In General
Timeline
Map
Supplemental Maps
Station Locations
RAILFAN GUIDES HOME
RAILROAD SIGNALS HOME
Location / Name:
Philadelphia PA: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties
What's Here:
Amtrak
CSX
Norfolk Southern
Northeast Corridor
SEPTA
Access by train/transit:
oodles of places in and around Philadelphia
The Scoop:
These page is an outgrowth of the three pages I did for the stations of 1934. It got too big for those pages, so I gave the railroad history of Philadelphia it's own page.
If you are interested in the stations of Philadelphia from the past, please visit the following pages or you can peruse the station list below:
Northeast of the current 30th Street Station: https://railfanguides.us/pa/phl/stations1934NE/index.htm
Northwest of the current 30th Street station: https://railfanguides.us/pa/phl/stations1934NW/index.htm
South of the current 30th Street Station: https://railfanguides.us/pa/phl/stations1934S/index.htm
Acknowledgements::
Wikipedia
Hidden City, various pages
Greater Philadelphia Geo History
Websites and other additional information sources of interest for the area:
http://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/
https://hiddencityphila.org/2019/08/in-northeast-philadelphia-a-rich-history-of-train-tracks-and-acquisitions/
https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/03/who-moved-the-newkirk-viaduct-monument/
https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/03/wrong-side-of-the-tracks-newkirk-viaduct-monument-in-photos/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia,_Wilmington_and_Baltimore_Railroad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newkirk_Viaduct_Monument
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Philadelphia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_and_Philadelphia_Railroad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junction_Railroad_(Philadelphia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrail
Philadelphia Railroad Timeline
Some dates of historical importance for the area railroads:
1831 - Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad (P&T) charter issued by the Pennsylvania General Assembly
1831 - The Philadelphia & Delaware County Rail-Road Company founded
4/4/1833 - The P&R/Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company founded
3/14/1836 - The P&DC became The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) with the merger of three other small railroads
7/4/1836 - The PW&B started building the Gray's Ferry bridge
1836 - The Lebanon Valley Railroad (LVR) was chartered to build from Reading west to Harrisburg, see 1854
12/1838 - The PW&B opened the first permanent bridge at Gray’s Ferry, named the Newkirk Viaduct
1/15/1838 - The PW&B started service to Wilmington DE from Gray's Ferry
2/12/1838 - The PW&B changed its name to the the PW&B, without the THE at the beginning as part of the official name
7/16/1838 - The P&R opens the line from Reading to Norristown
12/9/1839 - The P&R opens the rest of the line into Philadelphia
1/1/1851 - the Belmont Plane on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad abandoned in favor of a new bypass
1854 - The P&R takes over the LVR and begins construction of the line
1856 - The P&R line to Harrisburg and Rutherford Yard opens
1857 - The Reading and Columbia Railroad was chartered
12/24/1859 - The P&R opens a new Philadelphia terminal, at Broad and Callowhill Streets, north of the old one at Cherry Street
5/3/1860 - The Junction Railroad was created, to connect the P&R, PRR, and PW&B lines through West Philadelphia
1864 - The R&C line completed, Reading southwest to Columbia on the Susquehanna River, using the LVR from Sinking Spring east to Reading
1864/65 - The PW&B started building the bridge over the Susquehanna River
1866 - The PW&B built the Port Deposit branch, up the Susquehanna River from Perryville to the river town of Port Deposit
11/1866 - The Susquehanna River bridge opened, eliminating the ferry boat connection that trains had to take
1866 - The B&O started using the PW&B tracks to go from Baltimore to Philadelphia (after the Susquehanna River bridge was completed)
