East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Reading Company lines, abandoned or sold by Conrail or its predecessors. East Penn Railroad was formed in 2007 through a merger of East Penn Railways and Penn Eastern Rail Lines, each of which began operating in the 1990s. The railroad is owned by Regional Rail, LLC, which also owns the Middletown and New Jersey Railroad, Tyburn Railroad, Carolina Coastal Railway, Florida Central Railroad, Florida Northern Railroad, and Florida Midland Railroad.

History

East Penn Railroad (ESPN) was formed in 2007 by the merger of East Penn Railway and Penn Eastern Rail Lines. Since the merger, the railroad has improved service and infrastructure on lines with customer growth potential; weaker lines were abandoned or sold off. 4.5 mi of track was returned to service. A yard was also constructed in Pocopson, Pennsylvania along the Wilmington and Northern Branch (W&N). ESPN has acquired additional locomotives and replaced older locomotives to handle increased traffic, including two rebuilt EMD GP38-2's from GATX used along the W&N and Octoraro lines. ESPN attempted to abandon the Colebrookdale line between Pottstown and Boyertown in 2008; it was eventually purchased by Berks County. In 2010, the Chester Valley line between King of Prussia and Bridgeport was abandoned and subsequently sold to Montgomery County and became part of the Chester Valley Rail Trail. On August 1, 2011, East Penn Railroad took over operations from Norfolk Southern on the York Industrial Track between York and Stonybook. In December 2012, the former Raritan River 40' boxcar #100, stored on East Penn tracks at its Quakertown depot, was restored, representing one of the few surviving pieces of equipment from the former Raritan River Railroad. Since 2011, a total of eight derailments have happened along the East Penn Railroad in various locations, including northern Delaware, Chester County, and Bucks County. In August 2022, six cars derailed in Chester County, narrowly missing a home.

Operations

ESPN operates 114 miles of track in eastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware and 16 commercial locomotives. The railroad operates multiple disconnected segments with locomotives assigned to each segment. Two or three lines have service daily. They include the following lines:

Bristol

This line consists of industrial park trackage in the Bristol, Pennsylvania area, interchanging with Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CSAO).

Lancaster Northern

This line, which is owned and operated by ESPN, runs from Ephrata, Pennsylvania northeast, interchanging with Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in Reading, Pennsylvania, using trackage rights on NS between Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania and Reading.

Manheim

This line consists of owned trackage in the Manheim, Pennsylvania area, interchanging with NS.

North East Philadelphia

The North East Philadelphia line consists of owned trackage in Northeast Philadelphia, interchanging with CSAO in the Bustleton area of Philadelphia.

Octoraro

The Octoraro line, which is owned and operated by ESPN, consists of trackage, the former Octoraro Branch, from end-of-track in Sylmar east to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, where it connects to the Wilmington and Northern Branch. SEPTA owns the passenger rights on the Octoraro Line.

Perkiomen

The Perkiomen line, which is owned and operated by ESPN, runs from Pennsburg, Pennsylvania north, where it interchanges with NS in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

Quakertown

The Quakertown Line operates on the SEPTA-owned Bethlehem Line from Quakertown, Pennsylvania south, and interchanges with the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad in Telford.

Wilmington and Northern Branch

The Wilmington and Northern Branch line, which is owned and operated by ESPN, runs from interchange with CSX Transportation in Elsmere, Delaware north, interchanging with NS in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The Octoraro Line connects with the Wilmington and Northern line in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

York Industrial Track

The line operated by ESPN consists of trackage from interchange with NS in York, Pennsylvania to Stonybrook, Pennsylvania.

Former