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35-585: It is also known as Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Division, Bridge No. 69 . Other names include Connecting Railway Bridge , Connection Bridge , New York Connecting Bridge , New York Railroad Bridge , and Junction Railroad Bridge . The bridge was built in 1866 and 1867 by the Connecting Railway , a company affiliated with the Pennsylvania Railroad and formally purchased by the PRR in 1871. Its purpose

70-562: A rail trail . Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States. It is known for the high incomes of its residents and high real estate values, as well as its private schools. Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows: The USPS does not officially correlate neighborhood names to Philadelphia ZIP codes (all are called simply "Philadelphia" or "Phila"). However,

105-588: A Single Scull (1871) by Thomas Eakins . Connecting Railway The Connecting Railway was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad , incorporated to build a connection between the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad and the PRR in the city of Philadelphia . The PRR controlled the Philadelphia & Trenton, and had originally intended to directly connect the two lines through the heart of Philadelphia. However, attempts to buy out and demolish buildings in

140-635: A bridle path through the Pennypack Park that run about 1/2 mile that runs from Krewstown Road to about 1/4 of a mile west of Bustleton Avenue on the south side of the Pennypack Creek. On the north and south sides of the creek, there is evidence of approach work for a trestle over the Pennypack Creek. The Philadelphia, Bustleton & Trenton, after completing 3.55 miles (5.71 km) of the line in December 1896, built no further towards Fallsington. It crossed

175-505: Is now North Philadelphia . On July 18, 1863, the Frankford and Holmesburg Railroad was incorporated to build a line from Frankford to Holmesburg . This would have paralleled the Philadelphia & Trenton between those points. The charter was amended on April 10, 1867, to allow it to build from the Philadelphia & Trenton at Holmesburg Junction to the nearby town of Bustleton instead. It built 4.16 miles (6.69 km) of line between

210-580: Is unpopular with a large segment of local residents. Residents are zoned to schools in the School District of Philadelphia . Students in grades kindergarten through 8 are zoned to John Story Jenks School , while students in grades 9 through 12 are zoned to Roxborough High School . Students were previously zoned to Germantown High School . Chestnut Hill is home to several private schools. The Pre-K-12 Springside Chestnut Hill Academy , educates single-sex Pre-K-8 and coed 9–12, formed in 2010 through

245-576: The American Revolutionary War era (late 18th century), the area was one of many summer vacation spots due to its higher elevation, 400–500 feet (120 to 150 m) above sea level, and cooler temperatures than the historic Center City. Chestnut Hill is still stereotypically known as one of the more affluent sections of Philadelphia. However, there are many residents who fall within lower/middle class incomes. Chestnut Hill (along with many other towns and farmlands of Philadelphia County) became part of

280-593: The Pennsylvania, Ohio and Detroit Railroad , an agglomeration of certain PRR Lines West, was merged into the corporation. This was solely for the sake of corporate bookkeeping and had no effect on operations. The Connecting Railway mainline was operated as part of the PRR mainline from Philadelphia to New York , providing through and local passenger service and extensive freight service to the many industries located in northern Philadelphia. The main passenger station on

315-585: The Philadelphia and Frankford Railroad (Reading) about a mile south of its terminus. On June 13, 1892, the Fair Hill Railroad was incorporated, and built 0.78 miles (1.26 km) of line from the Connecting Railway mainline near Rosehill Street to Cambria Street 1895–1896. On September 22, 1892, the Engelside Railroad was incorporated, and built 0.17 miles (0.27 km) of line from

350-609: The Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad was incorporated, to construct a line between Germantown Junction (now North Philadelphia) and Chestnut Hill . This project was directed by Henry H. Houston . This line of 6.75 miles (10.86 km) was built between 1883 and 1884, closely paralleling the Chestnut Hill Railroad (controlled by the Reading ), and now forms the basis of SEPTA 's Chestnut Hill West Line . Between 1892 and 1893, two additional branches were built:

385-456: The 19118 ZIP code is almost entirely coterminous with the cultural-consensus boundaries of Chestnut Hill. The village of Chestnut Hill was part of the German Township laid out by Francis Daniel Pastorius and came to include the settlements originally known as Sommerhausen and Crefeld, as well as part of Cresheim. It served as a gateway between Philadelphia and the nearby farmlands. During

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420-700: The City of Philadelphia in 1854 as part of the Act of Consolidation , when the County and the City became completely coterminous. In the same year, the Chestnut Hill Railroad ( Chestnut Hill East Line ) opened, making an easy commute to and from Center City. In 1884, a second railway line was added by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad ( Connecting Railway ). During the American Civil War , Chestnut Hill

