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  • Reading Swatara Depot in Schuylkill County?

  • Discussion Related to the Reading Company 1833-1976 and it's predecessors Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.
Discussion Related to the Reading Company 1833-1976 and it's predecessors Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway.

Moderator: Franklin Gowen

 #1262055  by frankgaron2
 
Hi All:

At http://www.west2k.com/pastations/schuylkill.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, they list a "Swatara" depot still standing somewhere off of Route 209 in Schuylkill County.
Current use is supposedly as a hunting shack.

I'm interested in tracking this one down and wondering if anybody can help with more details/directions?

The Swatara I know is of course on the mainline from Reading to Harrisburg. Although there was a "Swatara Junction" somewhere near Pine Grove/Tremont.

Help?

Thanks,

Frank
 #1285339  by choess
 
You were pretty close. The Swatara Branch (originally Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven), was built c. 1845 from Swatara Jct. and ran up Swatara Creek to a colliery. Swatara post office and station were around where it crossed the road from Newtown to Branchdale (i.e., 209). Per Taber, abandoned from the colliery back to Swatara before 1955 and back to the Middle Creek branch junction between 1955 and 1960, although it looks like it may have been restored for coal stripping. The locale is now marked "Zerbe" on topo maps.