145-903: The Norristown High Speed Line ( NHSL ), currently rebranding as the M , is a 13.4-mile (21.6 km) interurban light rapid transit line in the SEPTA Metro network, running between the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby and the Norristown Transportation Center in Norristown , Pennsylvania . Service is operated by the Suburban Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority . Originally
290-613: A PECO transmission line right-of-way to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and then run parallel to the Turnpike to reach the King of Prussia Mall. It would then have followed Mall Boulevard before crossing the Turnpike and following First Avenue. Stations would have been located at Henderson Road, Allendale Road, Mall Boulevard, the intersection of First and Clark Avenues in the King of Prussia Business Park, and at First Avenue near
435-627: A colonial-era population center. Prior to the American Revolution, there were 54 homes in Northampton Towne and approximately 330 residents. In 1782, there were 59 houses and over 100 cows were stabled in the town. The town was described by a visitor in 1783, "One gets a glimpse of many good stone houses, many of them very neat, and everything about the premises shows good order and attention. The people are mainly German who speak bad English and distressing German ." In 1795,
580-546: A light rail line. Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown ( Pennsylvania Dutch : Allenschteddel , Allenschtadt , or Ellsdaun ) is the county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania , United States. It is the third-most populous city in Pennsylvania with a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 census and the most populous city in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and
725-474: A boom in agriculture which lasted through the First World War , but transportation in rural areas was inadequate. Conventional steam railroads made limited stops, mostly in towns. These were supplemented by horse and buggies and steamboats , both of which were slow and the latter of which were restricted to navigable rivers. The increased capacity and profitability of the city street railroads offered
870-626: A button on board to request the train to stop. In 2013, it was proposed to create a branch off the Norristown High Speed Line to serve the King of Prussia Mall , Valley Forge office parks, and the Valley Forge Casino Resort . Many possible routes were planned for this extension, including one following US 202 from Norristown to King of Prussia, another following a utility right-of-way paralleling US 202 and
1015-531: A few years, interurban railways, including the numerous manufacturers of cars and equipment, were the fifth-largest industry in the country. But due to preference given to automobiles, by 1930, most interurbans in North America had stopped operating. A few survived into the 1950s. Outside of the US, other countries built large networks of high-speed electric tramways that survive today. Notable systems exist in
1160-471: A large fire burned down most of Allentown's central business district between 7th and 8th streets on Hamilton Street. During the 1850s, however, the city began recovering. A new bridge was built across the Lehigh River, and brick buildings were constructed to replace wooden ones that were burned in the 1848 fire. In 1852, the first Allentown Fair , now one of the nation's longest continual annual fairs,
1305-520: A major regional and national center for banking and finance. In 1860, William H. Ainey founded Allentown Savings and served as its first president. In 1864, Second National Bank of Allentown was formed, and Ainey was elected its first president, a position he held until his death. Ainey contributed to Allentown's industrial and retail growth, helping finance Iowa Barb Wire Company, which was later absorbed by American Steel & Wire , Pioneer Silk Factory, Palace Silk Mill, and Allentown Spinning Company. In
1450-628: A new military unit, placing Captain Samuel Yohe of Easton and Thomas W. Lynn in charge and awarding them the respective ranks of colonel and major. Tilghman H. Good of South Whitehall Township , previously captain of the Allentown militia known as the Allen Rifles and commander of the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment , was placed in charge of the 1st Pennsylvania's Company I, which included his former Allen Rifles subordinates and members of
1595-572: A post office established inside Compass and Square Hotel in the present-day Penn National Bank building at 645 Hamilton Street in Allentown. In the 1810 U.S. census , the city's population exceeded 700 residents, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted Northampton Towne legal standing on March 18, 1811, incorporating it initially as the Borough of Northampton in what was then Northampton County . The new borough's government first undertaking
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#17327796560511740-566: A progressive loss of their initial passenger service over the years. In 1905, the United States Census Bureau defined an interurban as "a street railway having more than half its trackage outside municipal limits." It drew a distinction between "interurban" and "suburban" railroads. A suburban system was oriented toward a city center in a single urban area and served commuter traffic . A regular railroad moved riders from one city center to another city center and also moved
1885-716: A reputation for flamboyance, offering the latest European fashion apparel. The opening of Hess's was following by the opening of a second major department store in the city, the Zollinger-Harned Company, located in the Zollinger-Harned Company Building on Hamilton Street. In the late 19th century, Allentown also emerged as a major center for the beer brewing industry. Notable Allentown breweries included Horlacher Brewery (founded 1897, closed 1978), Neuweiler Brewery (founded 1875, closed 1968), and Schaefer Beer , whose brewery
2030-637: A saw mill, a paint factory, two additional shoe factories, a piano factory, flour mills, breweries, and distilleries all opened in Allentown during the Civil War era. In 1883, Allentown Boiler Works was founded in Allentown by Charles Collum. Collum and his partner John D. Knouse built a large facility at 3rd and Gordon streets in Allentown's First Ward near the Lehigh Valley Railroad yard near what later became Kline's Island. The company manufactured iron products, some of which were used in
2175-627: A single ride as of January 2020 is $ 2.50 using cash or $ 2.00 using the Travel Wallet feature on a SEPTA Key card. Until September 1, 2014, the line used a "pay-as-you-exit" fare collection system on trains towards 69th Street Transportation Center. As part of a general change on several routes approaching 69th Street, passengers now pay onboard upon entering the train. Starting February 22, 2021, fares at 69th Street Transportation Center and Norristown Transportation Center are collected from station turnstiles at all times. The service runs seven days
2320-502: A small part of their extensive business empires, which often include real estate, hotels and resorts, and tourist attractions. For example, the Keikyu network has changed unrecognizably from its early days, operating Limited Express services at up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) to compete with JR trains, and inter-operating with subway and Keisei Electric Railway trains on through runs extending up to 200 kilometres (120 mi);
2465-436: A substantial amount of freight. The typical interurban similarly served more than one city, but it served a smaller region and made more frequent stops, and it was oriented to passenger rather than freight service. The development of interurbans in the late nineteenth century resulted from the convergence of two trends: improvements in electric traction, and an untapped demand for transportation in rural areas, particularly in
