The Connecting Railway was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, incorporated to built a connection between the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad and the PRR in the city of Philadelphia. 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into Penn Central Transportation. ... A map of the P&T and other related railroads. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ...

Construction and Assembly

Connecting Railway

The PRR controlled the Philadelphia & Trenton, and had originally intended to directly connect the two lines through the heart of Philadelphia. However, attempts to buy out and demolish buildings in the right-of-way led to riots, and the Philadelphia & Trenton was forced to end at Kensington. To resolve the problem, Connecting Railway Company was incorporated May 15, 1863, and between 1864 and June 1867, constructed a 6.75-mile connecting line between Frankford Junction on the Philadelphia & Trenton and Mantua Junction (now Zoo Interlocking) on the PRR main line, passing through what is now North Philadelphia. Kensington, in Near Northeast Philadelphia, is known as an integral part of the citys Irish-American and Puerto Rican populations. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Map of Philadelphia County with North Philadelphia highlighted. ...

Bustleton Branch

On July 18, 1863, the Frankford and Holmesburg Railroad was incorporated to build a line from Frankford to Holmesburg. This would have paralleled the Philadelphia & Trenton between those points. The charter was amended on April 10, 1867, to allow it to build from the Philadelphia & Trenton at Holmesburg to the nearby town of Bustleton instead. It built 4.16 miles of line between the two points about 1870. On January 1, 1871, it was leased to the Philadelphia & Trenton to operate as their Bustleton Branch. The company subsequently went bankrupt and was sold at foreclosure on November 18, 1890, and was reorganized on January 12, 1891 as the Bustleton Railroad and leased to PRR. July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... Frankford is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, situated about 6 miles northeast of Center City. ... Holmesburg is a neighborhood in the Near Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Bustleton section of Northeast Philadelphia is located in the Far Northeast, north of Rhawnhurst and south of Somerton; sitting between Roosevelt Boulevard and the city boundary to the west, it is centered at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bustleton Avenue. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar with 43 days remaining. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Chestnut Hill Branch

On January 2, 1883, the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad was incorporated, to construct a line from Germantown Junction (now North Philadelphia) and Chestnut Hill. This line of 6.75 miles was built between 1883 and 1884, closely paralleling the Chestnut Hill Railroad (controlled by the Reading), and now forms the basis of SEPTA's R8 Chestnut Hill West line. Between 1892 and 1893, two additional branches were built: the Midvale Branch, running 0.85 miles from Midvale to the Midvale Steel Company plant, and the Fort Washington Branch or Cresheim Branch, running 6.27 miles from Allen Lane to Fort Hill, where it connected with the Trenton Cut-Off. January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of Philadelphia. ... 1884 map of the Pennsylvania, Reading and Lehigh Valley Railroads The Reading Railroad (AAR reporting mark RDG), officially known as the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states. ... For the abbreviation SEPTA, see SEPTA. A septum, in general, is a wall separating two cavities or two spaces containing a less dense material. ... The R8 is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system. ...

Kensington & Tacony Branch

On March 26, 1884, the Kensington and Tacony Railroad was incorporated. From a connection with the Philadelphia & Trenton at Tioga Street and Delaware Avenue, it built 1.65 miles along Delaware Avenue between 1886 and 1887. The Frankford Creek Railroad was incorporated March 17, 1890, and built 0.62 miles of track from the Philadelphia & Trenton down Butler Street and towards Frankford Creek. It was merged on April 14, 1891 into the Kensington & Tacony as the Frankford Street Branch. The K&T built 2.85 miles further along Delaware Avenue in 1891–1892 to connect to the Philadelphia & Trenton just east of Tacony, and extended the Frankford Street Branch 1.16 miles across and parallel to Frankford Creek 1893–1894. At some point it also bought the connecting Philadelphia & Trenton line of 1.23 miles from the P&T main down Tioga Street. March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Oxford Road Branch

The Philadelphia and Bustleton Railway was incorporated on March 17, 1892 to built from Front Street and Erie Avenue, on the Connecting Railway main line, to Bustleton. The Bustleton and Eastern Railroad was incorporated on January 27, 1893 to extend the Philadelphia & Bustleton from Bustleton to Fallsington, just west of Morrisville on the Trenton Cut-Off. The two were consolidated into the Philadelphia, Bustleton and Trenton Railroad on May 1, 1893. The Philadelphia & Bustleton had done only a little grading, and the Philadelphia, Bustleton & Trenton, after completing 3.55 miles of the line in December 1896, built no further towards Fallsington. It crossed the Philadelphia and Frankford Railroad (Reading) about a mile south of its terminus. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Fairhill Branch

