Westtown station

WESTTOWN
West Chester Railroad tourist train station

The restored Westtown station, now in use as an art gallery
Location Street Road
Thornbury Township, Pennsylvania.
Coordinates 39°55′55″N 75°32′57″W / 39.93193°N 75.54915°W / 39.93193; -75.54915Coordinates: 39°55′55″N 75°32′57″W / 39.93193°N 75.54915°W / 39.93193; -75.54915
Owned by West Chester Railroad
Line(s) Pennsylvania Railroad, SEPTA R3 West Chester Line
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 1
Construction
Structure type Frame building
History
Opened 1859, 1997 (as heritage railway)
Closed 1986
Electrified 1928
Previous names Street Road
Services
Preceding station   West Chester Railroad   Following station
Terminus
West Chester Railroad
toward Glen Mills
  Former services  
Preceding station   SEPTA   Following station
(closed 1986)
toward West Chester
West Chester Line
R3 Elwyn/West Chester
Pennsylvania Railroad
(closed 1961)
Pennsylvania Railroad
toward West Chester
West Chester Branch

Westtown station is a railroad station in Thornbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It currently serves as a stop on the West Chester Railroad heritage railway and an art gallery.

The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) West Chester Line, and later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester Line. SEPTA discontinued service in 1986, and the West Chester Railroad resurrected the line for recreational excursions in 1997.

History

Westtown Station was built in 1859 by the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad and was originally called Street Road Station, but was renamed "Westtown" in 1888. The Westtown Post Office was established there in 1871, though it has since moved to a new site in an adjacent building.

SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions and Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line. Service was restored by the West Chester Railroad in 1997, a privately owned and operated heritage railway that operates between Glen Mills and West Chester on weekends. The station still stands and is home to an art gallery run by Kenneth Kazanjian, a potter, and Shelly Shultis, a painter.


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