Today’s American railroads are the products of hundreds of mergers and combinations of earlier lines, so it’s a good bet that there is a good story behind any particular stretch of track. The route of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (and the SEPTA and freight lines that share, run parallel, and cross it) is no different. Here is the tangled tale of the route followed by NEC and SEPTA trains as they head south from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Take note of the Newkirk Viaduct Monument and its role in the routes.
About the author
Bradley Peniston is deputy editor of Defense One, a publication of Atlantic Media. He has written two books about the U.S. Navy. He also launched Pecha Kucha Night Philadelphia. Find him at navybook.com.
Send him a message at: author[at]navybook[dot]com
4 Comments
Leave a Reply
Recent Posts
Bancroft Green Gives An Old Church New Purpose In Mt. Airy
Contributor Virginia Lindak takes us out to Northwest Philadelphia where an eco-minded development firm is giving Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church a new lease on life > more
Unlisted Philadelphia: Banca Bozzelli
Ben Leech spotlights unique and significant buildings not listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places with his architectural illustration series, Unlisted Philadelphia. In this installment, a priceless Italian-American landmark in the heart of Bella Vista. > more
Real Estate Brochure For Vacant School Sounds Alarms in Germantown
Neighbors rally around Germantown High School after a real estate listing revealed potential redevelopment plans. Emily Birdy Busch has the news > more
Piecing Together The Lost History Of Wirt & Knox
Rob Masciantonio tracks down the elusive origins of an abandoned factory in Strawberry Mansion > more
Interior Of 30th Street Station To Be Considered For Historic Designation
Starr Herr-Cardillo has this roundup of local register nominations on the agenda at the March meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission's Designation Committee > more
Op-Ed: Streamlining The City’s Preservation Procedures Would Benefit All
In this opinion piece Kenny Grono shares his perspective as a general contractor and remodeling specialist with a few ideas on how the City can untangle the red tape that undermines historic preservation > more
© 2011-2016 Hidden City Philadelphia |
It would be nice to move the 15 foot marble obelisk to 30th Street Station where it will be seen by thousands using the trains vice leaving it where the woods covers it up.
There is a proposal afoot to move it to the Bartram’s Mile section of the Schuylkill Banks trail, which is now in the planning stages: https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/03/who-moved-the-newkirk-viaduct-monument/
very well done, the over view helped get a sense of how the different lines related to each other.
When the West Chester line was built, where did it go as it continued into Philly, was this the start of 30th St. as a station area?
Thank You for posting this! As a RR history nut this explains a lot