Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC
Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC
Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC
Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC
Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC

Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC

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Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The Michael Shaw SC
 
Railroads of King Prussia, PA: The Past Leads to the Future, The by Michael Stefan Shaw
Soft Cover
185 pages
Copyright 2013

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS V
FOREWORD VII
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION    1
CHAPTER 2:  SETTING THE FOUNDATION: THE ORIGINS OF UPPER MERION TOWNSHIP AND KING OF PRUSSIA 3
CHAPTER 3  INDUSTRY AND TRADE IN UPPER MERION 7
CHAPTER 4  TRANSPORTATION: FROM THE TRAILS TO THE RAILROADS 11
CHAPTER 5  RAILS ON THE SCHUYLKILL: MERION STATION TO ABRAMS YARD 19
CHAPTER 6  NORTH ABRAMS INDUSTRIAL TRACK 61
CHAPTER 7  CHESTER VALLEY RAILROAD 75
CHAPTER 8  TRENTON CUT-OFF 141
CHAPTER 9  UPPER MERION AND PLYMOUTH RAILROAD 153
CHAPTER 10  RAILROAD TESTIMONIALS 155
CHAPTER 11  ACCIDENTS ON THE RAILROADS 159
CHAPTER 12  ABANDONED TRACKS IN KING OF PRUSSIA 167
CHAPTER 13 THE 1950S: GROWTH SPURT BECKONS TO THE FUTURE 171
CHAPTER 14 THE FUTURE OF THE RAILS 183
FOREWORD
It was a beautiful sunny day in July 2012 when I gave Mike a call and asked him to join me on a trip to upstate Pennsylvania to check out the deserted town of Centralia. Being a history and geography enthusiast, this was a trip that I have always wanted to partake. Knowing Mike's love for history as well, I felt it would have been an adventurous and educational trip for the both of us to experience.
The trip to Centralia was a success but opened up my curiosity on local history. As we drove into King of Prussia, I noticed some of the abandoned tracks off Allendale Road and discussed briefly the historical value of the tracks based on previous research I found online. Mike was intrigued about the tracks and became curious. Then the idea hit me immediately. Mike and I are both residents of King of Prussia. King of Prussia is planning to celebrate their tricentennial in 2013. I proposed the idea to review the history of the railroad system in King of Prussia. I have seen previous research papers and creative ideas from Mike in the past and felt that Mike could provide a vast amount of information for this book. Also, with my knowledge of reading and studying historical maps, I was able to guide Mike to the lost world of abandoned railroad tracks that still exist in King of Prussia.
This book demonstrates an overview of the history of King of Prussia and how the railroad played an important role in the growth of the town. We will take a look at historical maps, images of the past, and current pictures of abandoned railroad tracks. Stories and accounts of long-time residents of King of Prussia will give the reader a vision of those who lived in town long before the days of the mall. This book is excellent for train enthusiasts and for all others who enjoy local history.
Mike dedicated his time and put a lot of effort to share his findings in this book. In addition, we have both received many bumps and bruises from the fieldwork conducted. There was one occasion during our fieldwork when we were both dangling in the air by a bed of thorns that caught us. It was a pleasure to work with Mike and I hope this will be the beginning of a new journey to continue the passion to uncover the history of the roads of steel.
Alex Tsioulfaidis
INTRODUCTION
The village of King of Prussia looks like an English hamlet. As you enter you pass a number of neat little dwellings, each with its old fashioned garden, a shady old bridge over the little creek that runs through the middle of the village; then comes the blacksmith shop, the store, the doctor's, and opposite the latter, the King of Prussia Inn which for a century and a quarter has dispensed good cheer to man and beast. - from a journal, "Country Walks in 1889," by Charles Francis Saunders
In a town where so much has been defined by its growth toward the future, the railroads are a microcosm of King of Prussia as it has traveled the path from an agrarian backwater to a business centered hub of activity. Upper Merion Township celebrates its tricentennial with a series of events throughout 2013. The tricentennial is a time to celebrate what was and what could be, a means to bridge the gap between the past and the future of King of Prussia. Ironically, as is the case with King of Prussia's railroads, Upper Merion was very rural; a far cry from the current model being celebrated during the tricentennial. The township was a series of small communities consisting of homes, farms, churches, schools, post offices and several trade industries. Communities eventually incorporated into King of Prussia but remained entities of their own well into the 20th Century. For example, Merion Station, site of the current Abrams Yard and adjoining woods next to the Schuylkill River, was once a thriving settlement with a sawmill, a chapel, a schoolhouse, five or six dwellings, and a post office. According to Bean, a list of settlers residing in Upper Merion in 1734 documented thirty-two in number. The U.S. Census of 1800 stated the population of Upper Merion as being 993; in 1840, 2,804; in 1880, 3,275; in 1900, 3,480; and even in 1920, only 4,005.
ON THE BACK COVER
Congratulations Upper Merion Township on your 300th birthday! You age so gracefully. However, did you know that in 2013 Upper Merion is also celebrating its 175th anniversary?' Yes, 1838 was the first year that the railroads entered the township. King of Prussia resident and historian Michael Shaw has spent the better part of one year diligently researching the history of King of Prussia's railroads, from the past to the present.
Here's the scoop on the glorious and often understated history of King of Prussia's railroads, from the Merion/Abrams Yard site to the Trenton Cut-Off and through the Chester Valley Railroad. It's been quite a ride and the future of the rails may lead back to the past with the reintroduction of passenger service. Climb aboard!



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