History Spotlight
Once There Was a Railroad Written by Doug Humes
O
nce you could ride a railroad from Philadelphia to Marple and Newtown. The line was laid in 1893, connecting the Pennsylvania Railroad at Fernwood (Yeadon) to Newtown, with 10 stops along the way. The Marple stop was “Foxcroft,” located just east of where Sproul Road crosses Darby Creek. The line then bridged the road, following the creek into Radnor, then made a left turn at The Hunt station (south side of Hunt Road — the Radnor Hunt!). It continued parallel to Bryn Mawr Avenue, which it crossed on a high bridge near Malin Road, and then through farm properties to its end, a lumber yard along Rte 252 in Newtown Square, across the street from TD Bank. A freight station and a passenger station were erected at the terminus. By 1895, four daily trains ran each way, with limited weekend service. But clouds were on the horizon: In 1896, the Philadelphia & West Chester Traction Company built a trolley line from 69th Street out West Chester Pike, through Marple, Newtown and on to West Chester. The trolley offered more frequent service, delivering passengers directly to the center of
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Railroad bridge over Bryn Mawr Ave. near Malin Road Photo courtesy of NSHS/Carol Schaeffer Collection
each community, unlike the railroad. The railroad’s passenger business suffered, with reduced service over the next few years, ceasing altogether in 1908. The freight line continued to run, taking milk and farm products from the Pennsylvania Hospital farm in Newtown through Marple, past the Swell bubble gum factory in Haverford, Nationally Recognized Accounting & Tax Management Expert HEADQUARTERED IN OUR HOMETOWN!
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