West Chester Railroad

infobox SG rail
railroad_name=West Chester Railroad
logo_filename=wcrrseal.jpg
logo_size=250
system_

map_size=
map_caption=
marks=WCRR
locale=Chester County, Pennsylvania
start_year=1997
end_year=present
successor_line=
hq_city=West Chester, Pennsylvania
gauge=RailGauge|sg

The West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated heritage 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 convert|7.3|mi 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.

November 11, 2008, will mark 150 years since the railroad was chartered in 1858.

History

Over 160 years ago when most people in the United States of America 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.

Equipment roster

* #99 is an EMD 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 currently in service.

* #1803 is an ALCO RS-18. Ex–Canadian Pacific Railway. 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 65-ton centercab switcher. 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 is currently 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 its present owner here at the West Chester Railroad. Used for maintenance of way.

* #1 is a 20 ton Plymouth switcher that was donated to the Heritage Association by the Glen Mills quarry where it worked. It was built in the 1940s 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 is a bay window N-7 type built in 1941. Its New York Central Railroad number was 20331 and renumbered to # 21642 by Conrail. It has been restored with new flooring and windows, and has been repainted a maroon color with yellow lettering. It is currently used for a ticket office when trains run out of Market Street Station.

*Ex-PRR B60 Baggage car #9275 was built in the 1920s. It is used as a snack and storage car.

*Ex-Reading MUs # 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-Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad boxcar. It is used for storage in Adams St. yard. It was built in 1964.

ee also

*List of heritage railroads in the United States
*R3 (SEPTA)

External links

* [http://www.westchesterrr.net/ West Chester Railroad's official website]
* [http://www.west-chester.com/ The Borough of West Chester]
* [http://wcjim.com/railroad.htm Dr. Jim Jones, author of "Railroads of West Chester"]