Beechwood–Brookline station

Beechwood–Brookline station is a SEPTA rapid transit station in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania. It serves the Norristown High Speed Line and is located at Edgewood and Strathmore Roads, although SEPTA gives the address as Beechwood and Karakung Drives. All trains stop at Beechwood–Brookline. The station lies 2.5 track miles (4.0 km) from 69th Street Terminal. It serves the walkable, pre-War neighborhoods of Beechwood and Brookline.^[1] It is also situated closely to Haverford's middle and high schools. The station has off-street parking available.

Beechwood–Brookline
Beechwood Brookline station
General information
Location	Edgewood and Strathmore Roads Haverford Township, Pennsylvania.
Coordinates	39.9865°N 75.2916°W / 39.9865; -75.2916
Owned by	SEPTA
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
History
Opened	1907
Electrified	Third rail
Previous names	Beechwood Park (1907–)
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station Wynnewood Road toward Norristown T.C. Norristown High Speed Line Penfield toward 69th Street T.C.
Former services Preceding station Lehigh Valley Transit Company Following station Wynnewood Road toward Allentown Liberty Bell High Speed Line Until 1951 Penfield toward 69th Street Preceding station Philadelphia and Western Railroad Following station Wynnewood Road toward Strafford Strafford Branch Until 1956 Penfield toward 69th Street
Pending services Preceding station SEPTA Metro Following station Wynnewood Road toward Norristown Penfield toward 69th Street
Location

The land use around the station is single-family residential and recreation.^[1] There is a small shopping district on Edgewood Road in the Brookline/Penfield neighborhoods.^[1] It has the third highest boardings of Haverford Township stations, after Ardmore Junction and Penfield, taking 5 minutes to arrive at 69th Street Transportation Center.^[1] 69% of commuters parking at the station live within a mile of the station and 36% live within a half mile.^[1] There is no bicycle infrastructure at the station.

The station is located near the Haverford Heritage Trail, a segment of trail in the Powder Mill Valley that is part of the proposed Forge-to-Refuge circuit trail.^[2][3]

History

The Beechwood-Brookline station was pivotal in the development of the Beechwood and Brookline neighborhoods in Haverford Township, both of which are examples of early 20th century streetcar suburbs.

Beechwood Park opened in 1907 as the first stop north of the Philadelphia and Western Railroad southern terminus.^[4][5] The railroad opened Beechwood Amusement Park adjacent to the site to attract patrons.^[6] It cost $200,000 to construct, or $6.7 million in equivalent purchasing power in 2025.^[7][8] Attractions of the park included a double wire act, a Venetian gondola, carrousel, roller coaster, merry-go-round, hippodrome, pony track, a "moving picture show", shooting gallery, miniature railway, double trapeze, acrobats and aerialists, and a circus of trained Scotch collie dogs.^{[9][10][11][12]} The opulently run park quickly ran into financial difficulties, losing $700 a week, or $23,494 in equivalent 2025 dollars, by July of 1907.^[7][13] The financial woes of the park were blamed on "bad weather and some features of the management".^[7] The park operated only until 1908.^[14] It was sold at auction on January 19, 1909, to a sole bidder who was "anxious to secure the property to save the expense of foreclosure proceedings".^[15] The remnants are within sight of the station, a lone buttress or foundation that sticks out upon a hill overlooking the station.

Gallery

• 
  Advertisement for the Brookline neighborhood, anchored by the Beechwood-Brookline Station.
• 
  Beechwood-Brookline Station in 1907
• 
  Sign on the slope of the station along Karakung Drive, welcoming the Beechwood neighborhood.
• 
  Streetcar Suburban neighborhoods serviced by the station, centered on this map.
• 
  Stone Pillars installed by the developers A.E. Mueller to welcome prospective Brookline home buyers as they got off at the station
• 
  Beechwood Amusement Park, 1907

References

1. "Haverford Township Norristown High Speed Line Parking and Pedestrian Access Study" (PDF). DVRPC. August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. Coalition, Bicycle (2016-06-22). "'Forge to Refuge Trail' to Connect Valley Forge with Heinz Refuge - Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia". Retrieved 2025-01-09.
3. "Haverford Heritage Trail". hht.havtrail.com. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
4. American Street Railway Investments. McGraw Publishing Company. 1907. p. 355.
5. "Brookline". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 7 July 1907. p. 9. Retrieved 4 August 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Meyers, Allen; Spivak, Joel (2003). Philadelphia Trolleys. Arcadia Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 9780738512266.
7. "Beechwood Park in Receiver's Hands". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 24, 1907. p. 3.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
8. "$200,000 in 1907 → 2025 | Inflation Calculator". www.in2013dollars.com. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
9. "Elks' Week at Beechwood". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 14, 1907. p. 3.
10. "Beechwood Park's Attractions". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 16, 1907. p. 15.
11. "A New Amusement Park". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 24, 1907. p. 2.
12. "Free Circus at Beechwood". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 23, 1907. p. 18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
13. "$700 in 1907 → 2025 | Inflation Calculator". www.in2013dollars.com. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
14. "Site 7: Beechwood Station/Park/Bridge". Haverford Heritage Trail. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
15. "Beechwood Park Sold at Auction". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 20, 1909. p. 8.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links

• SEPTA – Beechwood–Brookline station
• Karakung Drive entrance from Google Maps Street View
• I Live in Harford: Beechwood — includes pictures of original P&W station