Chester Valley Rail Trail

Friday, September 24, 2021

Hi Blog!

On Wednesday, we made our way from the Catskill Mountains in New York to West Chester, Pennsylvania. We just got into camp before a huge storm front enveloped us. It rained all night Wednesday and all day Thursday. This area of Chester County was already hit hard by Hurricane Ida. There are so many roads closed, because bridges were washed out, that our Garmin GPS can't keep track of them all. We have been relying on our phones and Google Maps to get us from here to there. We did run a few errands on Thursday and managed to get totally soaked in the process.

By Friday, the storm had passed. We woke to a misty, moisty morning which gave way to a brilliant blue sky day. We finished the last of our errands Friday morning and looked around for a fun outdoor activity. Because of all the recent rain, hiking and paddling were not good options, so we cast about for a good rail trail on which we could ride our bikes. We found the Chester Valley Trail in Exton.

The Chester Valley Trail is located on the old roadbed of the Chester Valley Railroad, a branch of the Reading Railroad. Completed in 1853, the railroad hauled out limestone and lime from booming Great Valley quarries and hauled in coal to fuel lime kilns. Before trucks proliferated in the 1920s, the railroad carried livestock, dairy and produce from thriving local farms to ready markets in Philadelphia. Passenger service ended in 1935 and freight service at the end of the century. In its heyday, the Chester Valley Railroad delivered the mail, united families, conveyed merchandise, carried the news, and provided a modest means of transport for the frugal and the well-to-do. As a rails-to-trails conversion, the railroad is still serving the public today.

As we drove over to the trailhead, we were surprised to see how much of the area had developed since we retired at the end of 2011.  In fact, the trailhead wasn't a trailhead at all. It was a parking lot on Main Street in commerical-burbia! After a couple busy intersections waiting for traffic lights, we found a long section of uninterrupted trail.

In 2009, Chester and Montgomery Counties began to convert the railbed into a trail. Plans call for extending it westward to Downingtown. There is also a planned extension eastward to Bridgeport, which would include a connection to the Schuylkill River Trail, giving access to Valley Forge National Historical Park to the north and Philadelphia to the south. 

Fun fact, when Kathy was a working stiff, she prepared a number of deeds and easements that allowed the trail to go around the Vanguard Corporate Park rather than through it.

During our time working in Great Valley, there had been constant highway construction. We were amazed to see some of the completed results, including the brand new tunnel under Route 202 and 30. Kathy was so excited that she made loud choo-choo noises that echoed as we rode through.

We first noticed this building was practically on the trail. The owners have an amazing garden. While they may have to put up with hikers, bikers and walkers, they don't have to worry about trains going by in the middle of the night.

As it turns out, this house was actually one of many small train stations along this rail line. There were 13 stations between Downingtown and Bridgeport. Several were torn down and others were moved or repurposed.  This house was the Mill Lane Station, and it's original state is memorialized in a nearby plaque on the trail:

Portions of the trail are parallel to, or coincide with, 18th Century, Revolutionary War movements by Washington's Continental Army and British General Cornwallis' troops, after the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777. This includes the area known as "Battle of the Clouds," where an impending battle was cancelled due to torrential rains that dampened black powder, in the vicinity of Phoenixville Pike and Swedesford Road. Parts of the Chester Valley Trail are labeled as "Patriot's Path," a path proposed to connect the Paoli Massacre Site with Valley Forge National Historic Park. 

We spent many years working in Malvern and got to know a number of banks and businesses in Chester County. We noticed this housing development alongside the trail was being financed by our friends at First Resource Bank, headquartered in nearby Exton, Pennsylvania:

As we made our way back to the trailhead, we occasionally got a glimpse of the history in the area. The walls of this old barn have withstood the test of time.

As we were driving our bikes back to camp, we learned that the Stargazers Vineyard was hosting a Happy Hour with live music from 4:00 to 7:00. We had last visited the winery in 2014. As we drove in, we were impressed with how much the vineyard had expanded.

As it turns out, new owners, Michael Vorauer and Jason Kirkpatrick, took over operations in March 2019. They have big plans for the winery. They added this new pavilion where they host regular Yoga events, live music and local fund raising events. Not to mention, selling their wine!

Not a bad way to end the day. Stay thirsty my friends.