Trenton Subdivision
Encyclopedia
The Trenton Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation
in the U.S. state
s of Pennsylvania
and New Jersey
. The line runs from Park Junction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
northeast to Manville, New Jersey
along a former Reading Company
line.
At its south end, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art
at Park Junction, the Trenton Subdivision becomes the Philadelphia Subdivision; it meets the north end of the Harrisburg Subdivision
a bit to the north. The north end of the Trenton Subdivision is in Manville, New Jersey
, at a junction where the Conrail Lehigh Line
(in the North Jersey Shared Assets Area) heads northeast and the Norfolk Southern Railway
Lehigh Line heads west.
SEPTA Regional Rail
's West Trenton Line
uses the line from Oakford, Pennsylvania
to Ewing, New Jersey. SEPTA's Fox Chase Line
had also used the line from Newtown Junction
to Cheltenham until 2005 when single-track service on the SEPTA line eliminated the need for usage of the freight track.
to Belmont, opened in 1834 as part of the Main Line of Public Works
. The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road opened in 1839, including the current Trenton Subdivision from Belmont north to the junction with the Norfolk Southern Railway
's Harrisburg Line
near the Falls of the Schuylkill
. A branch of the Reading from the Falls east to Nicetown
and southeast to Port Richmond
opened in 1842, now the Trenton Subdivision from the Falls to Nicetown. The line south of Belmont was sold to the Reading in 1851.
The portion of the Trenton Subdivision from Olney (near Tabor Road) northeast to Cheltenham (near Martins Mill Road) opened in 1876 as part of the Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
. That same year, the North Pennsylvania Railroad
and Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad opened a line from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
(on the NPRR main line) northeast to the Central Railroad of New Jersey
near Bound Brook, New Jersey
, including the entire Trenton Subdivision north of Oakford, Pennsylvania
. A cutoff from Cheltenham northeast to Oakford opened in 1906 as the New York Short Line Railroad.
The line between Nicetown and Olney was built as a connection between the various lines.
All the above pieces became part of the Reading Company
through leases and mergers, and part of Conrail in 1976. In the 1999 breakup of Conrail, the Trenton Subdivision was assigned to CSX.
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
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 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...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The line runs from Park Junction in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
northeast to Manville, New Jersey
Manville, New Jersey
Manville is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,344. Manville was named after the Johns-Manville Corporation, which maintained a large manufacturing facility in the borough for decades.Historically, many of...
along a former Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
line.
At its south end, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
at Park Junction, the Trenton Subdivision becomes the Philadelphia Subdivision; it meets the north end of the Harrisburg Subdivision
Harrisburg Subdivision
The Harrisburg Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line is located in the city of Philadelphia, connecting Greenwich Yard and the Philadelphia Subdivision with the Trenton Subdivision along a former Pennsylvania Railroad line...
a bit to the north. The north end of the Trenton Subdivision is in Manville, New Jersey
Manville, New Jersey
Manville is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,344. Manville was named after the Johns-Manville Corporation, which maintained a large manufacturing facility in the borough for decades.Historically, many of...
, at a junction where the Conrail Lehigh Line
Lehigh Line (Conrail)
The Conrail Lehigh Line is a railroad line in the state of New Jersey operated as part of the North Jersey Shared Assets Area. It runs from Jersey City to Bound Brook along the former main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad...
(in the North Jersey Shared Assets Area) heads northeast and 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...
Lehigh Line heads west.
SEPTA Regional Rail
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...
's West Trenton Line
West Trenton Line (SEPTA)
The West Trenton Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City Philadelphia to West Trenton, New Jersey.-Route:The West Trenton Line connects Center City, Philadelphia with the West Trenton section of Ewing, New Jersey...
uses the line from Oakford, Pennsylvania
Oakford, Pennsylvania
Oakford is a neighborhood within the boundaries of both Bensalem Township and Lower Southampton Township. It is located in the northwestern section of Bensalem Township and in the south central section of Lower Southampton Township. The zip code is 19053....
to Ewing, New Jersey. SEPTA's Fox Chase Line
Fox Chase Line
The Fox Chase Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail system.Originally known as the Fox Chase/Newtown Branch, service was truncated in January 1983 from Newtown to its current terminus in Philadelphia at Fox Chase due to unreliable train equipment and low ridership...
had also used the line from Newtown Junction
Newtown Junction
Newtown Junction is the rail junction point where the Newtown Branch joins the SEPTA Main Line. The Warminster Line, West Trenton Line, and Lansdale/Doylestown Line all continue north toward Fern Rock along the old Reading trunk while the Fox Chase heads east toward Olney...
to Cheltenham until 2005 when single-track service on the SEPTA line eliminated the need for usage of the freight track.
History
The southernmost piece of the Trenton Subdivision, from its south end across the Columbia Railroad BridgeColumbia Railroad Bridge
Columbia Railroad Bridge is a 1920 concrete arch bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that carries CSX Trenton Subdivision rail lines over the Schuylkill River. It is located in Fairmount Park, upstream from the Pennsylvania Railroad Connecting Bridge. It is also known as Columbia Bridge.-First...
to Belmont, opened in 1834 as part of the Main Line of Public Works
Main Line of Public Works
The Main Line of Public Works was a railroad and canal system built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 19th century. It ran from Philadelphia west through Harrisburg and across the state to Pittsburgh and connected with other divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal...
. The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road opened in 1839, including the current Trenton Subdivision from Belmont north to the junction with 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...
's Harrisburg Line
Harrisburg Line
The Harrisburg Line is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Philadelphia west to Harrisburg along the former Reading Company main line....
near the Falls of the Schuylkill
East Falls, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
East Falls is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. East Falls is located adjacent to Roxborough, Manayunk, and Germantown, and Fairmount Park. The neighborhood runs along a stretch of Ridge Avenue that is only a few miles long, along the banks of the...
. A branch of the Reading from the Falls east to Nicetown
Nicetown-Tioga, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nicetown-Tioga is a neighborhood in the North Philadelphia section of the city of Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It comprises two smaller, older neighborhoods, Nicetown and Tioga, although the distinction between the two is rarely emphasized today...
and southeast to Port Richmond
Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Port Richmond, also referred to as simply Richmond, is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as...
opened in 1842, now the Trenton Subdivision from the Falls to Nicetown. The line south of Belmont was sold to the Reading in 1851.
The portion of the Trenton Subdivision from Olney (near Tabor Road) northeast to Cheltenham (near Martins Mill Road) opened in 1876 as part of the Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad
The Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad was a railroad in southeastern Pennsylvania that is now a part of the SEPTA commuter rail system...
. That same year, 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:...
and Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad opened a line from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania
Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles north of downtown Philadelphia. "Jenkintown" is also used to describe a number of neighborhoods surrounding the borough, which also are known by names such as Rydal, Jenkintown Manor and Noble...
(on the NPRR main line) northeast to the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
near Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township...
, including the entire Trenton Subdivision north of Oakford, Pennsylvania
Oakford, Pennsylvania
Oakford is a neighborhood within the boundaries of both Bensalem Township and Lower Southampton Township. It is located in the northwestern section of Bensalem Township and in the south central section of Lower Southampton Township. The zip code is 19053....
. A cutoff from Cheltenham northeast to Oakford opened in 1906 as the New York Short Line Railroad.
The line between Nicetown and Olney was built as a connection between the various lines.
All the above pieces became part of the Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
through leases and mergers, and part of Conrail in 1976. In the 1999 breakup of Conrail, the Trenton Subdivision was assigned to CSX.