West Chester Railroad
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| West Chester Railroad | |
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| Reporting marks | WCRR |
| Locale | Chester County, Pennsylvania |
| Dates of operation | 1997 – present |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Headquarters | West Chester, Pennsylvania |
The West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated scenic railroad that runs between Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania in Chester County and the village of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania in Delaware County. It operates on 7.3 miles of Ex Pennsylvania Railroad trackage on the West Chester branch between mile post 27 and 21 from Philadelphia. It is run 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.
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[edit] History
Over 160 years ago when most people in this country had never seen or heard of a Railroad, the businessmen and community leaders of West Chester, PA. chartered the "West Chester Railroad Company." It became one of the nation's earliest railroads through an act in the Pennsylvania legislature in 1831. A quarter century later, West Chester got its second railroad, the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad, which opened on November 11, 1858. Both became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system by 1881, when they were known as the "Frazer branch" and "Media branch," respectively.
For the next eighty-nine years, the Market Street station was West Chester's gateway to the world. Generations of Borough residents and businesses sent their produce to market, their sons to war, and their fathers and mothers to work and shop in the "big stores" in Philadelphia. In return, the railroad brought students to the State College, lumber to the wagon wheel works, merchandise to the stores and ordinary people to the County Seat to conduct business at the Court House. At its height, the Pennsylvania Railroad operated 24 passenger trains to West Chester each day, plus three scheduled freights and additional special trains as required. In 1927 the line was electrified by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Although the Market Street station was demolished in 1968, Penn Central and SEPTA continued to carry passengers until the spring of 1986. For a nearly decade, the line remained unused until a group of railroad enthusiasts approached the Borough of West Chester about restoring service. Today the new West Chester Railroad Company is owned and operated by 4 States Railway Service Inc., a railroad management, maintenance and operations company which is dedicated to preserving the "Media branch" of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Thanks to their efforts, one of the nation's oldest "Fallen Flags" now flies again, bringing rail service back to West Chester.
[edit] Equipment Roster
- #99 is a GP9. It was built in 1957 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as number 6499. It was owned by the Central Ohio Railroad when it was bought for the West Chester railroad in 1997. It was repainted into a Pennsylvania Railroad scheme in 1998 with help from the PRR T&HS Philadelphia Chapter. It is presently in service.
- #1803 is an RS18. Ex Canadian Pacific Railroad. It was built at the Montreal Locomotive works in 1960 and retired in 1998. It was bought in 1998 and has been repainted into a Brunswick green with a yellow frame stripe to match #99.
- #9 is a GE center Cab 65 tons. It was built for the US army in 1941. IT was then on the Black River & Western and then the Octorara R.R. This locomotive runs but is in need of new prime movers and is very tired. It's presently owned by the Heritage Association.
- #3 is an ALCO S-2. It was built in 1949 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as # 9115. It was owned by Rohm & Haas and numbered #3. It was damaged by freezing and was bought by the Wilmington and Western where it was rebuilt. It was then swapped for an SW600 by it's present owner here at the West Chester Railroad. Used for maintenance of way.
- #1 is a 20ton Plymouth Switcher that was donated to the Heritage Association by the Glen Mills quarry where it worked. IT was built in the 1940's and was gasoline powered but has been re-motored with a diesel. It may be used in the future for switching if needed or will be put on display.
- NYC Caboose # 642. It was built in 1941 and is a Bay Window type. It's NYC number was 20331 and it was # 21642 when Conrail had it. It's been restored with new flooring, windows and is repainted into a maroon color with yellow lettering. It is presently used for a ticket office when trains run out of Market Street Station.
- Ex-PRR B60 Baggage car #9275 was built in the 1920's. It is used it as a snack and storage car.
- Ex-Reading MU's # 9107, 9114, 9117 and 9124 were built between 1931 and 1934. They were self propelled commuter cars used by the Reading Railroad and then by SEPTA. #9107 has been made into a dining car and is painted a Reading Green. The others are Tuscan red and are used for coaches.
- Ex-C&O boxcar. Is used for storage in our Adams St. yard. It was built in 1964.
