West Chester Railroad
West Chester Railroad | |
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Locale | Chester/Delaware counties, Pennsylvania, USA |
Terminus | West Chester, Pennsylvania |
Commercial operations | |
Built by | West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad |
Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Preserved operations | |
Reporting mark | WCRL |
Length | 7.7 mi (12.4 km)[1] |
Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Commercial history | |
Opened | November 1858 |
1858 | West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad begins |
Closed | September 1986 |
Preservation history | |
1997 | West Chester Railroad began operating |
Headquarters | West Chester, Pennsylvania |
Website | |
www |
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Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that runs between Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania,[2] in Chester County, and the village of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County.
It operates on 7.7 miles (12.4 km)[1] of former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) track on the West Chester Branch between mile post 27.5 and 20.6. It is owned by the for-profit 4 States Railway Service, Inc. and operated by the West Chester Railroad Heritage Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the railroad. All employees of the railroad are volunteers.[3]
Equipment roster[]
Number | Model | Built | Manufacturer | Acquired | Notes | Picture |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1![]() |
1940s | Plymouth Locomotive Works | A 20-ton switcher operated in the Glen Mills quarry. Converted to diesel from its original gasoline power. Repainted in a yellow WCRR paint scheme and put on display at the Market Street station. | |||
3![]() |
ALCO S-2 | 1949 | American Locomotive Company | 1996 | Built as C&O #5026, later served as B&O/Luntz Iron & Steel/Rohm & Haas #9115. Bought and restored as #3 by the Wilmington and Western Railroad after suffering freezing damage. Traded to WCRR in exchange for an EMD SW600 unit. | ![]() |
657![]() |
50' box car | Ex-C&O, used for storage. | ||||
658 | Flat car | Used for Christmas Tree trains and work trains. | ||||
M1234 | Fairmont A4-D | 1978 | Fairmont Railway Motors | Ex-United States Army speeder. | ||
1803[5] | MLW RS-18U | 1960 | Montreal Locomotive Works | 1998 | Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway. | ![]() |
4213[5] | ALCO C424 | 1965 | Montreal Locomotive Works | 2010 | Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway. | |
4230[5] | ALCO C424 | 1965 | Montreal Locomotive Works | 2005 | Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway. | |
6499[6] | EMD GP9 | 1957 | Electro-Motive Division | 1997 | Built for B&O and owned by the Ohio Central Railroad until 1997. Painted in PRR livery in 1998 and operated as #99 by WCRR until being repainted and renumbered with its original number.[when?] | |
7706[7] | EMD GP38 | 1969 | Electro-Motive Division | 2012 | Built for Penn Central. Acquired by Conrail in 1976; later operated by Exelon Corporation in the in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Donated to WCRL in 2012. | |
9107![]() |
Reading Class RER "Blueliner" | 1932 | Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company | 1997 | Built as Reading MU trailer #874, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered dining car for birthday parties and charter groups. | |
9109[8] | Reading Class RER "Blueliner" | 1932 | Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company | Built as Reading MU trailer #876, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. | ||
9114[8] | Reading Class RER "Blueliner" | 1931 | Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company | Built as Reading MU trailer #835, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. Equipped with horn and backup emergency air valve for reverse moves. | ||
9117[8] | Reading Class RER "Blueliner" | 1931 | Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company | 1997 | Built as Reading MU trailer #840, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. Equipped with horn and backup emergency air valve for reverse moves. | |
9124[8] | Reading Class RER "Blueliner" | 1932 | Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company | Built as Reading MU trailer #869, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. Equipped with horn and backup emergency air valve for reverse moves. | ||
9275 "Pete Small"[9] | PRR B60b | Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad/Penn Central baggage car, used as a concessions/generator/tool car. | ||||
20331[10] | NYC Class N-7A | 1952 | New York Central bay window caboose. Built by the St. Louis Car Company and later operated by Conrail as #21642. Numbered 642 when used as a ticket office at Market Street station. Restored and returned to NYC number 20331[11] in 2009 and used for work trains and storage. | |||
28209![]() |
Dining car | Budd Company | 1947 | 2005 | Ex-NYC/PC "dining room" car from twin-unit diner. Used as the yard office at Adams Street Yard. | |
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Proposed commuter rail reactivation[]
In 2018 the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation commissioned a feasibility study for rebuilding the line and restoring direct commuter rail service from West Chester to Philadelphia 30th Street Station. SEPTA service below the Elwyn station was terminated in 1986 due to low ridership[13] but the area has since grown in population and has few transportation alternatives. Operation of scheduled rail service, as opposed to a tourist operation, would require upgrades to infrastructure and ADA accessibility to its facilities. The deteriorated condition of the tracks limits passenger trains to a speed of 15mph. The study concluded that restoration was feasible but the projected ridership was not high enough to qualify for capital funding.[14] In September 2021 local officials proposed a short-term plan to upgrade the West Chester Railroad in order to provide a shuttle service between the line's Market Street station in West Chester and SEPTA's new Middletown/Wawa station. Senator Bob Casey recommended a $2.4M USD appropriation for the boro through an earmark within a federal intrastructure bill.[15]
See also[]
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- Media/Elwyn Line
- Woodland Station
References[]
- ^ a b "West Chester Railroad - West Chester, PA". www.westchesterrr.net.
- ^ McGuane, Kimberly (21 November 2020). "Historic West Chester Railroad Offers One of Pennsylvania's Most Scenic Fall Train Rides". VistaToday.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "West Chester Railroad - West Chester, PA". www.westchesterrr.net.
- ^ Ross, R. Donald (30 July 2020). "Baltimore & Ohio Diesel Switchers". Don's Depot Railroad Photos. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ a b c Craig, R. (27 November 2013). "West Chester Railway Motive Power". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "Heritage Railroad On Site Diesel Locomotive Service". McHugh Locomotive & Equipment. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Laepple, Wayne (10 December 2012). "West Chester Railroad receives GP38 donation". Trains Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Surviving Passenger Equipment". Reading Company Surviving Equipment. Reading Technical and Historical Society. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Painter, Kevin (26 July 2009). "Image of #9275 Springfield Historical Society & Morton Station Preservation Society Special Excursion". rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Class N-7A". Conrail Cabins & Cabooses. T. W. Wolfgang. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "ex-NYC Renumbering". Conrail Cabins & Cabooses. T. W. Wolfgang. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "SEPTA Main Line at Liberty Yard Philadelphia, PA (19 April 2005)". Railfan Pictures of the Day. Philadelphia Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ McGuane, Kimberly (28 January 2018). "Rail service for West Chester discussed at meeting". VistaToday.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "West Chester Line Restoration Feasibility Study" (PDF). SEPTA Construction Programs. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ Rettew, Bill (16 September 2021). "Good news for proponents of rail service to West Chester". Local Daily News. Exton, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Chester Railroad. |
- Heritage railroads in Pennsylvania
- Tourist attractions in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Tourist attractions in Chester County, Pennsylvania
- West Chester, Pennsylvania