trolleys on Delaware Ave.

Yesterday's newspapers carried articles on the expansion of Patco and connections to light rail operations on a Delaware Ave. ( Columbus Blvd.) route. First I've heard of this. Anybody know more /

Its an idea thats alway bouncing around, mixed in with attempts to make the delaware waterfront a tourist destination. It sounds like, besides a new PATCO route to Gloucester County, the plan is to link a Subway-Surface type trolley in at a reactivated franklin square station to the freight tracks on columbus blvd. Those tracks now stop near race, and are in the median. As you go south, i believe it becomes double tracked below washington. There are a number of spurs onto piers and into warehouses. I'm not sure at what point it is presently used by freight traffic, but odds are they could work out a deal similar to the Riverline.

CSX runs freight in the early morning and at night (after 8pm). They go as far as South Street right now. There is no activity South St to the bridge.

The one nice thing about tieing this all in to PATCO is its all standard gauge. I'd like to see something run along Delaware Ave all the way up to Richmond & Cumberland where it can meet the 15, 39 & 43, and go as far south as the new 'Columbus Crossing' Shopping Center. Although, if you think about it, if you run it another few miles, you're at Broad & Pattison, why not run it all the way down to the stadiums?

The plan mentioned running as far as the navy pier as a second stage. They'd be remiss to stop it within a mile or 2 of the stadium complex. If you're talking about running it north of girard, it could maybe tie in to those tracks on american ave, just west of 2 street, and go further north. When i was down there yesterday, i noticed the tracks are right outside the Riverview movie theatre, and a branch rail goes right through the parking lot between Target and Ikea.

The tracks on American Street would be another good connection. There is no bus service there right now. Those tracks once connected with the tracks on Front Street between the Schmidt's Brewery and Callowhill St. So many possibilities....

If anyone has or knows where to find pictures of trains and trolleys on Delaware Ave I'd appreciate it.
I'm modelling Delaware Ave in the early 50s and would like to know what the Camden waterfront looked like then. (for a backdrop)
thanks.
-alex

[This is not in response to AlexC's request.]

The Buckingham Valley Trolley Assoc operated on Delaware Ave using a warehouse on a pier that had a siding as the trolley barn.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/286 ... hKokrTXKiw

http://community.webshots.com/photo/286 ... lgbTfAlSAS

Bob