Wilmington Rail Viaduct - History

History

The rail line through Wilmington, originally constructed by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad in 1837, came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) when it bought a controlling interest in the PW&B in 1881. As the PRR digested its Gilded Age acquisitions, freight traffic on its lines boomed, increasing by 64% between 1897 and 1902 in the recovery following the Panic of 1893. Longer, heavier, and more frequent trains pushed the railroad's existing infrastructure to its limits; however, they also brought an enormous increase in earnings. During the beginning of the 20th Century, the PRR invested a portion of these profits in improving its rights-of-way and expanding capacity throughout its system.

An important component of these improvements was grade crossing elimination. In many of the cities served by PRR lines, the railroad tracks ran at ground level, crossing the streets at grade. As train speeds increased and traffic swelled, preventing grade crossing accidents became increasingly difficult. In Wilmington, the PRR had already built the Shellpot Branch in 1888 to divert through freight traffic through the sparsely developed marshes to the south of the city. However, many industries along the Christina waterfront still required local freight service, and congestion in the city streets remained a serious problem.

In February 1901, the PRR's Annual Report announced the railroad's intention to make extensive improvements to its line between Philadelphia and Washington, DC. In the Wilmington, the planned improvements included the double-tracking of the Shellpot Branch, the elevation of the main line through the city, and the construction of a new station along the elevated main line. The railroad's shops were also to be moved from 3rd and Church Streets to Todd's Cut, to the east of the city near Edgemoor. This would allow ample room to expand the shops, and would make room for a realignment of the main line to reduce curvature and increase train speeds.

The original plan for the viaduct called for a double-track structure, enclosed between two stone walls 12 and 14 feet (3.7 and 4.3 m) high, which would largely follow the previous alignment of the main line. The choice of stonework reflected prevailing practice on the PRR and its rival, the New York Central. The choice of stone, in preference to steel bridges, reflected engineering conservatism on the part of the railroads, and also associated the railroad structures with a sense of permanency and a monumental aesthetic. The PRR's Chief Engineer, William H. Brown, was particularly known for his advocacy of stone construction, and it was under his direction that the railroad's engineering department drew up the plans for the viaduct.

City streets were to be crossed by iron bridges, minimizing roadwork. The railroad originally planned to build iron bridgework to connect old and new segments of the main line during construction to minimize service disruptions. However, it was not required, because service was able to continue on the old main line without interruption. Plans also had to be altered in the West Yard area, where marshy ground dictated the construction of an arched viaduct rather than a fill. Construction commenced in the spring of 1902, starting in the area around Wilmington station and working outwards. Simultaneously, construction began from LANDLITH toward the Brandywine. The original completion date of mid-1905 was not met, in part due to a general retrenchment which temporarily stopped the work, apart from the Brandywine Creek bridge, on March 1, 1904. The southbound tracks were placed in service from the new Wilmington Shops south across the Brandywine to 5th Street on August 25, and on September 24, construction work resumed to add a third track from the Brandywine to the shops. The new swing bridge over the Brandywine was opened on March 1, 1906, and the southbound tracks were opened over the length of the viaduct on January 28, 1907. The northbound tracks were opened on March 16; however, the side of the new Wilmington station serving those tracks did not go into service until July 7, 1908.

As early as 1918, the PRR had begun electrifying some of its lines radiating from Philadelphia to replace steam trains with double-ended multiple unit cars to ease congestion at its terminal. Extension of the electrification program to Wilmington was announced on March 25, 1926, and electrified local service opened on September 30, 1928.

The PRR continued to operate service over the viaduct until its 1968 merger with the New York Central Railroad to form the Penn Central Transportation Company. After the bankruptcy of Penn Central in 1976, the viaduct, with the rest of the Northeast Corridor, was transferred to Amtrak, which currently maintains and operates it.

Construction of the viaduct had a significant effect on the development of Wilmington. In addition to emphasizing the stability and importance of the PRR, the elevated fill both visually and spatially separated the Christina River waterfront from the rest of the city north of Front Street. It served to both maintain and screen the heavy industries that grew up along the waterfront during the 20th Century. With the passing of these industries and the redevelopment of the Wilmington waterfront, the viaduct now forms one boundary of the city's riverfront district.