1867 - Connecting Railway north of the Schuylkill completed
1870 - The P&R leases the R&C
1870 - The P&R leases the Port Kennedy Railroad (PKR), a short branch to quarries at Port Kennedy
1870 - The P&R leases the Pickering Valley Railroad (PVR), a branch running west from Phoenixville to Byers (doesn't open till 1871)
1871 - The P&R was the largest company in the world, with $170,000,000 in market capitalization
12/1871 - The P&R replaced all the names on their engines with numbers
1872 - The PW&B built Grays Ferry station, for the new Chester route
11/18/1872 - The PW&B opened the Darby Improvement, south from Grays Ferry Bridge, passing through Darby, and rejoined at Eddystone
7/1/1873 - The PW&B leased the old alignment to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway
1873 - The PRR opened the Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road, from Washington to Baltimore
1873? - The PW&B agreed to allow the PRR to use its track between Philadelphia and Baltimore
1873 - The P&R extended its reach southward by leasing 10.2 miles of track from the PW&B, dubbed the Philadelphia & Chester Branch
5/15/1877 - The PW&B absorbed the New Castle & Frenchtown and New Castle & Wilmington railroads, forming a branch line from Wilmington to Rodney
5/21/1877 - The PW&B absorbed the Southwark railroad, extending its main line to the Delaware River waterfront
1879 - The P&R gains control of the North Pennsylvania Railroad
1879 - The P&R reaches New York City by gaining control of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad
1880 - A conflict began between the PRR and the B&O, both of which operated over the PW&B
1881 - The PRR bought the majority of PW&B stock, beating out the B&O, after getting wind of the B&O wanting to purchase the PW&B
1881 - The Newark and Delaware City RR's Delaware City branch sold to the PW&B
1881 - P&R's Broad Street station opened
1886 - The B&O opened the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad, to get around the PRR buying out the PW&B
1888 - PWB's New Castle Cut-off built
11/1/1891 - The PRR's Baltimore & Potomac Rail Road was formally leased to the PW&B
1891 - The PWB's Delaware Branch and New Castle Cut-off sold to the Delaware Railroad
1892 - The P&R builds the Port Reading Railroad, allowing the delivery of coal to northern NJ and NY
1901 - Philly opened the Gray’s Ferry Bridge, which had a four-lane roadway and streetcar tracks
1902 - The PW&B built the single-track Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Bridge No. 1 and tore down the Newkirk Viaduct
11/1/1902 - The PW&B merged with the Baltimore & Potomac and formed the PRR's Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington Railroad
1906 - The PB&W acquires the South Chester Railroad
1913 - The PB&W acquires the Baltimore and Sparrow's Point Railroad (serves Beth Steel in Sparrows Point/Baltimore)
1916 - The PW&B acquires the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
1916 - The PW&B acquires the Columbia and Port Deposit Railway
9/15/1916 - The PW&B acquires the Elkton and Middletown Railroad
1928 - PRR starts electrifying the line between New York City and Washington DC
1930-33 - Current 30th Street station built
1935 - Pennsy's electrification of the PB&W section completed
1968 - The PRR and the NYC merge to form the Penn Central
1971 - Amtrak formed, taking over most intestate passenger service
1976 - Penn Central merges with the RDG, LV, CNJ to become Conrail
1976 - The PB&W part of the Northeast Corridor (Philly to DC) is sold to Amtrak
1976 - Current Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge built
1999 - Conrail splits, 42% to CSX, 58% to NS, except for three shared asset areas of Philadelphia, Detroit and northern NJ
Note: Dates my not be accurate or exact, because most of them came from Wikipedia
Railroad Abbreviations:
B&O -- Baltimore & Ohio RR
CNJ -- Central RR of New Jersey
H&B -- Holmesburg & Bustleton RR (later became part of the PRR)
LV -- Lehigh Valley RR
LVR -- Lebanon Valley Railroad
NYC -- New York Central RR
NYSL -- New York Short Line RR
PB&W -- Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington RR (became the PRR)
PG&N -- Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown RR
