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  • B&O Crum Creek Branch/Leiper Rail Road

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Pennsylvania
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Pennsylvania

Moderator: bwparker1

 #1195531  by DelcoRR
 
The B&O Crum Creek Branch, formerly the Leiper Rail Road, was a relatively short line but had some historical significance. The B&O purchased the line from the Leiper family who had built the line in 1850's to service several stone quarries they owned along Crum Creek. The railroad replaced a canal the family had built in 1829 that replaced the original Leiper Railway built in 1809. The original Leiper railway is considered the first railroad in the country to evolve into a common carrier. It is also interesting to note that this is believed to be the only time a canal replaced a railroad. It appears that both the original railway and the second Leiper Railroad shared a common path at its northern end, so a claim could be made that this was the oldest railroad in the US in its day. The branch was in continuous service until the mid 1930's. The tracks were removed in 1942 and used for scrap metal during the war effort. Much of the ROW was visible until the construction of I-476{Blue Route to locals} wiped out much of the old line, but there are some evidence of the line to be found, and even a small piece of the canal too...

This 1909 map shows its route from just near Swarthmore Borough to Eddystone Borough,with conections to the B&O and Phila. & Reading.
{{from about the red #21 to the red #11}}
http://delawarecountyhistory.com/images ... exfull.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by DelcoRR on Sat Jun 22, 2013 5:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.