Station Review #116: Daylesford (SEPTA)


Daylesford is a station on SEPTA's Paoli-Thorndale Line. The station is located at Lancaster Pike and Glenn Avenue in Daylesford, PA. Daylesford is a small village mainly located within Tredyffrin Township, with its southwestern corner in Easttown township, with it's center being near the train station itself. Daylesford station is the least used station along the Paoli-Thorndale Line

History

The Daylesford Station that's here now is a far different Daylesford station than the one that was originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1890 as a quick infill. It was named by a man named Richerd Graham, a resident of what used to be the old Blue Ball inn, which was right next to the station. When looking for a station name, he suggested Daylesford, because Graham was interested in Warren Hastings, who had his family estate in Daylesford, UK 

Very little else is known about this station. Frankly, looking at a picture of the old station, this should surprise nobody. It was a small shed off the inbound side of the rail line. Wikipedia erroneously states that the original station was located at Conestoga Lane, but maps of the Main Line area (Overbook to Paoli stations) from 1913 show that the station was in the same location as the current station. 

Sometime in the early 2000's, the old station shed was burned down. Wikipedia states that this happened in 2000, though this information cannot be trusted for obvious reasons. What is known is that SEPTA rebuilt the station itself with a larger inbound shelter and far more parking. 

Tour

Train

I don't think I even need to explain that this is not a good train station. 

Inbound platform on other side of the fence

At the inbound platform, there's a large shelter with benches, maps and schedules. In a lot of ways, it's similar to Meadowbrook station on the West Trenton Line. 

The outbound platform, however? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! The platforms are lower than the actual train tracks! Sure, it's not to a horrendous amount like at West Baltimore, but that still means that it's inaccessible. And that's not even getting into the state of the platforms themselves, which look like they're not in good shape at all. 

Parking

At this point, Daylesford basically only exists to be an extra parking lot for Paoli station. 

Ramp to Old Lancaster Road

Ironically, there's a ramp to the platform, which is useless because the station is inaccessible. 

Passageway under the station that goes between the platforms

Going between the platforms is not very simple. Theoretically, it should be a simple task, just go along Old Lancaster Road. Alas, this involves walking along a completely unprotected path that's abnormally thin for a sidewalk. Neither is this a very good path between the platforms but it's also not even accessible as a sidewalk. 

The inbound platform from below

To get to the inbound platform, you just need to go up the stairs from Lancaster Pike. 

Zoomed in photo

Bus Connections


Daylesford has one bus connection:
 
  • 106 - Paoli to 69th St Transit Center: This bus is essentially a local bus that goes along Lancaster Pike through most of the Main Line towns, giving them local bus service. In Ardmore, the bus goes onto Argyle road and then Haverford Road in Wynnewood. Basically every station between Ardmore and Paoli connects to this bus

Points of Interest Near Daylesford


It's really more of a lack thereof. Daylesford is defined by being the empty nothingness between Paoli and Berwyn. East of Glenn Avenue going all the way to Berwyn-Paoli Road is the original downtown of Daylesford, which at this point is mostly dental and doctors offices. West of Glenn Avenue is newer development along Lancaster Pike, which is just average suburban sprawl. This is where any stores in Daylesford are. Besides that, there's essentially nothing else there. What makes all of this even worse is that none of this is walkable at all whatsoever, as the sidewalks here disappear often, so it's not like you could explore much even if you wanted to. 
 

Statistics


Name: Daylesford
Agency: SEPTA
Line(s): Paoli-Thorndale Line
Locality: Daylesford
Municipality: Tredyffrin Township
County: Chester
State: Pennsylvania
Ridership: 490 riders per average weekday (2017)

Amenity Checklist


Accessible: ×
Bathrooms: ×
Bicycle parking: ✓
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ×
Existence is justifiable: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Good Wayfinding: ✓
Indoor Shelters: ×
Maps: ×
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Adequate Parking: ✓
Safe to use: ✓
Seating: × (only inbound)
Shelters: × (only inbound)
Station In Good Condition: × 
TVMs: ×
Ticket Offices: ×
TOD: ×
Train Departure/Arrival Info (countdown clocks): ×
Updated/Useful Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 2/10.
 

Station Directory

--------Philadelphia County--------
''''''''Center City Zone''''''''
Jefferson (Market East)
Suburban
30th Street
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
--------Montgomery County--------
Merion
Narberth
Wynnewood
Ardmore
Haverford
''''''''Zone 3''''''''
Bryn Mawr
--------Delaware County--------
Villanova
Radnor
Wayne
--------Chester County--------
Stratford
Devon
Berwyn
Daylesford
''''''''Zone 4''''''''
Paoli
Malvern
Exton
Whitford
Downingtown


 

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