The Philadelphia Chapter of the

National Railway Historical Society

Established in 1936

The 2013 U.S. Open was held at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore PA and it just so happens that SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line (originally built as the Philadelphia and Western Railroad) runs right along side it. Due to the "intimate confines" of the area around the course and lack of parking (attendees were parking at PPL Park in Chester and being bussed the 16 miles to the club), the line became a preferred transportation option for many fans. If you were wondering which came first, it was the railroad (1907 versus 1912), the Merion being the last freight customer on the line with service ending in 1970. Now it is strictly passenger service held down by a fleet of N-5 cars. For the crush of people, SEPTA ran two cars trains almost exclusively all week at 10 minute intervals from dawn to dusk. Here a pair, car 143 and 144, cross the bridge over the Schuylkill River between Norristown and Bridgeport, a bridge that will be "temporarily" shut down in less than a month for some much needed repairs to the track which are also temporary. The entire viaduct is in need of a complete rebuild, and if that does not happen relatively soon, temporary could become permanent (yes, we are talking about you, Route 23 trolley!)

All pictures June 11 2013 Copyright © 2013 John P. Almeida

Photographs for personal use only. All rights reserved by original owner of image. Reproduction or redistribution in any form without express written permission is prohibited.