2610-887: A week from 5 AM to 2 AM. Local trains from 69th Street to Norristown stop at all 22 stations, and the trip lasts approximately 30 minutes. Occasionally, local trains may run only between 69th Street and Bryn Mawr, stopping at ten stations, or 69th Street and Hughes Park, stopping at 18 stations. Before 2019 during weekday peak periods (6:00–9:00 AM, 2:15–6:45 PM), the Norristown High Speed Line featured express and limited services, which stop only at select stations, therefore decreasing travel time between 69th Street and Norristown. Norristown Express service, denoted by red destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 22 minutes, stopping at only 16 stations. Norristown Limited service, denoted by blue destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 26 minutes and stops at 8 stations. All trains share
2755-418: Is a tendency to enunciate the 'v' with open lips, to soften the hard 'g' into 'ch,' and to use too frequently such words as 'already,' 'yet,' and 'once.' Here also are heard such colloquialisms as 'the pie is all,' (all gone) and 'it wonders (mystifies) me.' In October 1945, following the end of World War II , Western Electric opened a plant on Union Boulevard in Allentown. Six years later, on October 1, 1951,
2900-480: Is necessarily blurry. Some town streetcar lines evolved into interurban systems by extending streetcar track from town into the countryside to link adjacent towns together and sometimes by the acquisition of a nearby interurban system. Following initial construction, there was a large amount of consolidation of lines. Other interurban lines effectively became light rail systems with no street running whatsoever, or they became primarily freight-hauling railroads because of
3045-638: Is now owned by the state of Indiana and uses mainline-sized electric multiple units . Its last section of street running, in Michigan City, Indiana , was finally closed in 2022 for conversion to a grade-separated double-track line. SEPTA operates two former Philadelphia Suburban lines: the Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) as an interurban heavy rail line, and the Media–Sharon Hill Line (Routes 101 and 102) as
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#17327796560513190-625: Is today. Part of the Strafford branch right of way has been converted into the Radnor Trail . The PSTC was absorbed into SEPTA in 1970, eliminating the original railroad charter and immediately becoming the "Norristown High-Speed Line Trolley ", officially known as Route 100. Ridership on the Norristown Line peaked in 2016 at 3,429,300. The previous peak came in 2014 with 3,147,209 trips. Prior to this modern escalation in ridership
3335-536: Is usually used in North America, with other terms used outside it. They were very prevalent in many parts of the world before the Second World War and were used primarily for passenger travel between cities and their surrounding suburban and rural communities. Interurban as a term encompassed the companies, their infrastructure, their cars that ran on the rails, and their service. In the United States,
3480-574: The 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment , a new unit commonly known as the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Good secured help from William H. Gausler of Allentown, who was commissioned as a major with the regiment's central command staff, and John Peter Shindel Gobin , a senior officer with the Sunbury Guards in Northumberland County , who was repeatedly cited for valor and was promoted to colonel and ultimately commanding officer of
3625-652: The Badner Bahn , operates a classic interurban passenger service, in addition to some freight services. Some interurban lines survive today a local railways in Upper Austria are such as the Linzer Lokalbahn , Lokalbahn Vöcklamarkt–Attersee and Lokalbahn Lambach–Vorchdorf-Eggenberg . While others operate as extension of as local city tramways such as the Traunseebahn which is now connected to
3770-766: The Battle of St. Johns Bluff in Florida (October 1–3, 1862) before suffering a costly defeat in the Second Battle of Pocotaligo in South Carolina (October 21–23, 1862). They were the only Pennsylvania regiment to fight in the Union Army 's 1864 Red River campaign across Louisiana . While sustaining numerous casualties during the Red River campaign in the spring of 1864, the 47th Pennsylvania helped turn
3915-518: The Gmunden Tramway . Today, two surviving interurban networks descending from the vicinal tramways exist in Belgium. The famous Belgian Coast Tram , built in 1885, traverses the entire Belgian coastline and, at a length of 68 kilometres (42 mi), which is the longest tram line in the world. The Charleroi Metro is a never fully completed pre-metro network upgraded and developed from
4060-518: The Hardt Railway . Other examples include: Milan operates one remaining interurban tramway to Limbiate with another interurban route to Carate Brianza / Giussano suspended since 2011. These two lines were once part of large network of interurbans surrounding Milan that were gradually closed in the 1970s. In Japan, the vast majority of the major sixteen private railways have roots as interurban electric railway lines that were inspired by
4205-758: The Japan Railways Group along highly congested corridors is a hallmark of suburban railway operations in Japan. For example, on the Osaka to Kobe corridor, JR West competes intensely with both Hankyu Kobe Line and Hanshin Main Line trains in terms of speed, convenience and comfort. However, a number of urban lines in Japan did close as late as the 2000s, with networks in Kitakyushu and Gifu being shut down. Between Vienna and Baden bei Wien
4350-667: The Japanese National Railways network at the time. The (former JNR) Hanwa Line was a wartime acquisition from Nankai, operating 'Super Express' trains on the line at an average speed of 81.6 kilometres per hour (50.7 mph), a national record at the time. The old Sendai station terminus of the Miyagi Electric Railway (the predecessor of the JR Senseki Line ) was situated in a short single-track underground tunnel built in 1925; this
4495-901: The Lehigh Valley Transit Company ended its service on the Liberty Bell Route, and in 1953 the company ended all its remaining rail service. Two years later, the P&;W RR was taken over by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (PSTC), which was more popularly known as the Red Arrow Lines. In 1956, the Red Arrow abandoned the original branch between Villanova and Strafford, leaving only electric MU train service between 69th Street and Norristown, as it
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4640-1023: The Long Beach Line in Long Beach and Los Angeles, California (this was the last remaining part of the Pacific Electric system). The Long Beach Line was cut in 1961, the North Shore Line in 1963; the Philadelphia Suburban's route 103 and the NYS&;W in New Jersey both ended passenger service in 1966. Today, only the South Shore Line, Norristown High Speed Line (SEPTA Route 100), and SEPTA Routes 101/102 remain. Some former interurban lines retained freight service for up to several decades after
4785-586: The Low Countries , Poland and Japan , where populations are densely packed around large conurbations such as the Randstad , Upper Silesia , Greater Tokyo Area and Keihanshin . Switzerland, particularly, has a large network of mountain narrow-gauge interurban lines. In addition, since the early 21st century many tram-train lines are being built, especially in France and Germany but also elsewhere in
4930-668: The Mattapan Line in Boston. The purple color-coded line was formerly known simply as Route 100, but was officially changed to its current name in September 2009 as part of a customer service initiative by SEPTA. From 2024, the NHSL is to be rebranded as the M. The line has been subject to multiple accidents. The first recorded crash occurred near an Ardmore stop on January 26, 1987 injuring 19. The operator tested positive for drugs and
