Fox Chase Branch

The Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad's initial line branched off the Connecting Railway (now the Northeast Corridor) near Erie Avenue, and ran almost due north to Olney and across the Tacony Creek to Cheltenham and Fox Chase. The new line was 5.8 miles (9.3 km) long. The Pennsylvania Railroad controlled the line at the beginning, and contemplated extending it across the Delaware River to create a new through route between Philadelphia and New York City, although this never occurred. Service began on June 14, 1876.[lower-alpha 1][3][4] The company further extended the line 15.45 miles (24.86 km) from Fox Chase to Newtown on February 4, 1878.[4]

The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad leased the line on November 12, 1879, ending the Pennsylvania Railroad's involvement with the company. The plan at the time was to build a connecting branch west from Olney to a junction with the Tabor Branch near Wayne Junction and route passenger trains to the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad depot at Ninth and Green.[5] This did not happen immediately, so trains from the Newtown Branch continued down the North Pennsylvania Railroad's main line to that railroad's depot at Third and Berks.[6] The planned link with the Tabor Branch was built in 1892.[4] Post re-routing, the original part of the branch south of Olney was designated the Olney Branch.[7]

The Reading proceeded with its own faster New York to Philadelphia route in 1904–1906 with the building of the New York Short Line. The new line branched off from the Newtown Branch at Cheltenham and ran northeast to Neshaminy Falls on the New York Branch. The Newtown Branch was double-tracked between Newtown Junction and Cheltenham Junction as part of this effort. The new line opened on May 27, 1906.[8] Administratively, the Newtown Branch's southern terminus was cut back to Cheltenham Junction once the New York Short Line opened.[7]

The Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad was one of twelve railroads merged into the Reading Company effective December 31, 1945.[9] The Newtown Branch was the last of Reading's suburban branches to be electrified. The city of Philadelphia funded the effort through the Passenger Service Improvement Corporation (PSIC), and the branch was electrified to Fox Chase, the last station within the city limits, on September 29, 1966. Diesel operation continued north of Fox Chase to Newtown.[10]

With the Reading Company's final bankruptcy in 1976, the Newtown Branch was conveyed to SEPTA.[11] SEPTA suspended the diesel service to Newtown on July 1, 1981, as part of a systemwide discontinuation of non-electrified service.[12] SEPTA ran a modified version of the diesel service, called the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line, between October 5, 1981, and January 18, 1983.[13] The right-of-way beyond Fox Chase is mostly preserved. 6.2 miles (10.0 km) within Montgomery County was converted into the Pennypack Trail.[14] Another 2.1 miles (3.4 km) in Bucks County was converted into the Newtown Rail Trail in 2022.[15]

The remaining line between Cheltenham Junction and Fox Chase became known as the Fox Chase Branch, and SEPTA continues to operate the Fox Chase Line commuter rail service over it. The former New York Short Line became part of Conrail's Trenton Line, with SEPTA and Conrail sharing the track between Cheltenham Junction and Newton Junction. Beginning in 1989 that double-tracked portion was functionally split, with each operator using one track.[16] The two lines were physically separated in 2004–2005.[17][18] SEPTA activated positive train control on the Fox Chase Line on May 23, 2016.[19]

• Allen, John G.; Newmark, Gregory L. (January 2020). "Separating Poor Playmates: Untangling Commuter Rail from Freight". Transportation Research Record. 2674 (1): 217–227. doi:10.1177/0361198119900499. S2CID 213266975.
• Coates, Wes (1990). Electric trains to Reading Terminal. Flanders, NJ: Railroad Avenue Enterprises. OCLC 24431024.
• Holton, James L. (1989). The Reading Railroad: History of a Coal Age Empire : The Nineteenth Century. Vol. 1. Laury's Station, PA: Garrigues House. ISBN 0-9620844-1-7.
• Interstate Commerce Commission (1931). "Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports". U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Interstate Commerce Commission (1947). "Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States, the Interstate Commerce Commission for the Year Ending December 31, 1945". U.S. Government Printing Office.
• United States Railway Association (1975). Final system plan for restructuring railroads in the Northeast and Midwest region pursuant to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (PDF). Vol. 1. Washington, DC. OCLC 2889148.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Williams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company. ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1.

• Media related to Fox Chase Branch at Wikimedia Commons