On June 13, 1892, the Fair Hill Railroad was incorporated, and built 0.78 miles of line from the Connecting Railway main line near Rosehill Street to Cambria Avenue 1895–1896. June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Engleside Branch

On September 22, 1892, the Engleside Railroad was incorporated, and built 0.17 miles of line from the Connecting Railway main line near 32nd and Jefferson Streets to near 32nd and Thompson Streets, where it connected with the Reading (former Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad trackage). September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Map The Main Line of Public Works was a railroad and canal system built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, running from Philadelphia west across the state to Pittsburgh. ...

On January 1, 1902, these seven corporations were consolidated into The Connecting Railway Company. This company and all its predecessors were directly or indirectly controlled by the PRR throughout their history. On December 9, 1956, the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Detroit Railroad, an agglomeration of certain PRR Lines West, was merged into the corporation. This was solely for the sake of corporate bookkeeping and had no effect on operations. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Operations

The Connecting Railway main line was operated as part of the PRR main line from Philadelphia to New York, providing through and local passenger service and extensive freight service to the many industries located in northern Philadelphia. The main passenger station on the line was North Philadelphia station. Because of the northern alignment of the Connecting Ry., passenger trains between New York and Pittsburgh would stop there only, bypassing 30th Street Station. The Chestnut Hill, Fort Washington and Bustleton Branches also saw passenger service; the other lines were exclusively freight lines. In particular, the Kensington & Tacony Branch served the upper Philadelphia waterfront and the Frankford Arsenal, and the Oxford Road Branch served a Sears distribution center near its crossing of the Reading. Nickname The Big Apple, The Capital of the World [1], Gotham Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 1,214. ... 30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Frankford Arsenal was a U.S. Army ammunition plant located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Frankford Creek. ... Sears Holdings Corporation NASDAQ: SHLD is the third largest retailer in the United States, behind Wal-Mart and The Home Depot. ...

Passenger service on the Bustleton Branch was discontinued in 1926, but the Chestnut Hill and Fort Washington Branches became part of the PRR suburban electrification program. Electrified service from Chestnut Hill to Broad Street Station began in 1918 and over the Fort Washington Branch in 1924. The rest of the main line was electrified by 1935 to allow electric service to New York. Broad Street Station was built in 1881 and served as Philadelphia, Pennsylvanias primary rail hub until the Pennsylvania Railroad completed 30th Street Station in 1933. ...

Abandonment

The little-used Fort Washington Branch was de-electrified, and passenger service discontinuted in 1952. In 1953, the middle of the branch, from Sunnybrook to Wyndmoor was abandoned. The remaining stubs were later removed, and part of the right-of-way used by Pennsylvania State Route 309. Pennsylvania State Route 309 is a Pennsylvania (USA) highway which runs for 132 miles. ...

The loss of industry in Philadelphia began to take its toll, and many of the freight branches became little-used. In 1973, the Oxford Road Branch was abandoned north of the Reading crossing. The Connecting Railway survived as a separate corporation through the Penn Central merger, but all its tracks were sold to Conrail and Amtrak in 1976 and the corporation was subsequently dissolved. The Penn Central Transportation Company, normally called Penn Central, was an American railroad company, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and formed by the merger on February 1, 1968 of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad; the New Haven was added to the merger at the insistence of the... Conrail 6114, a GE Dash 8-40CW, leads a train westbound out of Altoona, Pennsylvania. ... Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida Amtrak’s high-speed Acela Express at Penn Station New York, NY Amtrak is the brand name of the intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971 in the United States. ...

The main line became part of the Northeast Corridor, and the Chestnut Hill Branch was sold to SEPTA in 1983 (although Conrail continued switching industries along the line). The Bustleton Branch, Frankford Street Branch, Engleside Branch, Midvale Branch and a stub of the Kensington & Tacony Branch along Tioga St. are still operated by Conrail. The Fairhill Branch, Oxford Road Branch, and the remainder of the K&T Branch were abandoned during the 1980s. Most of the NEC is owned by Amtrak (those sections shown in red). ...

References

• Corporate History of the PRR
• Taber, Thomas T., III (1987). Railroads of Pennsylvania Encyclopedia and Atlas. Thomas T. Taber III. ISBN 0-9603398-5-x.