Histories:
History of the Columbia & Port Deposit Railroad

Line Guide:
Sunnyside Yard-New York Penn Station (inactive link)
New York Penn Station to Philadelphia 30th Street Station
Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Potomac Yard
Enola Yard to Perryville (inactive link)
Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Harrisburg

More lines to come soon!

Departments:
Discussion List
Links

Pennsylvania R.R.
Philadelphia Division

MAIN LINE [Basic source of information is "Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Pennsylvania Railroad Division: Special Instructions to Telegraph Operators and Linemen, Supplementary to 'Rules for the Government of the Transportation Department,' Revised and to Take Effect December 1st, 1890" (Altoona: Dren & Pitcairn, Printers, 1890). "This Book supersedes Book of Special Instructions to Telegraph Operators dated July 1, 1884." Information taken from this book is marked with an asterisk, "*".]

PX ---- Philadelphia Division Dispatcher
RK ---- Overbrook Station
OB ---- Overbrook Tower (listed as "59th St. Tower in *)
MR ---- Merion Tower* (later MN)
MQ ---- Elm Tower* (later Narberth)
WD ---- Wynnewood Tower*
DJ ----- Ardmore *
HC ----- Haverford College (later Haverford)*
WR ---- Bryn Mawr Station*
WH ---- Bryn Mawr Tower* (formerly White Hall)
KX ----- Rosemont Station* (changed to RO by 1920)
NG ---- Villa Nova Tower* (at SpriNG Mill Road)
R ------- Radnor Tower* (later RV)
AY ----- Wayne Station*
R ------- St. David's Tower (probably before 1890)
SZ ----- Eagle Tower*
VJ ----- Devon Station
OV ---- Berwyn Tower*
BW ---- Berwyn Station (formerly Reeseville)
PJ ----- Paoli Station*
PA ----- Paoli Tower*
VZ ----- Malvern Station*
MV ---- Malvern Tower*
FZ ----- Frazer Tower*
WC ---- West Chester Station, Central Div.* (on West Chester Branch)
FO ----- Glen Loch Station*
GH ----- Glen Loch Tower*
XC ----- Ship Road Tower*
KD ----- Whitford Tower*
VA ----- Valley Creek Tower* (later Caln)
KD ----- Downingtown Station (1909)
DN ----- Downingtown Tower*
HD ----- Thorndale Tower*
CS ----- Thorndale Coal Station
CV ----- Coatesville Tower*
H -------- Hope Tower* (in 1890 timetable; not in 1898 timetable)
PY ------ Pomeroy Station*
X -------- Parkesburg Tower* (changed to PG by 1920)
NI ------- Atglen Tower*
GK ----- Gap Station*
G -------- Gap Tower*
KI ------- Kinzer Tower*
MA ----- Leaman Place Tower*
NZ ------ Ronks Tower* (later sources give NZ as Bird-in-Hand Tower)
WM ----- Witmer Tower*
ES ------ Conestoga Tower, east end of bridge (yes "ES" was the Morse call!)
CG ------ Conestoga Tower*, west end of bridge
CA ------ Lancaster* (call seems to have been used for both depot and tower in early times)
WI ------- Lancaster Freight Station*
DV ------ Dillerville Tower*
KF ------ Kaufman Siding Tower*
NV ------ Landisville Station*
MJ ------ Mount Joy Tower*
FN ------ Florin Tower
KU ------ Kuhns* (later Kuhns Siding Tower, still later Rheems)
BN ------ Elizabethtown *
CO ------ Conewago Tower* (call changed to NA by 1898)
U -------- U Block Station, MP 91.2
MB ------ Branch Intersection Tower* (later Royalton)
J --------- Middletown Freight Station*
MX ------ Middletown Passeger Station*
HS ------ Highspire Tower*
HX ------ Highspire Station*
DF ------ Docklow Tower*
BI -------- Steelton Tower* (formerly Baldwins)
XN ------ Dock Street Tower* (DO by 1918)
WS ------ Walnut Street Tower
FB ------- Market Street Tower
H --------- H Interlocking Tower, east of Harrisburg Station
UD ------- Harrisburg Passenger Station*
WB ------ Harrisburg, Office Division Freight Agent*
2 ---------- Harrisburg Station Master's Office*
HG ------- Herr Street Tower*
DE ------- East End Yard Master's Office, Harrisburg*
RL ------- East End No. 4 Yard*

COLUMBIA BRANCH (from the Same 1890 source)

DV --- Dillerville Tower*
VQ --- Mountville*
EY ---- Columbia, East Yard, Yard Masters*
CD --- Columbia, West Yard, Yard Masters* ("CD" probably originally stood for "Columbia Dispatcher," as train dispatcher was here until 1860s)
C ------ Columbia, Frederick Division* ("C" was a shanty block station at east end of Wrightsville Bridge.)
QI ----- Chiques Station*
RQ --- Marietta Tower*
SD --- Shocks Tower*
BG --- Collins* (in 1902, Collins was CO, Bainbridge was BG)
RH ---- Red Hill*

(In the 1890 document cited, everything from UD west was shown as "Middle Division", as the Middle Division started at Harrisburg Station prior to about 1905, when division post was moved to NC, west of Marysville.)

DOWNINGTOWN & LANCASTER BRANCH (various sources, all pre-1913)

KD --- Downingtown
DO --- Downingtown Western Union
GO --- Glen Moore Station
BY ---- Wye Brooke
JU ---- Waynesburg Jct. Station, W&N RR (Wilmington & Northern RR)
HB ---- Honeybrook Station (given as "MV" in other sources)
WN --- New Holland Station
CR ---- East Earl
CK ---- Leacock Station (later named Leola)
ES ---- Conestoga Jct.

NOTE: All the above offices were not in service simultaneously! Information is taken from many different timetables and other official documents of the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1870 and 1935.

ATGLEN & SUSQUEHANNA LOW GRADE (opened 1906)
Source: 1909 Phila. Div. T.T. Mileages are from Philadelphia.)

CORNWALL & LEBANON BRANCH (info taken from "Regulations and Rates of Pay for Government of Employees of the Telegraph Department, PRR Eastern Lines, eff. 1919")

QN -- Mt. Gretna
CN -- Cornwall
SC -- Colebrook
WB -- Lawn
BR --- Bellaire

All comments and/or questions should be directed to the owner.


Copyright © 2002, Josh Trower.  All rights reserved.