The Phoenixville Tunnel, originally called the Fairview Tunnel, was part of the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The ends of the Phoenixville Tunnel are located at and .

History

The tunnel was built in 1884. It is approximately 809.75 feet long and 24 feet 8 inches wide. The tunnel, which was later acquired by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

, runs parallel to the west of Fairview Street, underneath Fillmore Street. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

increasing competition from automobiles and trucks led to passenger train services being discontinued in 1928. However, freight services continued to use the line. The line, which was used by

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

from

Kimberton Kimberton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in East Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The zip code is 19442. Originally settled in the late 18th century, it was not named until 1817. Like ma ...

to Phoenixville, was abandoned in the 1980s. It is near the 1835 Phoenixville

Black Rock Tunnel The Black Rock Tunnel is an active rail road tunnel of the old Reading Railroad. The 1835 tunnel was the third rail tunnel constructed in the United States, and is the third oldest still in use. The tunnel is also notable as being the first for ...

, the third railroad tunnel to be built in the United States.

Present day

The tunnel is now abandoned. The original

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

construction is in poor repair. A large part of the ceiling has collapsed directly under Fillmore Street prompting a three-ton gross vehicle weight limit on the road above. Both ends of the tunnel have been closed and the approaches have been filled in. The Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad rail right of way has been developed into the Schuylkill River Trail, a multi-use recreational / bicycle trail. A fairly steep hill parallels the abandoned tunnel. The ditch that was part of the original railbed can be seen from the trail.

Gallery

Image:PrrPhoenixvilleTunnel.jpg, The tunnel after its opening in 1884 Image:PartialCollapse.jpg, Partial collapse under Fillmore Street

References

External links

* {{cite journal , last= Van Harlingen , first= M. , date= May 1885 , title= The Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad Tunnel at Phoenixville , journal= Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia , volume= V , issue= 1 , pages= 3–7, publisher= Engineers' Club of Philadelphia , location= Philadelphia , url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iSMLAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Pennsylvania+Schuylkill+Valley+Railroad%22&pg=PA3 Pennsylvania Railroad tunnels Railroad tunnels in Pennsylvania Transportation buildings and structures in Chester County, Pennsylvania