Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
Encyclopedia
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
system. Despite the name, it only ever extended between Philadelphia and Newtown
Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is entirely surrounded by Newtown Township, from which...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
The Pennsylvania and the National
The Newtown Railroad was chartered on April 2, 1860, as the Philadelphia and Newtown Railroad Company. The Newtown's early history was a part of the competition to control rail traffic between New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Philadelphia. By the 1860s, there were two lines running between Philadelphia and New York by the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company
United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company
The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in New Jersey, including their main line to New York City...
and the Camden and Amboy Railroad. On February 1, 1867, the C&A and NJRR were informally joined as the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Companies. The Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
approved a lease of the UNJ on May 15, 1871, and the UNJ approved May 19. The lease was made December 1 and the PRR began operating the UNJ that day. The Pennsylvania thereby established a monopoly on New York-Philadelphia rail traffic.
A rival line, the National Railway
National Railway
The National Railway or National Air Line Railroad was a planned railroad between New York City and Washington, D.C. in the United States around 1870...
, was planned, but the PRR's influence in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey legislatures hindered its development. Pennsylvania's legislature passed a bill on January 29, 1873, to change the Newtown's name to Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad Company and authorized it to extend its railroad to a bridge to be constructed across the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
to connect with the Mercer and Somerset Railway
Mercer and Somerset Railway
The Mercer and Somerset Railway was a short-lived line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in western New Jersey, built to delay completion of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, part of the National Railway line from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to New York City.The railroad ran from Somerset Junction...
. In that same year on October 22, the PRR leased the Newtown in order to block the National's path.
Building the line
When the PRR leased the Newtown, 6.1 miles (9.8 km) of track had been laid, bringing the line to Fox ChaseFox Chase (SEPTA station)
Fox Chase is the current terminus of SEPTA's Fox Chase Line. It is located just west of the intersection of Rhawn Street and Rockwell Avenue in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania...
. The entire 22 miles (35.4 km) line opened as a branch of the Connecting Railway
Connecting Railway
The Connecting Railway was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, incorporated to build a connection between the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad and the PRR in the city of Philadelphia.-Connecting railway:...
to Newtown on February 2, 1878, with equipment furnished by the PRR. On November 22, 1879, the North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad
North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company formed in 1855, and served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County, Pennsylvania.-History:...
began operating it, as it was no longer of use to the PRR. As the North Penn was controlled by the Reading Railroad, the Newtown line became a part of the Reading system.