Pomeroy and Newark Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Pomeroy and Newark Railroad was a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Railroad
in the U.S. state
s of Delaware
and Pennsylvania
. It connected Pomeroy, Pennsylvania to Newark, Delaware
, and has mostly been abandoned.
. The earliest predecessors were the Delaware and Pennsylvania Railroad, incorporated February 1857 in Delaware, and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railroad, incorporated August 1868 in Pennsylvania as the Doe Run and White Clay Creek Railroad, and renamed August 1870. The two companies completed a line from Pomeroy, on the Pennsylvania Railroad
's Main Line, south to Newark and southeast to Delaware City on the Delaware Bay
, in about 1873, and merged in May of that year to form the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railway. This company's property was sold at foreclosure in August 1879 to two new companies, the Pomeroy and State Line Railroad (incorporated February 1880 in Pennsylvania) and the Newark and Delaware City Railroad (incorporated April 1880 in Delaware). After the former sold the line southeast of Newark to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
(PW&B), which it crossed at Newark, in 1881, those two companies merged in December as the Pomeroy and Newark Railroad. It became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad
system, and in December 1917 the line was sold to the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
, Pennsylvania subsidiary and successor to the PW&B.
The last passenger trains ran over the line in September 1928, and abandonment for freight began in 1936. By the mid-1940s, it existed only at Newark and north of Chatham. These segments would remain to the end of Penn Central Transportation
in 1976, except for a 1960s truncation from Chatham to Doe Run, but Conrail only acquired the short stub at Newark. It did operate subsidized contract service
on 3.7 miles (6 km) between Pomeroy and Buck Run, but this was discontinued in about 1980. Operation of the short piece at Newark, by then owned by Amtrak
, went to the Norfolk Southern Railway
in the 1999 breakup of Conrail, as did ownership of the line between Newark and Delaware City, sold in 1881. The former has been abandoned and is now a rail trail
.
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....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and 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...
. It connected Pomeroy, Pennsylvania to Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
, and has mostly been abandoned.
History
The Pomeroy and Newark Railroad was the final step in a series of consolidations and a foreclosureForeclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
. The earliest predecessors were the Delaware and Pennsylvania Railroad, incorporated February 1857 in Delaware, and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railroad, incorporated August 1868 in Pennsylvania as the Doe Run and White Clay Creek Railroad, and renamed August 1870. The two companies completed a line from Pomeroy, on 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....
's Main Line, south to Newark and southeast to Delaware City on the Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
, in about 1873, and merged in May of that year to form the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railway. This company's property was sold at foreclosure in August 1879 to two new companies, the Pomeroy and State Line Railroad (incorporated February 1880 in Pennsylvania) and the Newark and Delaware City Railroad (incorporated April 1880 in Delaware). After the former sold the line southeast of Newark to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad was the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania southwest to Baltimore, Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
(PW&B), which it crossed at Newark, in 1881, those two companies merged in December as the Pomeroy and Newark Railroad. It became part of 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....
system, and in December 1917 the line was sold to the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad
The Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia in the 20th century was a key component of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its 131 mile main line ran from Philadelphia to Washington...
, Pennsylvania subsidiary and successor to the PW&B.
The last passenger trains ran over the line in September 1928, and abandonment for freight began in 1936. By the mid-1940s, it existed only at Newark and north of Chatham. These segments would remain to the end of Penn Central Transportation
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
in 1976, except for a 1960s truncation from Chatham to Doe Run, but Conrail only acquired the short stub at Newark. It did operate subsidized contract service
Conrail contract service
The Consolidated Rail Corporation provided subsidized passenger and freight contract service from the beginning of operations in 1976 through the 1980s. Conrail operated commuter trains until the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 transferred then to local authorities...
on 3.7 miles (6 km) between Pomeroy and Buck Run, but this was discontinued in about 1980. Operation of the short piece at Newark, by then owned by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, went to the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
in the 1999 breakup of Conrail, as did ownership of the line between Newark and Delaware City, sold in 1881. The former has been abandoned and is now a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
.