Westtown station

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.

Westtown
West Chester Railroad tourist train station
The restored Westtown station, now in use as an art gallery
LocationStreet Road
Thornbury Township, Pennsylvania.
Coordinates39.93193°N 75.54915°W / 39.93193; -75.54915
Owned byWest Chester Railroad
Line(s)Pennsylvania Railroad, SEPTA R3 West Chester Line
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeFrame building
History
Opened1859, 1997 (as heritage railway)
ClosedSeptember 19, 1986[1]
ElectrifiedDecember 2, 1928[2]
Previous namesStreet Road
Services
Preceding station West Chester Railroad Following station
West Chester
Terminus
 Main Line Cheyney
toward Glen Mills
Former services
Preceding station 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 Branch Cheyney
toward Suburban Station

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

Westtown Station was built in 1859 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
  1. "The Potential of Rail Service to West Chester Borough". Borough of West Chester. p. 24. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  2. "Electric Trains to Start Sunday". The Chester Times. November 30, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.


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