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BEFORE THE TRAIL |
TRAIL CONSTRUCTION AND COMPLETION |
Twenty years after the Philadelphia and Western Railroad closed its unprofitable trolley branch from Villanova to Strafford, An interesting proposal was made. Convert the 1907-vintage rail line into a hiking and biking trail, for the benefit of Radnor's taxpayers. The year is 1976. It will take nearly twenty more years before the proposal is seriously considered and the residents of Radnor Township are given the opportunity to vote for the trail. In 1995, they voted yes. And today, ten years later, nearly fifty years after the original rail line closed, the trail is reality. It was a long, arduous process, but today the residents of Radnor have a valuable resourse at their disposal.
On March 23, 2003 I, along
with a few local trolley experts, decided to walk the old Strafford
Line before its conversion into a "hike and bike trail." We went looking
for any remnants of the old rail line, and found a few remarkable things,
as seen below. It then seemed unlikely that PennDOT and Radnor Township
would be able to complete the trail project in as little time as they
said it would take. It was to tentatively take from April, 2003 to the
fall of that year.
Click on the pictures to see larger versions.
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The pillars from Sugartown Road station, still standing behind the Strafford Wawa |
Another view of the Sugartown Road pillars |
A length of the branch in Strafford, which is completely overgrown |
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A
number of these porcelain insulators can still be found on the
trail. These insulators were used on the third rail of the trolley
tracks, which supplied electical power to the cars
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Trees grow on the old right-of-way, in front of this bridge in West Wayne | In West Wayne, a pile of railroad ties are strewn over the side of the trail | ||
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One of the remaining pillars, with the stub of a metal support, near Wayne's Second Baptist Church |
On one bridge, a tree is growing over a railing |
These
huge concrete pillars near the site of R.H. Johnson & Co. in West
Wayne once supported a pedestrian footbridge which crossed the tracks |
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| Near the former R.H. Johnson Co. site, these huge boulders cover the trail. It's a wonder how PennDOT will get past these when making the bike trail | This concrete structure once supported a pedestrian bridge at a station near Church Road | The P&W Substation at Ithan as seen from the tracks. The substation was converted into an artists' studio, and after the trail was completed, was totally restored. | ||
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| The sign saying "Substation-I" can still be seen on the front of the old substation | ||||
Groundbreaking
On June 10, 2004, ground was officially broken on the P&W trail. Because of the rainy weather predictions, the ceremony was moved to the Radnor Township building on Iven avenue, where remarks were made and "ground was broken" by turning over dirt on a tarp in the Radnorshire Room. Plans were displayed showing the various entrances and parking lots. News crews from all three major stations were there to cover the event, which is finally coming into fruition after literally decades of planning.
All photos by GP
Click on the pictures to see larger
versions.
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The "groundbreaking" on the floor of the Radnorshire Room, was done several times. The first was by the Radnor Commissioners, who helped make the project move forward. |
Various reporters (including WPVI's Denise James) attended the ceremony. |
Artist's renderings of the Sugartown Rd. (top) and W. Wayne Ave. (bottom) entrances. |
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Entrances at Gallagher Rd. and Sugartown Rd.
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Entrances at Brooke Rd. and W. Wayne Ave. | Entrance and parking lot at Conestoga Rd. | ||
Construction
The following are views of the various stages of the P&W Trail's construction, summer - winter, 2004.
All photos by GP
Click on the pictures to see larger
versions.
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Construction at the new Church Rd. entrance to the trail. |
The bridge over Church Rd. under construction |
This bulldozer became the one of the first vehicles to cross this bridge since the P&W closed in 1956. |
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October 2004: The bridge over Maplewood Ave.
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Looking down the trail from the Wayne Art Center. | The new entrance at Sugartown Rd., Strafford. | ||
Completion
Views of the finished trail, January 2005.
All
photos by Greg Prichard
Click on the pictures to see larger
versions.
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The Trail near the entrance at Gallagher Rd. |
The bridge going over South Devon Rd. |
Looking down at the Trail in West Wayne |
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The concrete pillars in West Wayne which once supported
a pedestrian bridge still stand
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Concrete station supports were left almost untouched at W. Wayne Ave. | The Trail entrance at Church Rd. and another support | ||
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| Condominiums at the edge of the trail in West Wayne | The construction crew getting ready to do more work; at the side of the trail in West Wayne | Pedestrians began using the trail months before the official ceremonial opening | ||
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| The old substation can be seen from the side of the trail | The falling-apart P&W Substation can be seen by anyone on the Trail | Sign at the Conestoga Rd. Entrance | ||
© 2005 Wayne History Online / Greg Prichard Page Last Updated : 25 August 2005