Philadelphia and Western Railroad

The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a high-speed, third rail-equipped, commuter-hauling interurban electric railroad operating in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is now SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line, though the Strafford spur has been abandoned. Part of the abandoned line within Radnor Township is now the Radnor Trail, a multi-use path or rail trail.

Lines

The current line runs from 69th Street Terminal just west of Philadelphia, west and north to Norristown, splitting from the original main line at Villanova Junction. P&W's previous main line went west to a terminus just east of Sugartown Road in Strafford, then later, another 0.47 miles (0.76 km) further, on an extension providing transfer to the Strafford station and a transfer track for freight trains. The Strafford Branch was abandoned in 1956; today, the Radnor Trail uses its old right-of-way from Radnor-Chester Road to Old Sugartown Road. Up until 1951, the P&W tracks connected with the Lehigh Valley Transit Company's Liberty Bell Route at Norristown, providing service straight through from Upper Darby to Allentown.

Interstate Commerce Commission valuation reports indicate that the railroad had interchange connections to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Millbourne Mills, Strafford, and Swedeland.

The line was built as a double track third rail line. Most structures on the line were designed to ultimately accommodate four tracks, but the additional tracks were never built.