455-479: The Connecting Railway mainline near 32nd and Jefferson Streets to near 32nd and Thompson Streets, where it connected with the Reading (former Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad trackage). On January 1, 1902, these seven corporations were consolidated into The Connecting Railway Company . This company and all its predecessors were directly or indirectly controlled by the PRR throughout their history. On December 9, 1956,

490-522: The Fort Washington Branch in 1924. The rest of the mainline was electrified by 1935 to allow electric service to New York. The Bustleton Branch diverged here (center of picture) and the K&;T Branch diverged from the track leading the crossover at the bottom left. The tower closed in 1992. The little-used Fort Washington Branch was de-electrified, and passenger service discontinued in 1952. In 1953,

525-579: The Frankford Street Branch 1.16 miles (1.87 km) across and parallel to Frankford Creek 1893–1894. At some point it also bought the connecting Philadelphia & Trenton line of 1.23 miles (1.98 km) from the P&;T main down Tioga Street. The Philadelphia and Bustleton Railway was incorporated on March 17, 1892 to build from Front Street and Erie Avenue, on the Connecting Railway mainline, to Bustleton. The Bustleton and Eastern Railroad

560-843: The Midvale Branch, running 0.85 miles (1.37 km) from Midvale to the Midvale Steel Company plant, and the Fort Washington Branch or Cresheim Branch , running 6.27 miles (10.09 km) from Allen Lane to Fort Hill , where it connected with the Trenton Cutoff . On March 26, 1884, the Kensington and Tacony Railroad was incorporated. From a connection with the Philadelphia & Trenton at Tioga Street and Delaware Avenue, it built 1.65 miles (2.66 km) along Delaware Avenue between 1886 and 1887. The Frankford Creek Railroad

595-523: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation completed work on restoring segments of the trolley infrastructure and streetscape in Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy and Germantown. As of 2011, SEPTA spokespeople publicly state that there are no plans to reinstate trolley service on Route 23, despite claims to the contrary in their annual capital budget reports. The dismantling of Route 23 infrastructure

630-645: The freight branches became little-used. In 1973, the Oxford Road Branch was abandoned north of the Reading crossing. The Connecting Railway survived as a separate corporation through the Penn Central merger, but all its tracks were sold to Conrail and Amtrak in 1976 and the corporation was subsequently dissolved. The main line became part of the Northeast Corridor , and the Chestnut Hill Branch

665-452: The line was North Philadelphia station . Because of the northern alignment of the Connecting Railway, passenger trains between New York and Pittsburgh would stop there only, bypassing 30th Street Station . The Chestnut Hill, Fort Washington and Bustleton Branches also saw passenger service; the other lines were exclusively freight lines. In particular, the Kensington & Tacony Branch served

700-474: The merger of Springside School and Chestnut Hill Academy . Other private schools in Chestnut Hill are The Crefeld School (7-12), and the K-8 Norwood-Fontbonne Academy. Nearby private schools in adjacent neighborhoods that attract some Chestnut Hill residents include Germantown Friends School , William Penn Charter School , and Germantown Academy . Free Library of Philadelphia operates

735-811: The most prominent Philadelphia architects. In 1985, the neighborhood was designated as the Chestnut Hill Historic District with the National Register of Historic Places . Citing its natural resources, architectural character, and thoughtful planning, the American Planning Association has recognized it among its Great Places in America. The Chestnut Hill listings on the National Register of Historic Places : Other historic and notable properties include: Public transportation in southeastern Pennsylvania, which includes Philadelphia and

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770-401: The project and saw it through to completion. (He later became president of the PRR.) Thomas Seabrook was the masonry contractor. The bridge opened to traffic on 2 June 1867. The bridge was narrow, with only 2 tracks and an iron truss at mid-river. This was a 236-foot-3-inch (72 m) cast- and wrought-iron, arch-reinforced, double-intersection Whipple truss . In 1873, PRR slightly reduced

805-422: The right-of-way led to riots, and the Philadelphia & Trenton was forced to end at Kensington . To resolve the problem, Connecting Railway Company was incorporated May 15, 1863, and between 1864 and June 1867, constructed a 6.75-mile (10.86 km) connecting line between Frankford Junction on the Philadelphia & Trenton and Mantua Junction (now Zoo interlocking ) on the PRR mainline, passing through what

840-656: The surrounding counties, is provided by SEPTA , the region's mass transit authority. Two SEPTA Regional Rail commuter train lines serve Chestnut Hill: the Chestnut Hill East Line and Chestnut Hill West Line . Chestnut Hill is served by SEPTA bus routes from both the City Transit Division ( 23 , 77 and L) and the Suburban Division (94 and 97). Trams in the southeastern Pennsylvania region are known as trolleys. The trolley network of this region

