The Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad by the fall of 1834 had
branched into Manayunk. Horses pulled the first trains into Manayunk, from
the lack of the Railroad having additional steam engines. The first passenger
coaches were like stagecoaches on train wheels with the luggage compartment
on the roof. There were usually five strung together to make the train. The
fare to Manayunk was 25 cents, but preferred over traditional stagecoach
since it followed a direct, unobstructed route. The railroad by the following
Spring of 1835 had made its way to Norristown, cut from the banks of the
Schuylkill River. More steam engines were put into service. The train rode at
street level in Manayunk, but continued along the banks of the Schuylkill as
it does today, to Norristown (the current station in use at Cresson Street,
Manayunk, was elevated in 1928).
The oldest passenger railroad station in the United States is Shawmont Station in the Shawmont section of Roxborough and is along SEPTA's R6 line to Norristown. With little parking and a short platform, the station was closed in 1991; however, the train still goes by as it did in 1834, and stops at nearby adjacent stations (Ivy Ridge and Miquon). Just imagine-about 2.000,000 trains have passed by Shawmont station.
The stagecoach-style passenger coach eventually became an enclosed coach with
a wood-burning stove. The wood burning engine became a coal-burning engine
and the 30-lb. rails were enlarged to 50 pound to accommodate larger, heavier
and faster engines. The average rails used today are 140 pound. New passenger
railroads were popping up with some having junctions to the Norristown line.
The Plymouth Railroad ran from Conshohocken to Oreland through Plymouth and
Flourtown (mostly removed in the 1980's). The Stony Creek Railroad ran from
Norristown to Lansdale (still used for freight).
By 1838, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad started construction on a line
that would run from Broad and Callowhill Streets in Philadelphia, cross the
Schuylkill in Fairmount Park, and run on the West side of the Schuylkill
through West Manayunk. In 1839, Flat Rock Tunnel was completed and by 1842,
the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad had freight and passenger service from
Philadelphia to Pottsville. The train went through; West Manayunk, Gladwyne,
West Conshohocken, Bridgeport, Valley Forge, Phoenixville, Royersford,
Pottstown, Reading and on to Pottsville (94 miles). Their first engine,
imported from England in 1838, the "Rocket," (now on display in the Franklin
Institute) was the first used on the railroad. The next engine in service to
pull the trains the full length of the line was the Gowan & Marx, built in
Philadelphia by Eastwick and Harrison. It was the most powerful locomotive in
the US (see Photo above). It averaged 25 miles per hour, but could pull 40 times
its own weight. The railroad turned immediate profits with the transfer of
coal from the anthracite region. The railroad opened a branch that would run
from the Pencoyd section of the line to Port Richmond Philadelphia, primarily
for coal transport via ship. The Philadelphia and Reading bought-out many
small railroads in the region and service was extended to; Williamsport,
Harrisburg, Gettysburg, Allentown, Wilmington and New York.
By 1850, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad teamed-up with the
Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, connecting the two
passenger services via a bridge over the Schuylkill in Norristown. The
Philadelphia and Reading had connections with other railroads in the
anthracite region and greatly monopolized the anthracite transportation
industry. It had connecting service to other large railroads such as the New
Jersey Central, Lehigh Valley, Baltimore & Ohio and New York Central. One
could board a train in Manayunk and get most anywhere. By the 1870's, the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad was the largest corporation in the world,
with a capital of $170,000,000.
The profitable Pennsylvania Railroad, which had the leading service to the
Midwest, tried to cash-in on the Anthracite industry by building a
"Schuylkill" branch in 1884 that paralleled the Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad into the coal regions. It ran through Bala Cynwyd, then crossed the
Schuylkill into Manayunk over the "S" bridge. It went to Reading and
Pottsville (like the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad) and then continued
north to Hazelton and Wilkes Barre. It also had a connecting branch from
Phoenixville to West Chester. By 1917, the "S" bridge through Manayunk became
weak and was replaced by a Spanish-arched concrete bridge (currently
partially restored as Manayunk's biggest landmark). The Schuylkill branch did
not do as well as anticipated. The passenger stations were in odd places and
the anthracite industry already had strong ties to the Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad. By the 1960's, passenger service via the Pennsylvania
Railroad was limited to Manayunk with limited freight service to Pottsville.
By 1980, freight service had stopped and by 1981, the Pennsylvania Railroad
roadbed beyond Manayunk to Valley Forge became a bike trail. By 1989, the
Spanish-arched Bridge in Manayunk was closed and passenger service was
limited to Cynwyd. In recent years, The Spanish-arched Bridge has been
partially restored and passenger service may return to Manayunk at Dupont
Street (therefore having two stations in Manayunk again; the current one in
use at Cresson Street and the one currently closed on Dupont Street).
By the time the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia was built in 1893, the
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad and the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown
Railroad was combined. The entire system comprised about 40 small railroads
that became the Reading Railroad. At that time, they had the fastest trains
to New York (combined with the Central Railroad of New Jersey). At some
stretches they would travel in excess of 95 mph. They also had the "Boardwalk
Flyer" to Atlantic City, which broke worldwide speed records.
Regional and express passenger service was exceptional from the Reading
Terminal. One could board the "Black Diamond" to Allentown, Buffalo, Toronto,
Detroit and Chicago, the "Royal Blue" to Washington and the "Crusader" or
"Wall Street" to New York. Even when Amtrak took over independent railroads
throughout the nation in 1970, the Reading Railroad's passenger service
remained independent, until taken over by Conrail in the late 70's and then
by SEPTA in the 1980's. The last express trains operated before the Reading
Terminal closed in 1985, went to: Allentown via Lansdale and Quakertown, New
York via West Trenton and Plainfield and to Pottsville via Norristown,
Pottstown and Reading (passing through Manayunk). The line created between
1839 and 1842 is still heavily used for freight between the coal regions and
Philadelphia by Norfolk Southern (current owner). The Reading Terminal has
been remodeled as part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Schuylkill
Valley Metro Project is trying to bring service back to the rail lines from
Philadelphia to Reading, since automobile congestion has become a problem on
the stretches of roads between the two cities. The exact route is yet to be
determined.
Still Pictures
by John Johnstone
Gowan &
Marx Locomotive
Old Ironsides
Pennsylvania
Railroad Station
Historic Shawmont Station
Train Schedules
Old Station Location
Horseless Carriages
Repairs to the
Spanish Arch Bridge
The Railroads
The first railroad to have passenger service from Philadelphia was the
Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, which in 1832, started
service between 9th and Green Streets in Philadelphia and Germantown. The
first wood-burning steam engine manufactured in the US by Baldwin Locomotive
Works called "Old Ironsides" was used on that line. The first steel rails
were 30 pounds per yard, imported from England and mounted onto stones. When
the stones proved too brittle, railroad ties eventually replaced them. On the
West Side of the Schuylkill, the Belmont Inclined Plane Railroad was built
and eventually taken over and rerouted by the Pennsylvania Railroad.