Ithan station

Ithan
Former Philadelphia and Western Railroad station
The Ithan Substation No. 1, located on Conestoga Road in Wayne, on the Strafford line; May, 2009
History
Opened	1907
Closed	1956
Services
None Preceding station   Philadelphia and Western Railroad   Following station Radnor next south/east toward 69th Street P&W Strafford Branch Strafford Branch (service ended 1956) St. Davids next north/west toward Strafford

Ithan Station was a former railroad station of the Philadelphia and Western Railroad outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was constructed as a stop on the Strafford Branch of the line that is now known as the Norristown High Speed Line. The station was active along what was then considered to be the main line (1907-1956) until the Norristown branch became the main line in 1912. According to another source, the station was situated between the Wayne Junction and Radnor stations.^[1]

History

1941 Philadelphia & Western routes and connecting lines

The station was part of the Philadelphia and Western Railroad line that ran from 69th Street station to Strafford when around when the corporation formed and when the line was active in 1907.^[2][3] The reorganized company had a capital stock of $4,000,000, consisting of $3,400,000 of common stock and $600,000 of 5% preferred stock.^[4]

The substation was built in 1907 and operated as a power substation for the railroad until 1919.^[5] In 1920, Thomas Newhall (the president of the Philadelphia & Western Railroad) purchased the building for his personal use as a recreation and club room, including a squash court and space to house his gun collection. In May 1947, six months after his wife died, Newhall (in a depression state) committed suicide in the building by means of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.^[6]

The Radnor Trail at the crossing of Conestoga Road in Wayne, Pennsylvania, formerly the road bed of the P&W Strafford Branch

References

1. "Radnor Station, near Radnor-Chester Road".
2. The District Reports of Cases Decided in All the Judicial Districts of the State of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania: H.W. Page. 1913. p. 811.
3. "Railroad Sold for $1,000,000". New York Times. May 21, 1907. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
4. District Reports of Cases... p. 813.
5. Sama, Dominic. "A 1907 Substation Winds Up Off Track Over The Years, The Building On Conestoga Road In Radnor Has Been The Site Of Some Fun And A Tragedy.". philly.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
6. Sama, Dominic. "A 1907 Substation Winds Up Off Track Over The Years, The Building On Conestoga Road In Radnor Has Been The Site Of Some Fun And A Tragedy.". philly.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 13 July 2016.