PKR -- Port Kennedy Railroad
PN&NY -- Philadelphia, Newtown & New York RR
P&R -- Philadelphia & Reading Rwy, which later became the Reading
P&T -- Philadelphia & Trenton RR
PW&B -- Philadelphia, Washington & Baltimore RR
PRR -- Pennsylvania RR
PVR -- Pickering Valley Railroad
R&C -- The Reading and Columbia Railroad
RDG -- Reading RR
Station Locations
22nd St NW05
40th St NW26
49th St S01
52nd St NW24
60th St S03
84th St S06
Allens Lane NW18
Arrott NE14
Asbestos NW16
Ashton NE20
Bala NW22
Belmont NW25
Bell Road S05
Berks St NE04
Blue Grass NE24
B&O Station (downtown) NW27
Bridesburg NE17
Broad Street NE01
Bustleton Stations NE23
Carpenter NW18
Cedar Grove NE13
Cheltenham NE21
Chestnut Hill Stations NW14
Cinnaminson NW01
Columbia Ave NE03
Crescentville NE13
Cynwyd NW22
(Darby) B&O S04
E. Falls NW04
East Lane NW16
Elkins Park NE12
Elmwood S07
Erie Ave NE06
Fairhill NE05
Fern Rock NE10
Fernwood S02
Fisher NW08
Fox Chase NE22
Frankford Stations NE15
Frankford Junction NE16
Girard Ave NE03
Germantown (P&R) NW09
Germantown (PRR) NW20
Germantown Road NW12
Girard Ave (P&R) NE03
Girard Ave (PRR) NW26
Gravers NW14
Highland NW15
Hillcrest NW17
Holmesburg NE19
Holmesburg Junction NE19
Kensington NE04
Lawndale NE21
Lehigh Ave NE05
Lindley NE07
Logan NE08
Manayunk NW02
Merion NW23
Mermaid NW13
Mt Airy NW12
N. Broad Street NW21
N. Manayunk NW01
Nicetown NW06
North Penn Jc NE06
N. Philadelphia NW21
Oak Lane NE11
Olney NE07
Overbrook NW23
Paschall S04
Pencoyd NW03
Reading Terminal NE01
Rowlands NE20
Ryers NE22
Queen Lane NW20
Sedgwick NW11
Spring Garden NE02
Stenton NW11
St Martins NW15
Summerdale NE14
Tabor Stations NE09
Tacony NE18
Tioga NW06
Tulpehocken NW19
Unruh NE18
Upsal NW19
W. Falls NW04
W. Manayunk NW02
Washington Lane NW10
Wayne Junction NW07
Westmoreland NW05
West Phila NW27
Wingohocking NW09
Wissahickon NW03
Wissinoming NE17
Wister NW09
Wyndmoor NW13
Wynnefield NW24
Disclaimers:
I love trains, and I love signals. I am not an expert. My webpages reflect what I find on the topic of the page. This is something I have fun with while trying to help others.
Please Note: Since the main focus of my two websites is railroad signals, the railfan guides are oriented towards the signal fan being able to locate them. For those of you into the modeling aspect of our hobby, my indexa page has a list of almost everything railroad oriented I can think of to provide you with at least a few pictures to help you detail your pike.
If this is a railfan page, every effort has been made to make sure that the information contained on this map and in this railfan guide is correct. Once in a while, an error may creep in :-)
My philosophy: Pictures and maps are worth a thousand words, especially for railfanning. Text descriptions only get you so far, especially if you get lost or disoriented. Take along good maps.... a GPS is OK to get somewhere, but maps are still better if you get lost! I belong to AAA, which allows you to get local maps for free when you visit the local branches. ADC puts out a nice series of county maps for the Washington DC area, but their state maps do not have the railroads on them. If you can find em, I like the National Geographic map book of the U.S..... good, clear, and concise graphics, and they do a really good job of showing you where tourist type attractions are, although they too lack the railroads. Other notes about specific areas will show up on that page if known.
Aerial shots were taken from either Google or Bing Maps as noted. Screen captures are made with Snagit, a Techsmith product... a great tool if you have never used it!
By the way, floobydust is a term I picked up 30-40 years ago from a National Semiconductor data book, and means miscellaneous and/or other stuff.
Pictures and additional information is always needed if anyone feels inclined to take 'em, send 'em, and share 'em, or if you have something to add or correct.... credit is always given! Please be NICE!!! Contact info is here
Beware: If used as a source, ANYTHING from Wikipedia must be treated as being possibly inaccurate, wrong, or not true.
SEPTA HOMEPAGE
RAILFAN GUIDES HOME
RAILROAD SIGNALS HOME
NEW 12/18/2020
Last Modified
18-Dec-2020