5075-841: The Meitetsu opened their first interurban lines in 1912, what today form parts of the Meitetsu Inuyama Line and Tsushima Line . In 1913, the first section of what will become the Keiō Line opened connecting Chōfu to just outside Shinjuku with street running on what is today the Kōshū Kaidō or National Route 20 . Kyushu Electric Railroad, predecessor to Nishitetsu opened its first interurban line in 1914 serving Kitakyushu and surrounding areas, taking heavy inspiration from Hanshin Electric Railway . The fortunes of
5220-552: The Midwestern United States . The 1880s saw the first successful deployments of electric traction in streetcar systems. Most of these built on the pioneering work of Frank J. Sprague , who developed an improved method for mounting an electric traction motor and using a trolley pole for pickup. Sprague's work led to widespread acceptance of electric traction for streetcar operations and end of horse-drawn trams. The late nineteenth-century United States witnessed
5365-529: The Pennsylvania Turnpike , and another following the utility right-of-way and Gulph Road. In 2014, SEPTA estimated that the expansion would cost between $ 500 million to $ 650 million, and was at least eight years away. On February 29, 2016, SEPTA announced the preferred route based on cost-efficiency and environmental impact. The route would have branched off from the main Norristown High Speed Line between Hughes Park and DeKalb Street , followed
5510-668: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W), which ran from the present 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania to a converted farmhouse station in Strafford, Pennsylvania . In 1911, the line was extended 0.47 miles (0.76 km) west to a new Strafford P&W station adjacent to the Pennsylvania Railroad's Strafford station , allowing easy interchange between
5655-411: The Philadelphia and Western Railroad line (which is why the line is referred to by locals as "the P&W"), the line runs entirely on its own right-of-way . By 2020, the Norristown High Speed Line had an average weekday ridership approaching 11,000 passengers. The Norristown High Speed Line is unique in its combination of transportation technologies. Originally chartered as a Class I (steam) railroad,
5800-577: The U.S. Gazetteer described Allentown as: A handsome and flourishing town of Northampton County, pleasantly situated on the point of land formed by the junction of the Jordan Creek and Little Lehigh . It is regularly laid out and contains about ninety dwellings, a German Lutheran and a Calvinist (Zion) Church, an Academy and three merchant mills. In 1792, land north of Allentown was purchased by Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company for coal mining , but it initially proved difficult to transport
5945-487: The 1840s, iron ore beds were discovered in hills around Allentown, and a furnace was constructed in 1846 by Allentown Iron Core Company for production of pig iron , a vital component used in the manufacturing of steel . The furnace opened in 1847 under supervision of Samuel Lewis, an expert in iron production , and was followed by the opening of other Allentown plants for production of a wide variety of metal products. In 1860, several smaller iron companies merged to create
Norristown High Speed Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
6090-589: The 1970s, the remaining interurban tramways have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in the form of the Sneltram , a modern light rail system that uses high floor, metro-style vehicles and could interoperate into metro networks. Various other interurbans in Europe were folded into local municipal tramway or light rail systems. Switzerland retained many of its interurban lines which now operate as tramways, local railways, S-Bahn, or tram-trains. Milan's vast interurban network
6235-590: The Allentown Rolling Mill Company, which became Allentown's largest iron company and contributed to the city and the greater Lehigh Valley region's emergence as a major source for iron ore. In 1850, Leh's , a shoe and ready-to-wear clothing store, was opened in the city by Henry Leh. By 1861, with the Civil War commencing, Leh's emerged as a major source of military boots for the Union Army . In addition to Leh's, eight brick yards,
6380-506: The Civil War in the Union's favor with victories in General Sheridan's 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign across Virginia, including in the Battles of Berryville , Opequan , Fisher's Hill , and Cedar Creek and then again contributing to the defense of the nation's capital following Lincoln's assassination on April 15, 1865. Other known Union Army units from Allentown included the 5th, 41st, 128th , and 176th Pennsylvania Infantries. On October 19, 1899, Allentown erected and dedicated
6525-412: The Jordan Artillerist, another Allentown-based militia. In April 1861, these Allentown units were deployed in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to defend the national capital in Washington, D.C. , following the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter. After the Civil War's end, many of these soldiers were named Pennsylvania First Defenders in recognition of their role as one
6670-502: The Lehigh Canal with direct competition for coal transport. Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad ordered four locomotives, and train stations were built in Allentown, Easton , and Mauch Chunk . In September 1855, the railroad became operational with the Central Railroad of New Jersey providing transport between Allentown and New York City . Transport between Allentown and Philadelphia was made available through Perkiomen Railroad, which operated between Norristown and Freemansburg . In
6815-410: The M4 Montgomery Express to King of Prussia, providing service between 69th Street Transportation Center , and First & Moore/Valley Forge station, and the M5 Norristown / King of Prussia making local stops between First and Moore/Valley Forge station and Norristown Transportation Center. After a period of public comment, SEPTA revised its plans to primarily refer to the line as the "M." The fare for
6960-416: The Netherlands a line from The Hague to Delft. Which opened as horse-tramway in 1866. Nowadays the line operates as Line 1 of The Hague Tramway . Line E, run by Randstadrail , was an interurban line connecting Rotterdam to The Hague and in the past also to Scheveningen. It now interoperates with the Rotterdam Metro . A large interurban network called the Silesian Interurbans still exists today connecting
7105-407: The Netherlands in earnest with the founding of the Tramweg Stichting (Tramway Foundation). Many systems, such as the Hague tramway and the Rotterdam tramway , included long interurban extensions which were operated with larger, higher-speed cars. In close parallel to North America, many systems were abandoned from the 1950s after tram companies switched to buses. Instigated by the oil crisis in
7250-405: The Norristown Transportation Center. The bridge was reopened in November 2013. The remaining $ 30 million renovation of the entire bridge structure is currently unscheduled. In 2021, SEPTA proposed rebranding their rail transit service as "SEPTA Metro", in order to make the system easier to navigate. Under this proposal, the Norristown High Speed Line was to be rebranded as the "M" (for "Montgomery",
7395-434: The Province of Pennsylvania. In 1752, Northampton and Berks counties were formed; Easton was named the county seat of Northampton County, and Reading the county seat of Berks County. In 1762, the land, including present-day Allentown, was named and laid out by Allen. A rivalry between the Penns and Allen may have inspired Allen to acquire the land and found the city. In 1763, a year after Allentown's founding, an effort
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#17327796560517540-402: The Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Hamilton and S. 7th streets in the Center City , where it still stands, in honor of these Union soldiers from Allentown and local Lehigh Valley towns and boroughs who were killed in defense of the Union's preservation during the Civil War. Beginning in the late 18th century, the city began to slowly grow as a hub for commerce and industrialization and as