875-454: The truss's span by widening the stone piers at each end. Probably at the same time, PRR removed the truss's reinforcing arch. In 1897, PRR replaced the Whipple truss with a Pratt truss of the same length. Between 1912 and 1915, PRR more than doubled the width of the bridge to 5 tracks, and replaced the mid-river iron truss with two massive stone arches. Alexander C. Shand was the designer of what

910-549: The two points about 1870. On January 1, 1871, it was leased to the Philadelphia & Trenton to operate as their Bustleton Branch. The company subsequently went bankrupt and was sold at foreclosure on November 18, 1890, and was reorganized on January 12, 1891 as the Bustleton Railroad and leased to PRR. Passenger service on the Bustleton Branch ended on February 13, 1926 due to high competition. On January 2, 1883,

945-485: The upper Philadelphia waterfront and the Frankford Arsenal , and the Oxford Road Branch served a Sears distribution center near its crossing of the Reading. Passenger service on the Bustleton Branch was discontinued in 1926, but the Chestnut Hill and Fort Washington Branches became part of the PRR suburban electrification program. Electrified service from Chestnut Hill to Broad Street Station began in 1918 and over

980-434: The upper section of the branch from the Trenton Cutoff connection at Fort Hill to Wyndmoor was abandoned. In the 1960s, part of the right-of-way was used for Pennsylvania Route 309 . The remaining section from Wyndmoor to Allen Lane continued to see freight service until the late 1970s; this remnant was abandoned and removed in the early 1980s. The loss of industry in Philadelphia began to take its toll, and many of

1015-559: Was essentially a new bridge, built to look like the original. Eyre, Shoemaker, Inc. was the masonry contractor. Reiter, Curtis & Hill built the reinforced concrete bridges over Lansdowne Drive and West Girard Avenue , and the viaduct curving around the Philadelphia Zoo . The Connecting Railway Bridge, with its line of stone arches, was a frequent subject for painters. It appears in works by Carl Philipp Weber , Edmund Darch Lewis , Thomas Moran , and, most famously, Max Schmitt in

1050-446: Was home to Mower U.S. Army General Hospital , constructed to serve Union army soldiers. From the mid-19th century through the mid-20th, the neighborhood served as both a "railroad suburb" and a " streetcar suburb " of Center City; although it was part of Philadelphia, it was a leafy outlying part functioning as a bedroom community . The neighborhood contains a wide variety of 19th and early 20th century residential buildings by many of

1085-432: Was incorporated March 17, 1890, and built 0.62 miles (1.00 km) of track from the Philadelphia & Trenton down Butler Street and towards Frankford Creek. It was merged on April 14, 1891 into the Kensington & Tacony as the Frankford Street Branch. The K&T built 2.85 miles (4.59 km) further along Delaware Avenue in 1891–1892 to connect to the Philadelphia & Trenton just east of Tacony , and extended

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1120-508: Was incorporated on January 27, 1893 to extend the Philadelphia & Bustleton from Bustleton to Fallsington , just west of Morrisville on the Trenton Cut-Off . The two were consolidated into the Philadelphia, Bustleton and Trenton Railroad on May 1, 1893. The Philadelphia & Bustleton had done only a little grading and built several cuts and viaducts. The cuts and viaduct work that were performed can be seen today, as they are used as

1155-403: Was sold to SEPTA in 1983 (although Conrail continued switching industries along the line). The Bustleton Branch, Frankford Street Branch and Engelside Branch are still operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations . The Fairhill Branch, Oxford Road Branch, Midvale Branch and the Kensington and Tacony Branch were abandoned during the 1980s. The Kensington and Tacony right-of-way has been converted to

1190-595: Was to connect the PRR's southern and northern lines, and to be part of an eventual direct PRR line from Washington, D.C. , to New York City . Before the bridge's construction, PRR trains took a circuitous route between PRR's West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia Stations. The bridge was probably designed by John A. Wilson , chief engineer of the Connecting Railway Company, who surveyed the route in 1863. Following Wilson's 1864 resignation, PRR First Vice-President George Brooke Roberts , an engineer, took over

1225-678: Was very extensive prior to World War II , but has shrunk since that era. Chestnut Hill was formerly served by trolleys. Trolley service to Chestnut Hill began in 1894, and trolley tracks still run down the Belgian-block-paved main street of the neighborhood, Germantown Avenue, which was served by SEPTA Route 23 . SEPTA "temporarily suspended" regular trolley service in 1992. From 1992 until 1996, weekend-only service ran between Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, re-branded The "Chestnut Hill Trolley." Sporadic trolley charter trips ran down Germantown Avenue and into North Philadelphia until 2003. In 2010,

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