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Westtown station

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Westtown
Image
The restored Westtown station, now in use as an art gallery
General information
Location850 Street Road (PA 962), Thornbury Township, Pennsylvania 19382
Coordinates39°55′55″N 75°32′57″W / 39.93193°N 75.54915°W / 39.93193; -75.54915
SystemWest Chester Railroad tourist train station
OwnerWest Chester Railroad
LinesPennsylvania Railroad, SEPTA R3 West Chester Line
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Structure type
Frame building
History
OpenedOctober 23, 1858 (West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad)[1]
June 1997 (West Chester Railroad)[2]
ClosedSeptember 19, 1986[3]
ElectrifiedDecember 2, 1928[4]
Former namesStreet Road
Services
Preceding station West Chester Railroad Following station
West Chester
Terminus
 Main Line Cheyney
toward Glen Mills
Former services
Preceding station Image SEPTA Following station
West Chester University
toward West Chester
 West Chester Line Cheyney
toward Suburban Station
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Oakbourne
toward West Chester
 West Chester Line Cheyney
toward Suburban Station
Location
Map

Westtown station is a railroad station in Thornbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It currently serves as a stop on the West Chester Railroad heritage railway as well as an art gallery.

The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) West Chester Line, and later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester Line. SEPTA discontinued service in 1986, and the West Chester Railroad resurrected the line for recreational excursions in 1997.

History

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Westtown station was built in 1858 by the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad and was originally called Street Road station, but was renamed "Westtown" in 1888. The Westtown Post Office was established there in 1871, though it has since moved to a new site in an adjacent building.

SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions and Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line.

Service was restored by the West Chester Railroad in 1997, a privately owned and operated heritage railway that operates between Glen Mills and West Chester on weekends. The station still stands and is home to an art gallery run by Kenneth Kazanjian, a potter, and Shelly Shultis, a painter.

References

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  1. ↑ Baer, Christopher T. (June 2015). "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1858" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. p. 48. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  2. ↑ "West Chester Railroad Co. Embarks on its Inaugural Run". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 8, 1997. p. CC1. Retrieved September 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "The Potential of Rail Service to West Chester Borough: A Report of the Advisory Ad Hoc Committee to Reestablish Rail Service to West Chester". Borough of West Chester. September 22, 2015. p. 24. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Electric Trains to Start Sunday". Chester Times. November 30, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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