7685-401: The U.S. formally entering World War I in 1917. The British nicknamed Mack AC 's five and seven-ton trucks the "Bulldog". Mack eventually grew to have eight manufacturing plants in Allentown and adopted the bulldog as it corporate brand. Beginning in the early 20th century, Syrian Christians from the region of Wadi al-Nasara ('the Christian Valley') began settling in Allentown, initially
7830-409: The US during their heyday. While most interurbans in Japan have been upgraded beyond recognition to high-capacity urban railways, a handful have remained relatively untouched, with street running and using 'lighter-rail' stock. To this day they retain a distinct character similar to classic American interurbans. These include: The only surviving interurban line is also the oldest regional tramway in
7975-739: The US. But instead of demolishing their trackage in the 1930s, many Japanese interurbans companies upgraded their networks to heavy rail standards, becoming today's large private railways. To this day, private railway companies in Japan operate as highly influential business empires with diverse business interests, encompassing department stores, property developments and even tourist resorts. Many Japanese private railway companies compete with each other for passengers, operate department stores at their city termini, develop suburban properties adjacent to stations they own, and run special tourist attractions with admission included in package deals with rail tickets; similar to operations of large interurban companies in
8120-454: The United States, particularly in the states of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Utah, and California. In 1900, 2,107 miles (3,391 km) of interurban track existed, but by 1916, this had increased to 15,580 miles (25,070 km), a seven-fold expansion. At one point in time beginning in 1901, it was possible to travel from Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin , to Little Falls, New York , exclusively by interurban. During this expansion, in
8265-411: The Valley Forge Casino Resort. On January 25, 2018, the SEPTA board approved a final route alignment, selecting the locally preferred routing from among the options studied in the project's draft environmental impact statement (EIS). The 4.5-mile (7.2 km) line was estimated to cost between $ 1 billion and $ 1.2 billion, with ridership estimated at 9,500 daily by 2040. In January, 2019, SEPTA engaged
8410-464: The bells down to cast into munitions. The bells were transported north to present-day Allentown by two farmers and wagon masters, John Snyder and Henry Bartholomew, and then hidden under floorboards in the basement of Zion Reformed Church at present-day 622 Hamilton Street in Center City Allentown , just prior to Philadelphia's September 1777 fall to the British. In 1803, the city, whose mail had previously been received in neighboring Bethlehem , had
8555-417: The border of the neighbouring City of Mississauga , unlike other Toronto radial lines which were all abandoned outside of the 1960s boundary of the City of Toronto . In Germany various networks have continued to operate. Karlsruhe revitalized the interurban concept into the Karlsruhe model by renovating two local railways Alb Valley Railway , which already had interoperability with local tram trackage, and
8700-404: The bridge (the Bridgeport Viaduct) carrying the Norristown High Speed Line over the Schuylkill River for four months. The bridge, which was built in 1911, had been deteriorating and needed to be rebuilt at a cost upwards of $ 30 million, though this repair project was budgeted at $ 7.5 million. As a result of closing the bridge, buses were used to transport passengers between the Bridgeport station and
8845-435: The city emerged in present-day Center City , which was then referred to as downtown Allentown. At least seven cinemas and stage theaters were developed on Hamilton Street between 5th and 10th streets. By the mid-1960s, Allentown's economy had been booming for decades but the city's rising taxes and regulations prohibiting expansion of the city's geographic limits began leading many of the city's residents, especially those in
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#17327796560518990-402: The city's lax zoning and city codes. With Allentown's neighborhoods and school system declining, the city focused on attempting to develop its Hamilton Street retail district, largely ignoring Allentown neighborhoods not located in Center City. This also exacerbated the flight of Allentown families to the city's suburbs, leading to the development of shopping centers and services to accommodate
9135-399: The city's name was officially changed to Allentown. But it soon faced major challenges. In 1841, a flood swept away Hamilton Street Bridge and inflicted substantial damage on areas of the city near the Lehigh River. Two years later, in 1843, Northampton Bank failed following excessive speculation by the bank, resulting in financial ruin for many bank customers. Five years later, on June 1, 1848,
9280-476: The city, and expanded their ranks, which were ultimately incorporated into the Continental Army . The burden of supplying the local militias fell on the people, and requisitions for food, grain, cattle, horses, and cloth were common. During the Revolutionary War, Hessian prisoners of war were kept in Allentown in the vicinity of present-day Seventh and Gordon streets. Allentown also housed four hospital structures, including one at Zion Reformed Church and one on
9425-551: The company manufactured and released the world's first transistor , which was produced at the Allentown-based plant, and the Allentown-based company emerged as a leader in the nation's post-war electronics revolution. By the mid-20th century, Allentown was a major retailing and entertainment center distinct and separate from Philadelphia and New York City . Hess's, Leh's, and Zollinger department stores led to retail sector growth in Allentown, and dozens of smaller retail stores, restaurants, hotels, banks, and professional offices in
9570-404: The construction of high-profile construction projects, including the building of the White House in Washington, D.C. , and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point . The company's boilers and kilns were used for the production of iron products sold nationally and internationally, including to customers in Canada , Cuba , and the Philippines . Brickworks flourished in Allentown through
9715-519: The country's railway infrastructure and cater to the post-war baby boom. The companies continued their policies of improvement they had followed before the war; lines were reconstructed to allow higher speeds, mainline-sized trains were adopted, street-running sections were rebuilt to elevated or underground rights-of-way, and link lines to growing metro systems were built to allow for through operations. Many of these private railway companies started to adopt standards for full-blown heavy rail lines similar to
9860-413: The county in which Norristown is located), with a purple color and numeric suffixes for service variants. The local service will be called the M1 Montgomery Local and the peak-hour express service will be called the M2 Montgomery Express. Had the proposed spur to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania been constructed, the proposal would have branded service utilizing the branch as the M3 Montgomery Local to KOP and
10005-519: The demand in these expanding suburban communities. In 1966, Whitehall Mall , the first closed shopping mall north of Philadelphia, opened in Whitehall Township. Ten years later, in 1976, the even larger Lehigh Valley Mall opened north of U.S. Route 22 in Fullerton . Stores in Allentown's downtown shopping district began closing, replaced with stores whose customers were less affluent. Large areas of Allentown's downtown were subsequently razed and replaced with parking lots. The downtown business district
