West Chester Railroad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids West Chester Railroad
Locale	Chester/Delaware counties, Pennsylvania, USA
Terminus	West Chester, Pennsylvania
Commercial operations
Built by	West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad
Original gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Reporting mark	WCRL
Length	7.7 mi (12.4 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	November 1858
1858	West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad begins
Closed	September 1986
Preservation history
1997	West Chester Railroad began operating
Headquarters	West Chester, Pennsylvania

The West Chester Railroad is a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that runs between Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in Chester County, and the village of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County.

It operates on 7.7 miles (12.4 km) of former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) track on the West Chester Branch between mile post 27.5 and 20.6. It is owned by the for-profit 4 States Railway Service, Inc. and operated by the West Chester Railroad Heritage Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the railroad. All employees of the railroad are volunteers.

Equipment roster

Number	Model	Built	Manufacturer	Acquired	Notes	Picture
1		1940s	Plymouth Locomotive Works		A 20-ton switcher operated in the Glen Mills quarry. Converted to diesel from its original gasoline power. Repainted in a yellow WCRR paint scheme and put on display at the Market Street station.
3	ALCO S-2	1949	American Locomotive Company	1996	Built as C&O #5026, later served as B&O/Luntz Iron & Steel/Rohm & Haas #9115. Bought and restored as #3 by the Wilmington and Western Railroad after suffering freezing damage. Traded to WCRR in exchange for an EMD SW600 unit.
657	50' box car				Ex-C&O, used for storage.
658	Flat car				Used for Christmas Tree trains and work trains.
M1234	Fairmont A4-D	1978	Fairmont Railway Motors		Ex-United States Army speeder.
1803	MLW RS-18U	1960	Montreal Locomotive Works	1998	Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
4213	ALCO C424	1965	Montreal Locomotive Works	2010	Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
4230	ALCO C424	1965	Montreal Locomotive Works	2005	Built for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
6499	EMD GP9	1957	Electro-Motive Division	1997	Built for B&O and owned by the Ohio Central Railroad until 1997. Painted in PRR livery in 1998 and operated as #99 by WCRR until being repainted and renumbered with its original number.
7706	EMD GP38	1969	Electro-Motive Division	2012	Built for Penn Central. Acquired by Conrail in 1976; later operated by Exelon Corporation in the Cromby Generating Station in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Donated to WCRL in 2012.
9107	Reading Class RER "Blueliner"	1932	Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company	1997	Built as Reading MU trailer #874, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered dining car for birthday parties and charter groups.
9109	Reading Class RER "Blueliner"	1932	Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company		Built as Reading MU trailer #876, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach.
9114	Reading Class RER "Blueliner"	1931	Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company		Built as Reading MU trailer #835, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. Equipped with horn and backup emergency air valve for reverse moves.
9117	Reading Class RER "Blueliner"	1931	Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company	1997	Built as Reading MU trailer #840, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. Equipped with horn and backup emergency air valve for reverse moves.
9124	Reading Class RER "Blueliner"	1932	Harlan & Hollingsworth/Reading Company		Built as Reading MU trailer #869, rebuilt and renumbered circa 1963-65; retired by SEPTA in 1990. Traction motors and pantographs removed, converted to an unpowered coach. Equipped with horn and backup emergency air valve for reverse moves.
9275 "Pete Small"	PRR B60b				Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad/Penn Central baggage car, used as a concessions/generator/tool car.
20331	NYC Class N-7A	1952			New York Central bay window caboose. Built by the St. Louis Car Company and later operated by Conrail as #21642. Numbered 642 when used as a ticket office at Market Street station. Restored and returned to NYC number 20331 in 2009 and used for work trains and storage.
28209	Dining car	Budd Company	1947	2005	Ex-NYC/PC "dining room" car from twin-unit diner. Used as the yard office at Adams Street Yard.
: Out of service

Proposed commuter rail reactivation

In 2018 the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation commissioned a feasibility study for rebuilding the line and restoring direct commuter rail service from West Chester to Philadelphia 30th Street Station. SEPTA service below the Elwyn station was terminated in 1986 due to low ridership but the area has since grown in population and has few transportation alternatives. Operation of scheduled rail service, as opposed to a tourist operation, would require upgrades to infrastructure and ADA accessibility to its facilities. The deteriorated condition of the tracks limits passenger trains to a speed of 15mph. The concluded concluded that restoration was feasible but the projected ridership was not high enough to qualify for capital funding.