Item Info

Item 1: entire page (folded):  The Philadelphia Belt Line (PBL) Railroad Company project was a plan to break the monopoly of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between the Schuylkill River the Port of Philadelphia.  According to the newspaper article, PBL was chartered as a public real estate holding company in 1889.  Its proposal was to lay 18 miles of new railroad tracks--16 of which would be along the waterfront-- to provide access between the rivers, from Tacony on the Delaware River, to Point Breeze on the Schuylkill River.  They wouldn't operate any trains of their own, but lease access to the new railroad line to all interested area railroads, giving them equal and convenient access to the Port.  This newspaper article was written in November 1889, between the March 1889 proposal and its passing in December 1890.  The two before-and-after simplified schematic drawings portray the dramatic changes anticipated by the project.  The "before" image appears to demonstrate the prominence between Callowhill and Reed streets of the Pennsylvania Railroad on the Schuylkill River, with no significant competition. The "Chinese Wall" refers to huge PRR-operated elevated rail viaducts, which effectively blocked other railroad companies' access between the Schuylkill River and Broad Street; they also divided neighborhoods and limited development.  The "after" image optimistically envisions a multitude of local railroad companies operating at the Port. Text and drawings for an unidentified newspaper, 33.5 x 33.5 cm, November 1889.