Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the PRR, up to 1968. Visit the PRR Technical & Historical Society for more information.
 #1432612  by Laverock Memory
 
Recollections of the Fort Washington Branch Right of Way -

It is amazing to learn more about the neighborhood where I grew up. My family moved to Laverock, PA in 1973, just next door to Trackwalker's house (would love to converse about the history of that house, which is really interesting). As a child, I would play in a creek area located at the back of Hillcrest Road between Chandler Road and Conwell Road. We called this wooded area "The Creek." I recall fondly playing there and finding old rail road ties, spikes, and a creek tunnel that ran under the old Fort Washington Branch. That creek is the headwater for Tookany Creek.

My dad had been Treasurer of the local Laverock Improvement Association and I remember my father stopping the car at Hillcrest and Cheltenham Ave. to look for any signs of Hill Crest Station and the underpass. We found nothing......

I would LOVE to see any photos of the old Hill Crest Station and the underpass. More importantly, the old Laverock Station seems to have been located at the rear of the old "Laverock Farm" estate owned by Arthur E. Newbold. Today, Laverock Road and Deer Run Road dead end where the old rail stop was located. If there are any old signs of this station or photos, it would be quite a treat to view them. Can anyone help?

As a kid, I would walk down Willow Grove Ave to the Wyndmoor Station of SEPTA. Given how population increased in Eastern Montgomery County, I wonder how real estate and community development might have been different if the old rail line had survived and perhaps been upgraded. Laverock may have become like Elkins Park or Glenside.

I would love to hear any other recollections and advice about where to find photos of the old Fort Washington Branch.
 #1434015  by glennk419
 
phillyrube wrote:I recall driving along Willow Grove Ave and crossing 309. Off to the left, heading towards Wyndmoor, is what appears to be a railroad cut. It's been many years, before my interest in railroads. Same line?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Willo ... 75.1925777" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Yes, that is the cut for the ROW. What is now the 309 Expressway is built upon the RR ROW from that point up to Fort Washington.
 #1435275  by Laverock Memory
 
I found this very interesting aerial photo from 1938 the the Ft. Washington Branch. Can you see the underpass and bridge at the Hillcrest Station at Cheltenham Ave?
Attachments:
laverock 1928.png
laverock 1928.png (1.05 MiB) Viewed 4277 times
 #1435281  by Laverock Memory
 
Here is an aerial photo from 1942 showing the Fort Washington Branch as it runs its way through Chestnut Hill, to Laverock, and up towards Fort Washington.
Attachments:
Laverock 1942 Cropped.jpg
Laverock 1942 Cropped.jpg (431.31 KiB) Viewed 4276 times