10150-446: The dense vicinal tramway network around the city. Similar to the United States, in Canada most passenger interurbans were removed by the 1950s. One example of continuous passenger service still exists today, the Toronto Transit Commission 501 Queen streetcar line. The western segment of the 501 Streetcar operates largely on what was the T&YRR Port Credit Radial Line, a radial line that remains intact through Etobicoke and up to
10295-412: The discontinuance of passenger service. Most were converted to diesel operation, although the Sacramento Northern Railway retained electric freight until 1965. After World War II , many interurbans in other countries were also cut back. In Belgium, as intercity transport shifted to cars and buses; the large sections of the vicinal tramways were gradually shut down by the 1980s. At their peak in 1945,
10440-581: The early 1700s, the area that is present-day Allentown was a wilderness of scrub oak , where the Lenape , a Indigenous Peoples tribe, fished for trout and hunted for deer, grouse, and other game. In 1736, this large area north of Philadelphia was deeded by 23 chiefs of the Five Civilized Tribes to three sons of William Penn , founder of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania : John Penn , Thomas Penn , and Richard Penn . The price for
10585-418: The early 1900s interurban was a valuable economic institution, when most roads between towns, many town streets were unpaved, and transportation and haulage was by horse-drawn carriages and carts. The interurban provided reliable transportation, particularly in winter weather, between towns and countryside. In 1915, 15,500 miles (24,900 km) of interurban railways were operating in the United States and, for
10730-517: The early 1900s with some assistance from Thomas Edison . By the 1930s a vast network of interurbans, the Società Trazione Elettrica Lombarda , connected Milan with surrounding towns. In the first half of the 20th century, an extensive tramway network covered Northern England , centered on South Lancashire and West Yorkshire . At that time, it was possible to travel entirely by tram from Liverpool Pier Head to
10875-609: The early 20th century. Pennsylvania Guide , compiled by the Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration , described the Pennsylvania Dutch community's impact on Allentown's linguistic landscape, reporting in 1940 that: Allentown is among the few large Pennsylvania cities where newspapers still carry columns written in the dialect. Although English predominates on the streets, there
11020-661: The east at 339 miles (546 km) and had provided Pittsburgh-area coal country towns with hourly transportation since 1888. By the 1960s only five remaining interurban lines served commuters in three major metropolitan areas: the North Shore Line and the South Shore Line in Chicago, the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in northern New Jersey, and
11165-597: The end of World War I . The clay unearthed in various sections of Allentown and the city's suburbs proved suitable in manufacturing building brick and fire brick . Bricks were the first Allentown products shipped by rail and sold nationally. A vibrant food processing industry began emerging in Allentown following the arrival of predominantly German immigrant bakers, who were among Allentown's first settlers. In 1887, Wilson Arbogast and Morris C. Bastian formed Arbogast and Bastian, which provided large scale commercial slaughtering. With industrialization, Allentown emerged as
11310-526: The engineering firm HNTB to design Phase I of the project. On December 1, 2020, SEPTA held a meeting to update the proposed alignment. The final environmental impact statement was planned to be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in early 2021. Construction on the spur to King of Prussia was projected to cost $ 2 billion and service was expected to begin between 2025 and 2027. Five new stations were to be added to
11455-683: The first Patriot resistance to British colonialism in the Thirteen Colonies began in and around present-day Allentown. On December 21, 1774, a Committee of Observation was formed by Allentown-area patriots. Following the Declaration of Independence 's unanimous signing by the Second Continental Congress , British governing control in Allentown began to break down as patriot militias expanded their resistance. The patriot militias also pressured Tories out of
11600-461: The first five units to answer Lincoln's call for volunteers to defend the national capital. After protecting Washington, D.C., from April to July 1861, they were honorably discharged and returned home. However, a significant number of them reenlisted with the Union Army to defend the nation amidst the Civil War's escalation. On August 5, 1861, Andrew Gregg Curtin , Pennsylvania's Civil War -era governor, granted Tilghman H. Good authority to create
11745-457: The grounds of the present-day Farr Building , that were used in treating wounded Continental Army troops. After crossing the Delaware and prevailing in the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, Continental Army commander George Washington and his staff traveled through Allentown, where they proceeded up present-day Lehigh Street , then called Water Street. They stopped at the foot of
11890-557: The industry in the US and Canada declined during World War I , particularly into the early 1920s. In 1919 President Woodrow Wilson created the Federal Electric Railways Commission to investigate the financial problems of the industry. The commission submitted its final report to the President in 1920. The commission's report focused on financial management problems and external economic pressures on
12035-522: The industry, and recommended against introducing public financing for the interurban industry. One of the commission's consultants, however, published an independent report stating that private ownership of electric railways had been a failure, and only public ownership would keep the interurbans in business. Many interurbans had been hastily constructed without realistic projections of income and expenses. They were initially financed by issuing stock and selling bonds. The sale of these financial instruments
12180-656: The interurban whose private tax paying tracks could never compete with the highways that a generous government provided for the motorist." William D. Middleton , in the opening of his 1961 book The Interurban Era , wrote: "Evolved from the urban streetcar, the Interurban appeared shortly before the dawn of the 20th century, grew to a vast network of over 18,000 miles in two decades of excellent growth, and then all but vanished after barely three decades of usefulness." Interurban business increased during World War II due to fuel oil rationing and large wartime employment. When
12325-497: The interurbans were the fifth-largest industry in the United States. In Belgium , a sprawling, nation-wide system of narrow-gauge vicinal tramways have been built by the NMVB / SNCV to provide transport to smaller towns across the country; the first section opened in 1885. These lines were either electrically operated or run with diesel tramcars, included numerous street-running sections, and inter-operated with local tram networks in
12470-471: The land included shoes, buckles, hats, shirts, knives, scissors, combs, needles, looking glasses , rum, and pipes. On May 18, 1732, the land was deeded by Thomas Penn to Joseph Turner , an iron manufacturer and politician from Philadelphia. Two years later, on September 10, 1735, a 5,000-acre (20 km ) part of the land was purchased from Turner's business partner by William Allen , a wealthy shipping merchant and former mayor of Philadelphia . The land
12615-448: The larger cities. Similar to Belgium, Netherlands constructed a large network of interurbans in the early 1900s called streektramlijnen . In Silesia, today Poland, an extensive interurban system was constructed, starting in 1894 with a narrow-gauge line connecting Gliwice with Piekary Śląskie through Zabrze , Chebzie , Chorzów and Bytom , another connected Katowice and Siemianowice . After four years, in 1898, Kramer & Co.
