The Chester Creek Branch was a
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line that operated in southern
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the fifth-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the third=smallest in area.
Del ...
, from 1869 to 1972.
Built by the Chester Creek Railroad, it was originally operated and leased by the
Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad (P&BC) was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated a main line between West Philadelphia and Octoraro Junction, Maryland (near Port Dep ...
, then by a subsidiary of the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
, and finally, for a few years, by PRR successor
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...
. It connected the
Lamokin Street station in
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
to
Lenni station
Lenni station is a defunct commuter rail station on the SEPTA Regional Rail R3 West Chester Line, located in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The station and several others were closed in September 1986, and subsequently dem ...
in
Middletown Township.
The branch diverged from the
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...
main line near
SEPTA
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates transit bus, bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people ...
's now-defunct
Lamokin Street station. At Lenni, the branch merged with the
West Chester Branch
The West Chester Branch is a railway line in southeastern Pennsylvania. At its fullest extent, it connected with the Philadelphia–Washington Main Line (Northeast Corridor) at Arsenal Junction near the University of Pennsylvania and the Philade ...
, a portion of which is used by the
SEPTA
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates transit bus, bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people ...
Media/Wawa Line
The Media/Wawa Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service that runs from Center City Philadelphia west to Wawa in Delaware County. It uses the West Chester Branch, which connects with the SEPTA Main Line at 30th Street Station. Under the Pennsyl ...
.
History
The rail line was built by the Chester Creek Railroad, which was chartered in 1866 and began service in 1869. Its route paralleled
Chester Creek
Chester Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ...
from Lenni (at a junction with the
West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad
The West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad (WC&P) operated in the greater Philadelphia area from 1848 to 1881. It became the West Chester Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). It has been operated as the Media/Wawa Line on the SEPTA system sinc ...
(WC&P)) southeast to
Upland
Upland or Uplands may refer to:
Geography
*Hill, an area of higher land, generally
*Highland, an area of higher land divided into low and high points
*Upland and lowland, conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level
*I ...
, where it veered south, ending at Lamokin Street and a
junction
Junction may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film
* Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film
* Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille
* Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002
* Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...
with the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) was an American railroad that operated independently from 1836 to 1881.
It was formed in 1836 by the merger of four state-chartered railroads in three Middle Atlantic states to create a ...
(PW&B). The Chester Creek line was operated and leased by the
Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad (P&BC) was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated a main line between West Philadelphia and Octoraro Junction, Maryland (near Port Dep ...
(owner of the WC&P), which owned the
locomotives
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; th ...
and
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...
.
In 1916, the Pennsylvania Railroad took control of the line as well as the rest of the P&BC through its subsidiary, the
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (successor to the PW&B).
In 1941, the branch had these stations:
The branch became part of
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...
(PC) in 1968, when the PRR merged with its longtime rival, the
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...
.
The Chester Creek Branch and the
Octoraro Branch
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad (P&BC) was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated a main line between West Philadelphia and Octoraro Junction, Maryland (near Por ...
were damaged by a flash flood in September 1971, then hit again the following year by
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...
. This spelled the end of service on the line, because the PC, which had declared
bankruptcy in 1970, chose not to repair it.
When the PC was taken over by
Conrail, the defunct line was excluded. In the late 1970s, the line was deeded to the
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates transit bus, bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people ...
(SEPTA) by a PC holding company named
American Premier Underwriters
American Premier Underwriters is a property and casualty insurance company that was established as the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1846. It was formerly known as the Penn Central Transportation Company and it currently owns non-rail assets. The comp ...
.
SEPTA, which took control of all commuter rail services in the Philadelphia area in 1983, chose not to repair the line. Friends of the Chester Creek Trail purchased the line from SEPTA on a 30 year lease. Delaware County took over the trail in recent years.
Rail trail
As of 2009, 90 percent of the line was intact.
In 2005, SEPTA leased it for 30 years to Friends of the Chester Creek Branch, a local group that has proposed to convert the line into a
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetca ...
called the Chester Creek Trail between the dormant
Lenni Station and the town of
Upland
Upland or Uplands may refer to:
Geography
*Hill, an area of higher land, generally
*Highland, an area of higher land divided into low and high points
*Upland and lowland, conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level
*I ...
. In 2010, government grants were been awarded for the first phase of the trail project.
While SEPTA retains ownership and the right to restore rail service, Byron Comati, the agency’s director of strategic planning and analysis, said in 2010, "SEPTA has no plans, long-range or otherwise, to reclaim the Chester Creek Line right-of-way for public transit use."
Friends of the Chester Creek Branch received funding and approval for construction of a 2.8 mile segment of a rail trail, which was completed in late 2016. Design work is expected to begin on a section expanding the trail further into Aston in 2017.
A ribbon cutting ceremony for Phase I was held on April 8, 2017, and Delaware County is now moving ahead with expanding the trail further.
See also
*
Lamokin Tower (at junction with
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...
)
*
List of defunct Pennsylvania railroads
The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Common freight carriers
* Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad (AOR) Genesee & Wyoming
* Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR)
* Allentown & Auburn Railroad (ALLN)
*BD Highspire Holdings ...
*
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and serving the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philade ...
References
External links
{{Attached KML
Map of Chester Creek Branch
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad lines
Rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania
Transportation in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Railway lines opened in 1866
Railway lines closed in 1972
1866 establishments in Pennsylvania
SEPTA Regional Rail lines