Chester Creek Branch

The Chester Creek Branch railroad line ran from Lamokin Street in Chester, Pennsylvania to Lenni in Middletown Township, until 1972. It was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), and later by Penn Central. The branch diverged from the Northeast Corridor main line near the now-defunct SEPTA Lamokin Street Station. For most of its length, the branch paralleled Chester Creek. At Lenni, the branch merged with the West Chester Branch.

History

The rail line was built by the Chester Creek Railroad and service began in 1869.^[1] Trains were operated by the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad. The PRR acquired control through its subsidiary, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad, in 1916.^[2] In 1972, Hurricane Agnes crippled many bankrupt railways in the northeast, with the Chester Creek Branch sustaining severe damage. As the Penn Central was financially in no position to repair the lightly used line, it was taken out of service. Following the PC bankruptcy in 1970, the line was acquired by Conrail in 1976, and finally SEPTA in 1978.

Rail trail

The rail line has not been repaired since the damage and termination of service in the 1972, although 90 percent of the line remains intact as of 2009.^[3] In 2005, SEPTA provided a 30-year lease to a local group called Friends of the Chester Creek Branch, who have proposed converting the line into a rail trail between the dormant Lenni Station and the town of Upland.^[4] As of 2010, government grants have been awarded for the first phase of the trail project, and engineering design work is underway.^[5]

SEPTA still retains ownership and has the right to restore rail service if need be, but the odds of this happening are doubtful. Byron Comati, SEPTA’s director of strategic planning and analysis, said SEPTA has never sought reclamation and a rail trail’s growing popularity could preclude this.

“To the best of our knowledge after our discussions with SEPTA, there are no plans in the future to restore rail service to the Chester Creek Branch,” said Mike Fusco, president of The Friends of the Chester Creek Branch. Comati concurred that "SEPTA has no plans, long-range or otherwise, to reclaim the Chester Creek Line right-of-way for public transit use. Rails-to-trails success stories exist in Delaware County, and there are several other examples of former right-of-way that have the potential to become trails in the future."^[6]

See also

• Lamokin Tower (junction with Northeast Corridor line)
• SEPTA Regional Rail

References

1. ^ Wilson, William B. (1895). History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Philadelphia: Henry T. Coates & Co. p. 328. http://books.google.com/books?id=qj9N-eWi71YC&dq=wilson%20history%20pennsylvania%20railroad&pg=PA328#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
2. ^ Poor's Intermediate Manual of Railroads. New York: Poor's Manual Co. 1917. p. 226. http://books.google.com/books?id=vGJJAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA959&ots=j0GFdk2vpX&dq=%22poor's%20manual%22%201917&pg=PA226#v=onepage&q=%22poor's%20manual%22%201917&f=false. 
3. ^ delcotimes.com
4. ^ Chester Creek Rail Trail Accessed 2010-12-31
5. ^ "Bicycle Commuting Route Through Delaware County Upgraded." Planning Matters. Issue 14. pp.3-4.
6. ^ delcotimes.com