operation | 1848–1881 |
| Successor | Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Length | 26.38 miles |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia |
The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad (WC&P) operated in the greater Philadelphia area in the 19th century. It later became the West Chester Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), and is now called the Media/Elwyn Line on the SEPTA system.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Construction
The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1848 and the company was organized in 1851. Construction began in Philadelphia in 1852, and the road reached Kellyville (now called Gladstone) in November 1853, and Media in November 1854. In July 1855 the company experienced a fatal construction accident, and encountered high costs due to construction of numerous bridges. Financial difficulties followed, and work was suspended until 1856, when the road opened to Grubb's Bridge, later known as Wawa. The remaining section to West Chester was completed in November 1858.[1]:513 [2] (The WC&P was the second railroad to serve the borough of West Chester. The first was the West Chester Railroad (1831-1903), built in 1832 and running northeast to a PRR connection at Malvern.)
A junction was constructed at Wawa for the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad, which began construction in 1855 and opened its first section to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in 1859.[1]:477
[edit] Consolidation
In May 1880, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad purchased the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad, and on October 31, 1881, the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad Company was consolidated into the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad Company.[3] All of these lines were controlled by the PRR.
[edit] 20th century
The PRR merged into Penn Central in 1968, and after the 1970 PC bankruptcy, ownership of the line went to ConRail. The Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) took over the West Chester Branch from ConRail in 1983.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Poor, Henry V. (1860). History of the Railroads and Canals of the United States of America. 1. New York: John H. Schultz & Co. http://books.google.com/books?id=BO8cAAAAIAAJ&dq=History%20of%20the%20Railroads%20and%20Canals&pg=PA477#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Ashmead, Henry G. (1884). "XX. Traveling and Transportation". History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts. p. 199. http://www.delcohistory.org/ashmead/ashmead_pg199.htm.
- ^ ICC valuation report of the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad, filed June 30, 1918
- Jones, Jim (2006). Railroads of West Chester: 1831 to the Present. West Chester, PA: Taggart Printing.
- Jones, James A. "Walking Tour of West Chester's Railroad Corridor." Accessed 2011-01-02.
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