Before I purchased my first car in 2000, I got around mostly by taking SEPTA. It seems that SEPTA can reach just about every part of Philadelphia within the city limits, but once in the suburbs and beyond, transit services are quite limited. However, there are some areas that can be reached effectively by taking a train or bus, although not many. Before I brought my car, my favorite leisurely place to travel by train was Doylestown, which is at the end of the Lansdale/Doylestown train line. I’ll try to describe here what I remember from taking that train, which I haven’t done in over a decade.
I live in Langhorne Borough, so to go from where I live to Doylestown entirely by public transportation, I would start by walking from my house about four or five blocks to get on the 14 bus. From there, I would ride the bus about a mile and a half to the Langhorne train station. The West Trenton train line would take me inbound from Langhorne to Jenkintown, where I would switch trains. Along the way between Langhorne and Jenkintown, the train passed through about five miles of Lower Bucks County, mostly through Middletown and Bensalem townships. It then crosses the city limits and passes through a small corner of Northeast Philadelphia, where it stops at the Somerton and Forest Hills stations. After going back outside the Philadelphia city limits, it runs through a stretch of Montgomery County known as the Huntingdon Valley. The Philmont, Bethayres, and Meadowbrook stations all lie within that general area that has a Huntingdon Valley mailing address. The next areas are Abington and Jenkintown, where the station lies, as the tracks run along the boundary between Jenkintown and Wyncote boroughs. Just before Jenkintown station, the West Trenton line junctions in with the tracks coming from the Doylestown and Warminster lines. Once at Jenkintown, I would reverse directions and head back up the Doylestown line.
Since I usually would take this ride on Saturdays, there was a lengthy layover at Jenkintown. But there is also a nice park there with a long oval and back walkway along the Tacony Creek. When the weather is nice, that was a good place to pass time between trains. There wasn’t much nearby for shopping, except a deli to buy food, which I rarely shopped at. Most of my time would be spent walking through that park or sitting inside the station when it was open, which it usually was on Saturday mornings. There is a tunnel running under the tracks there for safe passageway between the inbound and outbound platforms.
Once I was on the Lansdale/Doylestown train, the first outbound stop was Glenside, after which there was another junction, where the Warminster bound trains would split off. After passing the North Hills and Oreland stations, the next stop was Fort Washington. I was used to going that way, since I worked in Fort Washington for a few years and took the train there. As the train approached Fort Washington, we passed under a few bridges, for Route 309, then the train trestle, and then the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In between the tracks and the turnpike, I remember seeing what looked like a small animal farm. If my memory is right, I think I saw horses and maybe sheep in that small strip of land, but I don’t know what exactly was being done in that space. It was a long time ago, but I remember something was done in that space. Living between a highway and an all freight train line doesn’t seem like an ideal place for people or animals. After Fort Washington came Ambler, and after that came Pennlyn and Gwynned Valley. I forget which two stations it lied between, but I remember the tracks ran right next to a sewage treatment plant somewhere in that area. I even remember once when the train had to stop briefly next to that plant, but I don’t remember being overwhelmed by fumes. After Gwynned Valley was North Wales. I travelled to North Wales a lot at the time, because I had some friends from my church that lived there, and spent a lot of time with them. There was also a small restaurant called the Hickory Pit at that station, which I ate at a few times.
At Lansdale there is a junction. The SEPTA line splits off to go in an eastward toward Doylestown. Straight ahead after the station is a rail yard, which was used by Conrail to park their freight engines. The north bound track stretched beyond that and ran through Upper Bucks County to Quakertown. At one time, that line ran straight to Allentown and Bethlehem, and carried passengers between Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley and beyond. I think passenger train service between Philadelphia and Allentown ceased at least a half century ago. Cars, buses, and highways made trains obsolete for travel and commuting between those two areas. At the time, there are no passenger trains going anywhere near the Lehigh Valley, unless there is a tourist line I’m not aware of.
After the SEPTA line leaves Doylestown station, it passes through some areas that have managed to remain rural through all these years. I remember crossing route 309 at Colmar station, and then crossing the county line over into Bucks at Link Belt station. After passing through New Britain and Chalfont, the train nears its terminal at Doylestown. The Doylestown station is within walking distance of the courthouse, as well as the Fonthill and Mercer Museums, and the shops on Main Street. Going back, I would usually ride the 55 bus, which runs up to Doylestown along route 611. I could take it to Noble Station, which is just outside Jenkintown and the next stop going north to West Trenton. What I liked about that route was the convenience of having a Barnes and Noble book store right by the station. If I had to wait close to an hour to take the next train, I could pass the time in the store.
Although I didn’t take a lot of trips there, I did like riding the train, and I liked Doylestown. It appealed to me simply because it’s a nice small town that could be reached by SEPTA, since I didn’t have a car. I always liked Central and Upper Bucks County, because as I was growing up, those areas were still rural. It seemed almost like going back in time. Most of it is now built up, but Doylestown retained its small town quaintness. And since I had a monthly trail pass, I figured I might as well use it.
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