Pomeroy and Newark Railroad

Pomeroy and Newark Railroad

Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Pomeroy and State Line Railroad, Newark and Delaware City Railroad
Founded	1881
Defunct	1917
Fate	Acquired by Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary)
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Pennsylvania, Delaware
Parent	Pennsylvania Railroad (later)

The Pomeroy and Newark Railroad operated between 1881 and 1917 across Pennsylvania and Delaware, extending from Pomeroy, Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line southward to Newark, Delaware. At Porter, Delaware, it linked with the preexisting Delaware Railroad (DRC). Established through the consolidation of the Pomeroy and State Line Railroad and the Newark and Delaware City Railroad in 1881, it eventually became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad network. In December 1917, ownership transferred to the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad, a Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary that succeeded the PW&B.

While most of the rail route has been discontinued, the portion running from Newark to Delaware Bay continues to be in use.

History

The creation of the Pomeroy and Newark Railroad stemmed from a series of mergers following a foreclosure event. Its antecedents included the Delaware and Pennsylvania Railroad (chartered in 1857) and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railroad—originally incorporated in 1868 as the Doe Run and White Clay Creek Railroad before being renamed in 1870. By 1873, these companies had completed a line stretching from Pomeroy on the Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line southward to Newark and then southeast toward Delaware City. That same year, they combined to form the Pennsylvania and Delaware Railway. After facing foreclosure in 1879, two new entities—the Pomeroy and State Line Railroad (incorporated 1880) and the Newark and Delaware City Railroad (incorporated 1880)—acquired its assets. The latter sold its southeastern segment beyond Newark to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B). These two companies merged in December 1881, creating the Pomeroy and Newark Railroad. Subsequently, it was absorbed into the Pennsylvania Railroad system; by December 1917, it was sold to the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad.

Passenger operations ceased in September 1928, with freight service abandonment commencing in 1936. By the mid-1940s, active service remained only around Newark and northward from Chatham. These sections survived through the dissolution of Penn Central in 1976, aside from a reduction between Chatham and Doe Run during the 1960s. When Conrail took over, it retained only a short segment at Newark but continued subsidized contract freight service along a stretch between Pomeroy and Buck Run until approximately 1980. Following Conrail's division in 1999, Norfolk Southern assumed control over operations on the Newark portion.

Several stretches of this former railway corridor have been converted into recreational trails. Between Newark and Hopkins Road within White Clay Creek State Park, the former railbed serves as part of the Pomeroy and Newark rail trail. In Pennsylvania, sections are incorporated into segments of both the Charlie Bailey Trail and Penndel Trail inside White Clay Creek Preserve. Additionally, areas in Landenberg, PA accommodate portions of Mill Race Trail and Landeberg Junction Trail.

Ownership of the track from Newark to Delaware City passed to Norfolk Southern. This segment remains active up to an oil refinery located west of Delaware City; however, tracks extending beyond this refinery toward Delaware City's waterfront have been abandoned and now belong to refinery property.