Ranya's Ramblings

North Broad is a train station on SEPTA's main line. Particularly, it serves the Manayunk - Norristown, and Lansdale - Doylestown lines.  North Broad possibly is also one of the saddest stations I have ever seen.  History Corner of the old station house The station used to be a much grander station on the Reading Railroad. Originally called Huntingdon st station, this station was rebuilt immediately before the Great Depression when passenger amounts heavily dwindled. Then, other things like World War Two and the rise of cars, the subway, and suburbia further dwindled the use of this station. Sometime around the 1960s to 1970s, the original station building was shut down and sold, and the two shelters you see today were built.  Station Tour Station gate The station starts at a gate on Broad Street. Enter the gate, and you immediately are greeted with a long ramp and the SEPTA map.  The map Part of the walkway...

Ah yes, part two of my ongoing series on the North Philadelphia Station Complex  North Philadelphia CHW is a station on the Chestnut Hill West line, located in North Philadelphia (hence the name), near 16th and Indiana. Much like most of the other North Philadelphia stations, this station is absolutely awful, and it's not hard to see why.  History  I can't find any old photos of this area directly, but it was always an extra area just off of the main station, as seen from the only aerial photo I found of the station. The station used to at least have a station house and shelters. Those are all gone, and replaced by... Nothing. Concrete Platform Tour Chestnut Hill West Train There isn't much of anything here. There are two bus stop type shelters, and nothing else.  Everything To add insult to injury, the shelters are in very bad condition. The Center City shelter has all of its glass broken, and papers are taped to the pillars of th...

Sign on the side of the Head House North Philadelphia BSL is a station on SEPTA's Broad Street Line. The station is located at Broad, between Lehigh and Glenwood avenues. The station is part of the North Philadelphia Station Complex. Express and Ridge trains sometimes stop here, having the ability to do so. Why isn't this station called Lehigh? Another sign, this one in the station. This is a question I see a lot, and its answer has to do with the station's history. The station was built in the late 1920s, and the nearby Pennsylvania Railroad station of North Philadelphia was a major station at the time. It was a boon for the station to have the name at the time, though now is a much different story.  Obligatory Station Tour BSL train at North Philadelphia Station There is a lot at this station, and it's very interesting how this station is laid out. There are two entrances/exits, Lehigh Avenue and Glenwood Avenue.  Like t...

Map, it's all spread out a bit The "North Philadelphia Station Complex" as I call it is a group of four stations within the vicinity of Broad and Lehigh, in Philadelphia, PA. I would put these into one review but I would not be able to due to the limitations of this platform, so instead it will be a four part series.  There's a reason this is happening now, and not in September when I visited the stations, one you will quickly understand. Maybe you already understand it with some background knowledge.  Until then, safe travels, everyone!  Update: Here are links to all of them!  North Philadelphia BSL North Philadelphia CHW North Broad North Philadelphia Main Update #2: There are plans to replace all of this with a much better station. I hope they happen

The sign, taken from atop a nearby hill Neshaminy Falls is a train station on SEPTA's West Trenton Line, located in Oakford, PA (itself located within Bensalem Township).  History Past iteration of Neshaminy Falls station  Neshaminy Falls station was built in 1888, torn down by a windstorm, and then rebuilt again immediately after. The station looked like this until about 1970 when the entire building was razed. Then, the current station facilities were built in a much less grand fashion. Nothing much happened on the other side of the track Getting to the station Parking Lot Getting to this station is quite an ordeal. Although Neshaminy Falls is connected to transit, the area immediately outside of Neshaminy Falls station is not conducive to walking in any way, shape, or form. Instead, there is a dire lack of needed sidewalks. The ground around this station is also very hilly, making the area even less conducive to walking.    Stat...