Walnut Hill station (SEPTA): Difference between revisions
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Walnut Hill station was a popular stop for passengers visiting the adjacent [[Lorimer Park]]. Beginning in 1995, Montgomery County officials had advocated the reuse of the railway as a [[rail trail]] at the behest of Abington Township Ward 2 commissioners.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gerry |last=Williams |title=Newtown Branch Update |work=Railpace Newsmagazine |date=[[January]] [[1995]]}}</ref> Though staunchy opposed by rail advocates and [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania|Bucks County]] public officials, the section of track that passes through the Walnut Hill Station site was dismantled in July 2008 to make way for the Pennypack Trail.<ref>[http://bcgp.blogspot.com/2008/07/newtown-branch-to-become-pennypack.html blogspot.com]</ref> |
Walnut Hill station was a popular stop for passengers visiting the adjacent [[Lorimer Park]]. Beginning in 1995, Montgomery County officials had advocated the reuse of the railway as a [[rail trail]] at the behest of Abington Township Ward 2 commissioners.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gerry |last=Williams |title=Newtown Branch Update |work=Railpace Newsmagazine |date=[[January]] [[1995]]}}</ref> Though staunchy opposed by rail advocates and [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania|Bucks County]] public officials, the section of track that passes through the Walnut Hill Station site was dismantled in July 2008 to make way for the Pennypack Trail.<ref>[http://bcgp.blogspot.com/2008/07/newtown-branch-to-become-pennypack.html blogspot.com]</ref> |
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When interviewed by [[the Philadelphia Inquirer]] in October 2009, Richard F. Stern of Stern and Eisenberg, LLP in [[Jenkintown, Pennsylvania]] said that if the rail line were to return to active service, "I would adamantly oppose it |
When interviewed by [[the Philadelphia Inquirer]] in October 2009, Richard F. Stern of Stern and Eisenberg, LLP in [[Jenkintown, Pennsylvania]] said that if the rail line were to return to active service, "I would adamantly oppose it. To disrupt this gorgeous trail would be very upsetting to me and the residents of my community. Stern is president of the Tall Trees Homeowners Association in [[Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Nussbaum |title=A bid to restore rail service to Newtown |work=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=October 6 2009}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 14:25, 10 October 2009
Walnut Hill | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEPTA regional rail | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 200 Moredon Road Abington Township, Pennsylvania. | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°05′49″N 75°04′28″W / 40.0970°N 75.0744°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | SEPTA | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 430: "title" is missing from the data page. | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 0 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Closed | January 14, 1983 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | no | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Reading Railroad | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Walnut Hill is an abandoned train station located on Moredon Road in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. The station was a stop on the Reading Railroad's Newtown Line. It later became a part of SEPTA's Fox Chase-Newtown Rapid Transit Line.
History
Walnut Hill, and all stations north of Fox Chase, was closed on January 14, 1983[1], due to SEPTA’s desire for all-electric rail operations (electrification ends at the Fox Chase station).
In addition, a labor dispute began within the SEPTA organization when the transit operator inherited 1,700 displaced employees from Conrail. SEPTA insisted on utilizing transit operators from the Broad Street Subway to operate Fox Chase-Newtown diesel trains, while Conrail requested that railroad motormen run the service. When a federal court ruled that SEPTA had to use Conrail employees in order to offer job assurance, SEPTA cancelled Fox Chase-Newtown trains.[2] Service in the diesel-only territory north of Fox Chase was "temporarily suspended" at that time, and Walnut Hill Station still appears in publicly posted tariffs.
Although rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus, patronage remained light. The traveling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service, and the Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus service ended in 1999.
Track removal and private interests
Walnut Hill station was a popular stop for passengers visiting the adjacent Lorimer Park. Beginning in 1995, Montgomery County officials had advocated the reuse of the railway as a rail trail at the behest of Abington Township Ward 2 commissioners.[3] Though staunchy opposed by rail advocates and Bucks County public officials, the section of track that passes through the Walnut Hill Station site was dismantled in July 2008 to make way for the Pennypack Trail.[4]
Controversy surrounded the creation of the trail. Wealthy constituents have stated the train will never return to the region. When interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer in October 2009, Richard F. Stern of Stern and Eisenberg, LLP in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania said that if the rail line were to return to active service, "I would adamantly oppose it. To disrupt this gorgeous trail would be very upsetting to me and the residents of my community. I have applauded the commissioners for getting this done so quickly and so well...I want any issue of reopening a railroad to go away. It will never be supported by Abington Township or the County." Stern is president of the Tall Trees Homeowners Association in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania.[5]
References
- ^ r8newtown.com
- ^ Tulsky, Fredric N. (January 29, 1982). "Conrail Staff Must Run Trains: court ruling bars SEPTA takeover". Philadelphia Inquirer.SEPTA must use Conrail workers rather than its own personnel to run trains over the region's 13 commuter lines, a special federal court has ruled in a decision that offers some job assurance for 1,700 Conrail employees next year. The special court, in an opinion issued Wednesday, ruled that SEPTA had acted legally in October when it replaced Conrail workers with its former subway operators on the line.
- ^ Williams, Gerry (January 1995). "Newtown Branch Update". Railpace Newsmagazine.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ blogspot.com
- ^ Nussbaum, Paul (October 6 2009). "A bid to restore rail service to Newtown". Philadelphia Inquirer.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
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