I’ve always loved the former PRR Octoraro Branch, so when the opportunity to check in on its current operator arose, I took it.
Kennett Square
Retro Photos: The Octoraro /Brandywine Valley / Delaware Valley in the Early 2000
I was really interested in the Octoraro Railroad when I was younger. It was about 30 minutes from home, but seemed incredibly exotic. I was surrounded by CSX’s Philly Sub and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, but from my Kalmbach railroad guide, I learned that the Octoraro had an all Alco roster running through bucolic country. When I was finally old enough to go on my own, I went to go check it out.
The East Penn in Kennet Square: June 2008
I’ve always found the former PRR Octoraro Branch interesting. It runs through a rural area that happens to be almost directly in the middle of the Northeasern Megalopolis. It’s also had a changing shortline scene since the beginning of Conrail. I caught the power from its latest owner, East Penn, laying over in the operational HQ of Kennett Square.