Philadelphia and Western Railroad
Up until 1951, the P&W tracks connected with the Lehigh Valley Transit Company's Liberty Bell Route at Norristown, providing service straight through from Upper Darby to Allentown.
The quality of the line was quite high, with no at-grade crossings, 2+1⁄2 % maximum grade, stone ballast, block signals, and 85 lb/yd (42.2 kg/m) rail.
[1] The Norristown Branch, which opened on December 12, 1912, while only 6.5 miles (10.5 km) long, represented a significant construction challenge due to the high standards maintained on the line's design.
[8] The park could accommodate 15,000 people and included 10 acres (4.047 ha) of rides, picnic grounds, and a lake with rowboats for rent.
In 1916, Moody's rated the company's 50-year Gold First Mortgage Bonds due 1960 as "E," meaning there was "uncertain security as to principal... and a margin of safety over interest as small.
For a number of years, interurban equipment of the Lehigh Valley Transit operated on the P&W from Norristown to the 69th Street Terminal.
In 1939, the LVT purchased a group of lightweight high speed cars known as "Red Devils" from the defunct Ohio interurban Cincinnati and Lake Erie, and they ran from 69th Street to Allentown as "Liberty Bell Limiteds."
The railroad operated local freight trains to various industries until 1970, when Merion Golf Course stopped its deliveries of sand and other materials.
Service is still provided on the Norristown High Speed Line today, using a fleet of 26 Class N-5 cars that feature AC-induction propulsion, steerable axles, very large windows, comfortable seating, and are capable of 80 mph (130 km/h).
The 12 cars that went to URR of SF had their bulkhead doors sealed and their MU capabilities removed, operating strictly as single-units.
They were originally equipped with rectangular-shaped bow collectors, which were later replaced with trolley poles for use in the carbarn area in addition to third rail shoes.
One type of vehicle used for this line were two 4-unit articulated train sets called "Liberty Liners", which were originally the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad's Electroliners.
These shovel-nosed high-speed trains featured a bar car and were capable of speeds exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h).
Built during the Great Depression, they were the first railroad equipment ever designed in a wind tunnel in order to lessen power consumption while quickening schedule timings.
And they did just that, cutting Norristown Express schedules by up to a third, from 24 to only 16 minutes while consuming some 40% less electric power than the MU equipment they replaced.
The bulkhead doors, vestibule steps, and trolley poles were later removed and headlights relocated to below the windshield to make them more aerodynamic and their motors were rewired from 60 to 100 hp (45 to 75 kW), increasing their top speed from 45 to 70 mph (72 to 113 km/h), making them easier to keep up with the newer Bullet trains.
They were never rebuilt, so with their top speed still only 45 mph (72 km/h), they had to be used strictly in rush hour short-turn service so they wouldn't get in the way of the other much faster trains.
These cars would have looked similar to PCC streetcars with their single, centered headlight and two-piece windshield.