12760-481: The late 1870s, Allentown's iron industry collapsed, leaving the city economically depressed. Efforts were made to diversify the city's industrial base, including convincing Phoenix Manufacturing Company to open a silk mill in Allentown. Adelaide Mill at Race and Court streets prompted the opening of Pioneer Silk Mill in 1886, and the city quickly emerged as a national leader in silk manufacturing. The silk industry grew to ultimately become Allentown's largest industry in
12905-400: The late 18th century. David Deshler, Allentown's first shopkeeper, opened a sawmill in the city in 1782. By 1814, industrial plants in Allentown included flour mills, sawmills, two saddle makers, a tannery and tan yard, a woolen mill, a card weaving plant, two gunsmiths, two tobacconists, two clockmakers, and two printers. In 1855, the first railroads to reach Allentown were opened, presenting
13050-587: The late 19th century and remained the city's largest industry through the end of the 20th century. In 1914, there were 26 silk mills in the city. By 1928, after the introduction of rayon , the number of Allentown silk mills grew to 85, and over 10,000 people were employed in the Allentown silk industry at the industry's height in the 1940s. In 1896, Max Hess, a retailer from Perth Amboy, New Jersey , visited Allentown and set about developing Allentown's first department store. He and his brother Charles opened Hess Brothers at 9th and Hamilton streets. Hess's developed
13195-707: The latter part of the 20th century, presenting a major challenge to Allentown's city government and the Allentown School District as it confronted greatly diminished resources. Allentown School District's financial challenges, in turn, further increased the working class flight to Allentown's suburbs, creating a sea change in the city's demographics. With the departure of many working-class families from older Center City neighborhoods , many homes were sold to landlords who converted them into inexpensive multifamily apartments, many of which became government-subsidized housing projects that were permitted under
13340-576: The line as follows: On March 17, 2023, SEPTA stopped work on the extension of the Norristown High Speed Line to King of Prussia after determining it would not have the money to proceed forward after the FTA denied a capital grant to the project. Interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway , with tram -like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban"
13485-400: The line is fully grade separated , collects power from a third rail , and has high-level platforms common to rapid transit systems or commuter rail systems such as New York City's Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad , but has onboard fare collection, mostly single-car operation, and frequent stops more common to light rail systems. Previously, the Norristown High Speed Line
13630-608: The line was legally defined as a tramway and included street running at the two ends, but was based on American interurbans and operated with large tramcars on mostly private right-of-way. In the same year, the Keihin Express Railway , or Keikyu, completed a section of what is today part of the Keikyū Main Line between Shinagawa , Tokyo and Kanagawa , Yokohama . This line competes with mainline Japanese National Railways on this busy corridor. Predecessors of
13775-478: The line's ridership was highest in 1973 at 2.86 million annual linked trips , and again in 1980 with 2.579 million annual linked trips. Ridership statistics for fiscal years 2000 and later are from SEPTA annual service plans. Data for years 1972 to 1997 are from the SEPTA 1997 ridership census. There may be some discrepancy in how the ridership is reported since the annual service plans report total unlinked trips, while
13920-741: The location where the Liberty Bell , then known as the State House Bell, was successfully hidden for nine months by American patriots to avoid its capture by the British Army after the fall of Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War . After George Washington's defeat at the Battle of Brandywine in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1777, the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia
14065-648: The long Cincinnati & Lake Erie Railroad (C&LE), and in Indiana with the very widespread Indiana Railroad . Both had limited success up to 1937–1938 and primarily earned growing revenues from freight rather than passengers. The 130-mile (210 km) long Sacramento Northern Railway stopped carrying passengers in 1940 but continued hauling freight into the 1960s by using heavy electric locomotives. Oliver Jensen, author of American Heritage History of Railroads in America , commented that "...the automobile doomed
14210-532: The mileage of vicinal tramways reached 4,811 kilometres (2,989 mi) and exceeded the length of the national railway network. Sprawling tram networks in the Netherlands extended to neighbouring cities. The vast majority of these lines were not electrified and operated with steam and sometimes petrol or diesel tramcars. Many did not survive the 1920s and 30s for the same reasons American interurbans went bust, but those that did were put back into service during
14355-607: The mountain spa resort of Hakone. Many private lines were nationalised during the Second World War. The handful that remained in the hands of JNR after the end of the war – including the Hanwa Line, Senseki Line and the Iida Line – remain outliers on the national JR network, with short station distances, (in the case of the Iida Line) lower-grade infrastructure, and independent termini (such as Aobadori Station and
14500-574: The national rail network, and, like JR commuter routes, are operated as 'metro-style' commuter railways with mainline-sized vehicles and metro-like frequencies of very few minutes. In 1957, the Odakyu Electric Railway introduced the Odakyu 3000 series SE , the first in a line of luxurious tourist Limited Express trains named ' Romancecars '. These units set a narrow-gauge speed record of 145 kilometres per hour (90 mph) on its runs to
14645-545: The original narrow gauge network was converted to standard, which allowed a connection with the new system in Sosnowiec. By 1931, 47,5% of the narrow-gauge network was reconstructed, with 20 kilometres (12 mi) of new standard-gauge track built. A large network of interurbans started developing around Milan in the late 1800s; they were originally drawn by horses and later powered as steam trams. These initial interurban lines were gradually upgraded with electric traction in
14790-614: The possibility of extending them into the countryside to reach new markets, even linking to other towns. The first interurban to emerge in the United States was the Newark and Granville Street Railway in Ohio, which opened in 1889. It was not a major success, but others followed. The development of the automobile was then in its infancy, and to many investors interurbans appeared to be the future of local transportation. From 1900 to 1916, large networks of interurban lines were constructed across
14935-490: The post- World War II baby boom generation , to flee Allentown for its suburbs. Salisbury , South Whitehall , and Whitehall townships each had large areas of farmland that were prime locations for residential real estate development. Much of Allentown's working class began migrating to these newer, less-expensive housing developments in Allentown's suburbs, which offered lower taxes, more green space, less crime, and newer schools. This demographic trend continued throughout
15080-521: The rail business altogether ran afoul of state commissions which required that trains remain running "for the public good", even at a loss. Many financially weak interurbans did not survive the prosperous 1920s, and most others went bankrupt during the Great Depression . A few struggling lines tried combining to form much larger systems in an attempt to gain operating efficiency and a broader customer base. This occurred in Ohio in year 1930 with
15225-419: The regiment. Companies A and E of the regiment were recruited primarily from Easton and Northampton County; Companies B, G, I, and K were largely recruited from Allentown; Company C was recruited from Northumberland and Juniata counties; Company F was primarily composed of men from Catasaqua ; and Companies D and H were recruited from Perry County . The 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers achieved Union victories at
15370-684: The region's high quality anthracite coal over the primitive trail system that then existed, resulting in only a limited amount of anthracite being mined until 1818, when the company began constructing the Lehigh Canal to transport coal from Mauch Chunk , later renamed Jim Thorpe, down the Lehigh River to the river's confluence with the Delaware River in Easton . The opening of Lehigh Canal in 1818 quickly transformed Allentown and
