Octoraro Railway

The Octoraro Railway was a shortline railroad that operated in Pennsylvania from 1977 to 1994.

Octoraro Railway
Overview
HeadquartersKennett Square, Pennsylvania[1]
Reporting markOCTR
LocaleChester County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware
Dates of operation1977–1994
PredecessorConrail
SuccessorDelaware Valley Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The company was formed in 1976. It obtained a lease from SEPTA to operate freight trains on the Octoraro Branch, a former Pennsylvania Railroad branch line, between Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and the state line near Sylmar, Maryland. It also leased the Wilmington and Northern Railroad, a former Reading Company branch, from Elsmere Jct. (Wilmington, Delaware) to South Modena (Modena, Pennsylvania). The company then created a connection between the two lines at Chadds Ford. [2][3][4]

The Octoraro Railway ceased operations on June 30, 1994. The Delaware Valley Railway acquired the company on July 1, 1994.[5]

Successor operations

Delaware Valley, a subsidiary of RailAmerica, operated the line until 1999, followed by the Brandywine Valley Railroad (BVRY).[5] The Morristown and Erie Railway provided freight service from July 1, 2003, to November 18, 2004, but operated under the trade name of Octoraro Railroad.[4] East Penn Railway took over operation in 2004 and purchased the right of way from SEPTA.[6] In 2007 the company merged to become East Penn Railroad and operates the Octoraro line.

See also

References
  1. Gress, Karen K. (1989-04-20). "Octoraro Keeps on Chugging". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  2. Baer, Christopher T. "PRR Chronology: 1976" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  3. Baer, Christopher T. "PRR Chronology: 1977" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  4. U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB). Washington, DC (2003-07-24). "Morristown & Erie Railway, Inc.--Modified Rail Certificate," Federal Register, 68 FR 43783.
  5. STB (1999-06-10)."Certificate of Designated Operator, Brandywine Valley Railroad Company." Decision no. STB D-OP No. 100. See footnote 1 in the STB certificate.
  6. STB (2004-12-21). "East Penn Railway, Inc.—-Modified Rail Certificate." Federal Register, 69 FR 76522.
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