Shawmont station: Difference between revisions

Shawmont
Shawmont
Former train station
	The former Shawmont Reading station in 2010
General information
Location	7800 Nixon Lane; Roxborough, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Owned by	SEPTA
Line(s)	Norristown Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Platform levels	1
History
Opened	1834 (PG&N)
Closed	1991
Electrified	February 5, 1933
Former services
	Shawmont Train Station, Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
Coordinates	40°2′38″N 75°15′0″W / 40.04389°N 75.25000°W
Part of	Upper Roxborough Historic District (ID01000463)
Added to NRHP	July 21, 1995

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Revision as of 19:09, 9 October 2020

Shawmont is a former train station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on Nixon Lane in the Roxborough section of Lower Northwest Philadelphia. Built by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, it later became part of the Reading Railroad and ultimately SEPTA Regional Rail's R6 Norristown Line. SEPTA closed the station in 1996. In 2018, $1 million was set aside for repairs and rehabilitation.

History

The first railroad in Philadelphia opened on June 7, 1832: the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, running from downtown to Germantown (now on SEPTA's Chestnut Hill East Line). Two years later, the PG&N built a line to Norristown, including the Shawmont station, which is believed to have been designed by renowned architect William Strickland. On December 1, 1870, the PG&N was leased by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway (later the Reading Company).

By 1884, the Pennsylvania Railroad had joined the competition with the Schuylkill Branch, a line that ran parallel to the Norristown line with a Shawmont station of its own. The Pennsylvania electrified its line in 1930, the Reading the following year.

Railroad service declined after World War II, and the Pennsylvania Railroad closed its Shawmont Station in 1960, terminating all passenger service north of Manayunk. The Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority began arranging new contracts with the PRR and RDG to continue commuter rail services in the Philadelphia region in 1966. In 1968, the Pennsylvania merged with their much larger rival, the New York Central Railroad to form the Penn Central Railroad. Penn Central filed for bankruptcy on June 21, 1970, which, adjusted for today’s dollars, is still the largest bankruptcy filing in US history. In 1971, the Reading filed for bankruptcy. In 1976, the Reading and Penn Central were acquired by Conrail, which provided commuter rail services under contract to SEPTA until January 1, 1983, when SEPTA assumed operations. Two years before this took place, SEPTA ended diesel service to Reading and Pottsville.

Shawmont station became a contributing property of the Upper Roxborough Historic District in 1995,^{[citation needed]} but was closed by SEPTA in 1991.^[3]

In 2009, the building was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, preserving it from potential destruction.^[4]

In 2018, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission gave $1 million to rehabilitate the former station.^[4]

References

^ "New Electric Schedule". The Scranton Times. February 4, 1933. p. 12. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Historic Shawmont Train Station to be restored with $1M boost". Curbed Philly. Retrieved 2018-01-30.

External links

Shawmont Station (Philadelphia's Story by John Johnstone)

[1] "New Electric Schedule". The Scranton Times. February 4, 1933. p. 12. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[nris-2] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[3] Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved August 14, 2016.

[:0-4] "Historic Shawmont Train Station to be restored with $1M boost". Curbed Philly. Retrieved 2018-01-30.

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 ==History==
-The first railroad in Philadelphia opened on June 7, 1832: the [[Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad]], running from downtown to [[Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Germantown]] (now on SEPTA's Chestnut Hill East Line). The PG&N later built a line to [[Norristown, Pennsylvania|Norristown]], including the Shawmont station, which is believed to have been built by renowned architect [[William Strickland (architect)|William Strickland]]. On December 1, 1870, the PG&N was leased by the [[Philadelphia and Reading Railway]] (later the [[Reading Company]]).
+The first railroad in Philadelphia opened on June 7, 1832: the [[Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad]], running from downtown to [[Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Germantown]] (now on SEPTA's Chestnut Hill East Line). Two years later, the PG&N built a line to [[Norristown, Pennsylvania|Norristown]], including the Shawmont station, which is believed to have been designed by renowned architect [[William Strickland (architect)|William Strickland]]. On December 1, 1870, the PG&N was leased by the [[Philadelphia and Reading Railway]] (later the [[Reading Company]]).
 By 1884, the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] had joined the competition with the [[Schuylkill Branch]], a line that ran parallel to the Norristown line with a Shawmont station of its own. The Pennsylvania electrified its line in 1930, the Reading the following year.