15515-423: The regions where they operated, particularly in Ohio and Indiana, "...they almost destroyed the local passenger service of the steam railroad." To show how exceptionally busy the interurbans radiating from Indianapolis were in 1926, the immense Indianapolis Traction Terminal (nine roof covered tracks and loading platforms) scheduled 500 trains in and out daily and moved 7 million passengers that year. At their peak
15660-562: The repair costs. The rise of private automobile traffic in the middle 1920s aggravated such trends. As the interurban companies struggled financially, they faced rising competition from cars and trucks on newly paved streets and highways, while municipalities sought to alleviate traffic congestion by removing interurbans from city streets. Some companies exited the passenger business altogether to focus on freight, while others sought to buttress their finances by selling surplus electricity in local communities. Several interurbans that attempted to exit
15805-494: The result of missionary activity in their villages by Pennsylvanian missionaries. The Syrian community eventually became a significant component of the city, largely concentrated in Allentown's Sixth Ward. There were an estimated 5,200 Americans of Syrian descent in Allentown and the Lehigh Valley in 2015. Like several other regions in Pennsylvania, Allentown residents continued speaking Pennsylvania German well into
15950-444: The ridership census uses linked trips, which may exclude passengers transferring from other lines. Effective June 14, 2010, SEPTA changed the names of four stations to reflect the streets on which they were located. Township Line Road (formerly West Overbrook Station), Roberts Road (formerly Rosemont Station), Stadium – Ithan Avenue (formerly Stadium Station) and DeKalb Street (formerly King Manor Station). In summer 2013, SEPTA closed
16095-438: The same two tracks, so a limited leaving Norristown, for example, will be immediately followed by a local, which stops at more stations, and therefore is spaced farther from the previous train. The next limited will catch up with it. Similarly, a local may leave Bryn Mawr right after an express stops there, and get to 69th Street just before the next express or limited catches up with it. A former Hughes Park Express service, which
16240-479: The seat of Northampton County and become a major national center for commerce due to its location along the Lehigh River and its proximity to Philadelphia, which was then the nation's largest and most influential city. In 1767, Allen granted the land to his son James. Allentown played a central role in both inspiring the American Revolution and supporting the subsequent Revolutionary War . Some of
16385-598: The street at a large spring at the present-day Wire Mill. There, Washington and his troops rested and watered their horses, and then proceeded to their post of duty. In 1777, a manufacturer of paper cartridges and muskets for the Continental Army relocated to Allentown from neighboring Bethlehem , and a shop of 16 armourers was established on Little Lehigh Creek , which was used to repair Continental Army weapons and manufacture saddles and scabbards for their use. Allentown holds historical significance as
16530-408: The surrounding Lehigh Valley from a rural agricultural area dominated by German -speaking people into one of America's first urbanized industrialized areas and expanded the city's commercial and industrial capacity. With this, Allentown underwent significant industrialization , ultimately becoming a major center for heavy industry and manufacturing. Allentown's industrial development accelerated in
16675-599: The town was launched. After World War I and the Silesian Uprisings, in 1922 the region (and the tram network) was divided between newly independent Poland and Germany, and international services appeared (the last one ran until 1937). In 1928 further standard gauge systems were established in Sosnowiec, Będzin and Dąbrowa Górnicza (the so-called Dabrowa Coal Basin - a region adjoining the Upper Silesian Coal Basin). Between 1928 and 1936 most of
16820-461: The trains retain a red livery based on the Pacific Electric's 'Red Cars', true to the company's interurban roots. The Keiō Line did not fully remove the street running section on the Kōshū Kaidō outside of Shinjuku Station until the 1960s, replacing it with an underground section. Similar to passenger railway conditions in early 1900s America, intense competition still exists today between private railways and mainline railways operated by
16965-463: The two lines. In 1912, a 6.2-mile (10 km) branch was constructed from Villanova Junction, 0.33 miles (0.53 km) west of the existing Villanova station, to Norristown. When the newly built branch quickly attracted more ridership than the Strafford main line, the Norristown section became the main line and the Strafford stretch was demoted to branch status; in the mid-1930s, the Strafford spur
17110-407: The upper level of Tennōji Station ). Today, trackage of the major sixteen private railways , in many places originally designed as American-style interurban railways, has been upgraded beyond recognition into high capacity urban heavy railways. Private railway companies that started out as interurbans such as Tokyu , Seibu , Odakyu , Hankyu and Tobu ; rail transportation now tends to form only
17255-478: The urban areas of the Upper Silesia . It is one of the largest interurban networks in Europe. In Łódź region, an interurban tram system connects Łódź, Pabianice, Zgierz and Konstantynów Łódzki, and formerly also Ozorków, Lutomiersk, Aleksandrów Łódzki, Rzgów and Tuszyn. Only three continuously operating passenger interurbans in the US remain with most being abandoned by the 1950s. The South Shore Line
17400-605: The village of Summit, outside Rochdale , a distance of 52 miles (84 km), and with a short 7 miles (11 km) bus journey across the Pennines, to connect to another tram network that linked Huddersfield, Halifax and Leeds. The first interurban railway in Japan is the Hanshin Electric Railway , built to compete with mainline steam trains on the Osaka to Kobe corridor and completed in 1905. As laws of that time did not allow parallel railways to be built,
17545-537: The war ended in 1945, riders went back to their automobiles, and most of these lines were finally abandoned. Several systems struggled into the 1950s, including the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad (passenger service ended 1950), Lehigh Valley Transit Company (1951), West Penn Railways (1952), and the Illinois Terminal Railroad (1958). The West Penn was the largest interurban to operate in
17690-628: The war years, or at least the remaining parts not yet demolished. One of the largest systems, nicknamed the Blue Tram , was run by the Noord-Zuid-Hollandsche Stoomtramweg-Maatschappij and survived until 1961. Another, the RTM ( Rotterdamse Tramweg Maatschappij ), which ran in the river delta south-west of Rotterdam , survived until early January 1966. Its demise sparked the rail-related heritage movement in
17835-576: The world. These can be regarded as interurbans since they run on the streets, like trams, when in cities, while out of them they either share existing railway lines or use lines that were abandoned by the railway companies. The term "interurban" was coined by Charles L. Henry , a state senator in Indiana. The Latin, inter urbes , means "between cities". The interurban fit on a continuum between urban street railways and full-fledged railroads. George W. Hilton and John F. Due identified four characteristics of an interurban: The definition of "interurban"
17980-511: Was chartered in July 1814, and the first Hamilton Street Bridge, a 530 feet (160 m)-long chain structure, was constructed over the Lehigh River . The bridge featured two suspended lanes, one for east and one for westbound traffic, and a toll house at the bridge's western end. In 1829, Lehigh Canal , a 46.6 miles (75.0 km)-long canal on the Lehigh River's east side, was completed for both ascending and descending navigation. Its construction
18125-461: Was chosen to start electrification on Katowice Rynek (Kattowitz, Ring) - Zawodzie line, after which Schikora & Wolff completed electrification of four additional lines. In 1912, the first short 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge line was built in Katowice . In 1913, a separate standard gauge system connecting Bytom with suburbs and villages west of
