October 7, 1834
The completion of Pennsylvania’s first state-owned railroad was celebrated with an inaugural journey of two train cars on the entire route, which covered 82 miles (132 kilometers) between the borough of Columbia and the city of Philadelphia. Those train cars were pulled along by steam locomotives respectively named Columbia and Lancaster.
This milestone for the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (P&CR) occurred a little over two years after the opening of the first 20-mile (32.2-kilometer) stretch of this line between Philadelphia and an area just west of the community of Paoli.
Those on board for the P&CR train procession on October 7, 1834, included George Wolf (1777-1840), the governor of Pennsylvania from 1829 to 1835, and several other public officials. They departed from Columbia at eight o’clock that morning.
The next day’s edition of the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Inquirer and Daily Courier reported on what happened when those train cars finally reached the City of Brotherly Love. This newspaper stated, “A considerable crowd assembled yesterday afternoon at the rail road depot [on] Broad street, to greet the arrival of the first cars upon the double track of the great Philadelphia and Columbia Rail Road, and also to welcome the Governor of Pennsylvania, who had been invited to join in the interesting ceremonies.”
The Pennsylvania Inquirer and Daily Courier then noted, “The crowd assembled in considerable numbers at 4 o’clock, but the delay occasioned upon the route, prevented the arrival of the cars until half past six. His Excellency looked remarkably well, and was very cordially welcomed.”
The P&CR, which was one of the earliest commercial railroads in Pennsylvania, served as a link in an extensive transportation network within the Keystone State. This network was built in response to fierce economic competition from neighboring states. The P&CR remained in operation until 1857, when it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
(The attached drawing of the P&CR depot in Philadelphia was included in the 1854 book Locomotive Sketches, with Pen and Pencil.)
Image Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (P&CR), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_and_Columbia_Railroad
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