Junction Railroad (Philadelphia)

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The Junction Railroad was a small part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, connecting the railroads west of downtown.

[edit] History

The Junction Railroad was chartered on May 3, 1860. The first section opened in 1863, running from the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad at Belmont to the Pennsylvania Railroad at 35th Street, at what is now Zoo Interlocking.

The other part of the railroad opened on July 1, 1866, and extended the line south along the west side of the Schuylkill River, through what's now the lower level of 30th Street Station, and to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PRR-owned since 1881) at Gray's Ferry. Connections were also provided to the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad (PRR-operated since 1879 [1]). The PW&B was relocated in 1873 with a new connection built with the Junction Railroad; the original alignment became the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad-owned Philadelphia and Chester Branch Railroad.

The Connecting Railway opened on January 1, 1868, and was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It served as another connecting link, from the Junction Railroad and PRR main line at Zoo Interlocking east to the lines heading north from downtown.

The Junction Railroad was leased by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad on March 1, 1899, and operated as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On March 31, 1908, the Junction Railroad was merged into the PRR; it was known as the PRR's Schuylkill River Branch (north of Zoo Interlocking), River Line (through 30th Street Station) and their Maryland Division's main line to Baltimore (south of 30th Street Station). The latter two sections are now part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.