18270-487: Was common. Receivership was a common fate when the interurban company could not pay its payroll and other debts, so state courts took over and allowed continued operation while suspending the company's obligation to pay interest on its bonds. In addition, the interurban honeymoon period with the municipalities of 1895–1910 was over. The large and heavy interurbans, some weighing as much as 65 tons, caused damage to city streets which led to endless disputes over who should bear
18415-505: Was considered to be a light rail line, according to a 2008 SEPTA budget report; however, the line is currently considered an interurban heavy rail line, according to a 2009 SEPTA business plan, and subsequent capital budgets. It has also been categorized by the American Public Transportation Association as "Intermodal High Speed rapid rail transit". The service is similar in design and use to
18560-505: Was convicted on reckless endangerment. Another crash occurred on July 6, 2012 between Beechwood-Brookline and Penfield stations when the cars detached and came back together, injuring 2. In August 2017, there was a crash involving an unoccupied railcar at the 69th Street Terminal that injured more than 40 people. As a result, the maximum operating speed on the line was decreased to 55 mph (89 km/h) from 70 mph (110 km/h). The Norristown High Speed Line began service in 1907 as
18705-463: Was denoted by green destination signs, traveled nonstop from 69th Street to Beechwood–Brookline and made all stops from there to Hughes Park in approximately 22 minutes. Before December 7, 2020, if passengers wanted to board the train at the station, they would have to press a button on the platform, which turns on a light that tells the Operator to stop at the station. The train would only stop if it
18850-520: Was held. On April 13, 1861, with tensions between the nation's North and South intensifying following the South's secession and the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter , residents of Lehigh and Northampton counties called a public meeting in Easton to take steps to support the federal government . At the meeting, citizens voted to establish and equip the 1st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry ,
18995-406: Was initially located between present-day 4th and 10th streets and Union and Liberty streets and was initially named Northampton Towne. Many streets on the original plan were named for Allen's children, including Margaret (present-day 5th Street), William (now 6th Street), James (now 8th Street), Ann (now 9th Street), and John (now Walnut Street). Allen Street (now 7th Street), the city's main street,
19140-461: Was later acquired by Pabst and Guinness and is now owned by Boston Beer Company , brewer of Samuel Adams beer . In 1905, Jack and Gus Mack moved Mack Trucks , their motor company, from Brooklyn to Allentown, taking over the foundries of Weaver-Hirsh on South 10th Street. By 1914, Mack Trucks developed a global reputation for manufacturing sturdy and reliable trucks and vehicles. Many were sent to Western Front battlefields in France prior to
19285-493: Was left defenseless and American patriots began preparing for what they saw as an imminent British attack on the city. Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council ordered that 11 bells, including the State House Bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, and ten other bells from Philadelphia's Christ Church and St. Peter's Church , be taken down and moved out of Philadelphia to protect them from the British Army , which would melt
19430-645: Was made by Allen and others to move the county seat from Easton to Allentown, but the Penns' influence prevailed and the county seat remained in Easton. The city's original organization, whose archives are now housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, included 42 city blocks and 756 lots, most of which were 60 feet (18 m) in width and 230 feet (70 m) in depth. The city
19575-459: Was named for Allen himself. Hamilton Street was named for James Hamilton, deputy governor of colonial-era Pennsylvania from 1748 to 1754. Gordon Street was named for Patrick Gordon , an earlier deputy governor of colonial Pennsylvania. Chew Street was named for Benjamin Chew , and Turner Street was named for Allen's business partner Joseph Turner. Allen hoped that the city would displace Easton as
19720-588: Was narrowed to a single track for its last 1.74 miles (2.8 km) between the Wayne-St. Davids and Strafford stations, while the Norristown line received a sleek new art deco terminus at Main and Swede Streets. From Norristown, the P&W RR connected its tracks with the Lehigh Valley Transit Liberty Bell Route to provide direct electric train service from 69th St. Terminal to Allentown, Pennsylvania . However, in 1951,
19865-425: Was often local with salesmen going door to door aggressively pushing this new and exciting "it can't fail" form of transportation. But many of those interurbans did fail, and often quickly. They had poor cash flow from the outset and struggled to raise essential further capital. Interurbans were very vulnerable to acts of nature damaging track and bridges, particularly in the Midwestern United States where flooding
20010-423: Was ordering that cows in the city be moved from public streets to pastures, which proved unpopular with city residents. The following year, the city became part of Lehigh County , which was partitioned from a western section of Northampton County. Throughout the early 1800s, the city grew primarily as a court and market town. Northampton Bank, the city's first bank located at the northeast corner of Center Square,
20155-648: Was progressively closed in the 1970s but parts of it were reused as the outer parts of the Milan Metro . Development of Japanese interurbans strayed from their American counterparts from the 1920s. The second boom of interurbans occurred as late as the 1920s and 1930s in Japan, with predecessors of the extensive Kintetsu Railway , Hankyu , Nankai Electric Railway and Odakyu Electric Railway networks starting life during this period. These interurbans, built with straighter tracks, electrified at 1500V and operated using larger cars, were built to even higher standards than
20300-470: Was rebuilt in an attempt to compete with the newer suburban shopping locations. A multiblock row of stores known as Hamilton Mall was developed, featuring newly covered sidewalks and managed traffic patterns. But the effort was unsuccessful, and two of the city's major department stores, Leh's and Zollingers, were forced to close by 1990. The third, Hess's, was sold to The Bon-Ton in 1994, which closed its Hamilton Mall location two years later in 1996. In 1993,
20445-401: Was scheduled to stop at the station; otherwise, trains did not stop even if the passenger pressed the button. All trains stopped at terminals. After December 7, 2020, if passengers want to board the train at the station they have to be physically visible to the Operator for the train to stop. This is the same as on a light rail or tram/trolley line. In both cases detraining passengers must press
20590-466: Was surveyed in 1736 and again in 1753 as part of an effort to construct a road from Easton in the east to Reading in the west. The 1753 survey reported that a log house , owned by Allen and built around 1740, existed near the western banks of Jordan Creek . The house was used primarily as a hunting and fishing lodge by Allen, but he also used it to entertain prominent guests, including James Hamilton , his brother-in-law, and John Penn, then governor of
20735-551: Was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the nation as of 2020. Founded in 1762, Allentown is located on the Lehigh River , a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River . It is the largest of three adjacent cities, including Bethlehem and Easton in Lehigh and Northampton counties, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Allentown is located 48 miles (77 km) north of Philadelphia and 78 miles (126 km) west of New York City . In
20880-621: Was the first stretch of underground railway in all of Asia, predating the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line by two years. Meanwhile, existing interurbans like the Hanshin Electric Railway started to rebuild their street-running lines into grade-separated exclusive rights-of-way. After the war, interurbans and other private railway companies received large investments and were allowed to compete not only with mainline trains but also with each other, in order to rejuvenate
21025-482: Was the most important factor in making anthracite coal , one of the nation's most important domestic and industrial fuels, available to the nation's largest industrial markets in New York City , Philadelphia , and elsewhere. In 1855, the first railroad was built on the Lehigh River's west side, and rail soon began to surpass river transport as the means for transporting anthracite through the city. In 1838,
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