Discoveries in the Darkroom - Chester Valley Railroad
Friday, April 16th, 2010 | Uncategorized
Chester Valley Railroad, 1892. Photo by Joseph Thorne
View along the Chester Valley Railroad, 1892. Photo by Joseph Thorne
Chester Valley Railroad, 1892. Photo by Joseph Thorne
On this blog we have been showing the photographs of Joseph Thorne, an amateur photographer working between about 1890 and 1910.
In the collection are these three excellent views of the Chester Valley Railroad which ran from Bridgeport, Montgomery County and terminated in Downingtown, Chester County. The line was chartered in 1835 to serve local farmers and industries of the Great Valley area. In Chester County it had stops at New Centerville, Chesterbrook, Howellville, Cedar Hollow, Valley Store, Mill Lane, Exton, Ackworth and Downingtown.
Ackworth is not a place name you would hear today. It was a stop to serve primarily two prominent families in E. Caln Township - the Ackers and the Worths. The Ackers were farmers and the Worths were associated with the iron industry. This same area was sometimes known as Baldwin’s Station for the Baldwin lime kilns and marble quarry in that area. The location of the old station was near the intersection of what is Boot and Quarry Roads today.
It is interesting to note that freight was hauled on this line into the early 1970s. When it was taken over by Conrail, the line was abandoned and today little trace is left of it.
None of the these views identify exactly which section of the Chester Vallery Railroad is being shown. I invite your comments on these photos. I am sure there are railroad buffs out there who know the location where these were taken! Pamela Powell, Photo Archivist
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