Light Rail/Trolley route along West Chester Pike from 69st?

Should there be a Light Rail or Trolley route along West Chester Pike through Broomall, Newtown Sq to West Chester? I feel it should begin at 69st terminal and run along West Chester Pike (PA rt 3) to West Chester in a two track fashion like the Rt 101/102.


This will create more transit/growth oppertunites for both Delaware and Chester counties and will be a major corridor for SEPTA. Not to mention bloster ridership on the MFL.

Sounds like the Red Arrow line that was torn up decades ago?

I think we looked at this one in another thread. Remember, there were trolleys from 69th St. to West Chester until 1954.

Picture of Brilliner No. 3 near Newtown Square, showing W.C. Pike as 2 lanes: http://www.nrhs.com/spot/brillliners/pstc-wcl.jpg

When the aptly-named Highway Department (PennDOT's predecessor) decided to widen West Chester Pike and put in turn lanes, the trolleys were doomed. Interestingly enough, as Matt Mitchell pointed out, the trolleys were quite heavily patronized and increased service could have been justified in the absence of highway expansion. But given constraints on ROW, both services could not be expanded together. This was the near the beginning of the auto boom of the 1950s, so cars won.

JeffK wrote:Interestingly enough, as Matt Mitchell pointed out, the trolleys were quite heavily patronized and increased service could have been justified in the absence of highway expansion.

Uh, I don't think that was me. The West Chester Pike trolleys were long gone by the time I got to the Delaware Valley (gulp) 25 years ago.

The West Chester trolley line was bustituted between Westgate Hills and West Chester on June 4, 1954 to make way for the widening of the WC Pike from two to four lanes at that time. The Westgate Hills segment lasted until 1958. Revenue rail service on any portion of West Chester Pike ended with the 1966 bustitution of the Ardmore Line, and ALL rail operation on the pike ended when SEPTA took over the Red Arrow Lines in 1970. Since the Red Arrow retained ownership of the Llanerch Car Barn property, SEPTA moved the cars it had acquired from the Red Arrow into the MFSE shops at 69th Street.

Interesting note: Jeff's photo of the Brilliner operating on the West Chester line depicts a rarety---- Brilliners were rarely used on that line. After 1949, most service was provided by the 80 series Brill Lightweights and the 1949 St. Louis PCC type cars.

The West Chester Terminus was in the middle of Gay Street on the east side of High Street. After bustitution, the buses were extended to the old Short Line Terminal on Market Street.

The West Chester Line was the beginning of the entire Red Arrow system. In fact, the Red Arrow's original corporate name was the Philadelphia & West Chester Traction Co.

I remember riding the trolley to West Chester and was VERY upset when I was told that it was being "taken up".

Matthew Mitchell wrote:

JeffK wrote:Interestingly enough, as Matt Mitchell pointed out, the trolleys were quite heavily patronized and increased service could have been justified in the absence of highway expansion.

Uh, I don't think that was me. The West Chester Pike trolleys were long gone by the time I got to the Delaware Valley (gulp) 25 years ago.

This was, in fact, true. By the time the State Highway Department undertook to widen WC Pike, Red Arrow's traffic on the West Chester Line had reached the point where it had problems scheduling out enough cars during peak periods to adequately serve the line, and the other three lines, even with the addition, in 1949, of the 14 St. Louis Cars. This necessitated the continued use of the two man Center Door Cars during peak periods. Additionally, this traffic volume really supported double trackiing the line( as well as relocating it to accomodate the widened highway), at least as far as Newtown Square, which the Red Arrow didn't feel it could do, financially. Bustitution of West Chester permitted the retirement of most of the two man Center Door Cars, and eliminated any need to re-locate or double track the single track portion of that line.