Reading Viaduct, Philadelphia (Western Spur)
August, 2004. Reading Viaduct, Philadelphia
(above 12th Street at Noble). In 1984, SEPTA abandoned
commuter rail operations at Philadelphia's Reading
Terminal, replacing in the process a half mile section of
elevated track between Fairmount Avenue and the terminal
with a tunnel leading to the new "Market East" commuter
station. Most of the abandoned viaduct section has been
virtually forgotten for 20 years, largely overgrown with
vegetation but with the original tracks, catenary, and
signals surprisingly well preserved. It's rather a
small-scale version of Manhattan's West Side "High Line,"
and, just as in NYC, has recently attracted recognition as
a potentially valuable urban resource rather than simply a
decaying eyesore. For example, see www.readingviaduct.org.
A freight spur to the west, once known in local railroad
parlance as the "City Subway" or the "Pennsylvania Avenue
Subway," provided a connection to the B&O Railroad line at
Park Junction (near Poplar Street just past Pennsylvania
Avenue). The City Subway ran underground along
Pennsylvania Avenue between 27th and 21st Streets and then
in an open cut parallel to Callowhill Street (at about
Noble), finally ramping above ground at 13th Street to meet
the main Reading viaduct at the Callowhill substation (at
11th Street). The primary freight customers were, at least
in more recent years, the Philadelphia Inquirer's printing
plant and the giant Reading freight warehouse (both above
the line at Broad Street). Electrification does not appear
to have ever been installed on the line. I am unsure
exactly when freight service ended, although it continued
at least into the 1980's. By now, most of the tracks and
sidings of the City Subway have long been removed or paved
over, with a few short sections visible along former
freight sidings.
One of the best preserved parts of the City Subway
right-of-way is a fenced-off viaduct between 13th Street
and the Callowhill substation. This viaduct, once its
tracks were removed after freight service was discontinued,
apparently served as a vehicle access road for the
substation. This photo faces east along the City Subway
spur (on the viaduct at about 12th Street, looking toward
the Callowhill substation). The railroad signal at right
betrays the path's original use.
Image taken with a Bronica SQ-Ai 6x6 camera with 80mm f/2.8
lens on Fuji Velvia film, under available light.
Copyright © 2004 by Matt Blaze.
All rights reserved. You may not copy, modify or use this
image for any commercial or non-commercial purpose without
permission.
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