A preserved Philadelphia and Western Multiple Unit passenger car at Penn's Landing in 1990.

The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a railroad operating in the western suburbs of the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of its lines is now SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100); the other has been abandoned. Part of the abandoned line within Radnor Township is now the P&W Trail, a multi-use path. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... SEPTA redirects here. ... The Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL), operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority as Route 100 of the Suburban Transit Division, is a hybrid between light rail and rapid transit operating between Norristown Transportation Center and 69th Street Terminal, running entirely on its own right of way, inherited from the... Radnor Township is a municipality in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. ... This article or section should include material from Cycle path debate Segregated cycle facilities may consist of a separate road, track, path or lane that is designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. ...

Lines

The current line runs from 69th Street Terminal just west of the Philadelphia city line, west and north to Norristown, where the Lehigh Valley Transit Company's Liberty Bell Route continued to Allentown. The Norristown line splits from the original main line at Villanova Junction; the main line went west to a terminus just east of Sugartown Road in Strafford, with a later extension to provide a transfer to the PRR Strafford station and a transfer track for freight trains. The 69th Street Terminal is a SEPTA terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. ... Norristown is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 6 miles (10 km) northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. ... Nickname: Motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis Pennsylvanias location in the United States Allentowns location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Lehigh Founded 1762 Government  - Mayor Ed Pawlowski Area  - City  18. ... The king of Strafford Pennsylvania is Ryan Schwalm the Great who has foced the people of Strafford into exile If anyone should find this message, please get word Im alive and stranded on an island somewhere in the Strafford he is coming Im scared send help. ... Strafford Station is a commuter rail station located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia at Old Eagle School Rd & Crestline Rd, Strafford, Pennsylvania 19087 [1]. It is served by most R5 Paoli-Thorndale trains. ...

The P&W Trail uses the Strafford Branch from Radnor-Chester Road to Old Sugartown Road.

Interstate Commerce Commission valuation reports indicate that the railroad had interchange connections to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Millbourne Mills, Strafford and Swedeland. The Interstate Commerce Commission (or ICC) was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland. ... 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. ... Millbourne Mills refers to a business owned by the Sellers family in Upper Darby Township. ... The king of Strafford Pennsylvania is Ryan Schwalm the Great who has foced the people of Strafford into exile If anyone should find this message, please get word Im alive and stranded on an island somewhere in the Strafford he is coming Im scared send help. ...

History

The Philadelphia and Western Railway was incorporated in 1902, and was originally planned as the eastern link of a transcontinental railroad connecting to the Western Maryland Railroad at York. The WM connected at Pittsburgh with the Wabash, who connected with the Missouri Pacific, then the Denver & Rio Grande Western, then finally the Western Pacific to form a coast-to-coast railroad. This was a Jay Gould enterprise. [1] The first train ran from 69th Street to Strafford on May 22, 1907. A planned extension to Parkesburg was officially abandoned on March 22, 1912; an alternate extension to the PRR main line in Strafford opened on October 11, 1911. The Norristown Branch opened on December 12, 1912. Year 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Western Maryland Railway (AAR reporting mark WM) was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country United States State Pennsylvania County York Incorporated  - Borough September 24, 1787  - City January 11, 1887 Government  - Mayor John Brenner Area  - City  5. ... Jay Gould (1836-1892) Jason Gould (May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American financier. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Parkesburg is a borough located in Chester County, Pennsylvania. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The company was reorganized as the Philadelphia and Western Railroad in 1946. It was sold to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company in 1954; the PSTC was nicknamed the Red Arrow Lines, and was eventually merged into SEPTA. Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Suburban Trolley Lines operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) as Routes 101 (Media) and 102 (Sharon Hill) of the Suburban Transit Division, are the remaining portion of the former Red Arrow trolley system operated by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company. ... SEPTA redirects here. ...

The last train ran on the Strafford Branch on March 23, 1956. Trains still run on the Norristown line today. Ground was broken for the P&W Trail on June 10, 2004, and it opened in January 2005. The first cars built for the P&W never ran on the P&W, since the cars were ready before the line was ready to open. Twenty-two wooden electric multiple-unit passenger cars and 2 full-baggage-configured MU's were built by the St. Louis Car Co. in 1906 but due to the San Francisco earthquake 12 of them went to the United RR's of San Francisco, 4 went to the Sacremento Northern RR, and the remainder went to the Erie RR Mt. Morris Branch, where they were rewired for AC operation. The two baggage cars were accepted by the P&W, where they were turned into line-maintenance cars. Finally in 1907, 22 wooden MU's, almost identical to the original order, arrived. Of these cars, passenger car No. 46 survives, along with line car No. 401 from the original order, both of which are preserved at the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton, PA. is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

One type of vehicle used for this line were two 4-unit articulated train sets called Liberty Liners, which were the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad's Electroliners after purchase by the Philadelphia and Western and fitted with paddle-type third-rail contact shoes replacing their original gravity-type third rail shoes for running on the Chicago elevated. These high-speed trains were capable of 110 mph and were built by the St. Louis Car Co. in 1941 for the North Shore Line for high-speed inter-city service. The Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company bought both of these trains in 1963. They are now (as of 2006) in museums, one at the Illinois Railway Museum, and the other at the Rockhill Trolley Museum. [2] The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, often called the North Shore Line, was an interurban railroad that operated commuter and passenger trains between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... The Electroliner was a passenger train service of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad that ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... The St. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The only surviving EMD E5 is used regularly on the museums excursion trains, usually pulling the Nebraska Zephyr. ... The Rockhill Trolley Museum is located in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania 19 miles north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 11 miles south of US 22, the William Penn Highway. ...

Another type of vehicle was the Brill Bullet, which ran in service from 1931 almost to 1990. They were capable of over 100 mph, but ran at 79 MPH while in regular passenger service. These electric multiple-unit passenger coaches were the world's first "Bullet" trains, and their design influenced later streamlined trains built in the U.S., Belgium, Germany, and Japan. Built during the Great Depression, they were designed in a wind tunnel and built to lessen power consumption while quickening schedule timings. [3]

A third and older type was the Strafford Car, built between 1924 and 1929. The last Strafford Car was retired on March 30, 1990. These MU's originally had bulkhead doors to permit passengers to walk from car to car, high-mounted headlights, trolley poles, and vestibule steps. The bulkhead doors, vestibule steps, and trolley poles were later removed and headlights relocated to below the windshield to make them more aerodynamic and their motors were rewired from 60 to 100 HP, increasing their top speed from 45 to 70 MPH, making them easier to keep up with the newer Bullet trains. [4] is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

External links

• The P&W in Wayne

References

• Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Road Company stock certificate