Beaver Falls, PA: PL&E Depot

(Satellite)

Beaver County,Penna Historic Exploration posted seven photos with the comment:

The Brighton Depot & The PRR Depot

P&LE RR Line 

Built 1905

P&LE Brighton Depot Moved 300 yards in 1925

Lower Beaver Falls, Penna

Status: Torn Down 1970s

Source: Photos & Postcards

Skia Dopitys: Is the bridge crossing the PLE the current Ft. Wayne Line? As a non-native, I'm having a hard time picturing where this was. The vicinity of the current bridge between BF and NB?

Beaver County,Penna Historic Exploration: Skia Dopitys yes!

Skia Dopitys: Beaver County,Penna Historic Exploration Wow...I can't imagine that

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Skia's second comment
I spent hours studying the location of this depot. A problem is that Pennsy's replacement bridge used a different route through town. Pennsy used to do street running on 5th Ave. in New Brighton. Now the route through town runs along the river. Another problem is that the road bridge at the end of Bridge Street that we see in the first image is gone. This 1901 Beaver Quadrangle @ 62,500 topological map shows the two bridges that we see in the images. The houses that are in the background of the first image still exist along Bridge Street: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1oN26ZgvmrQLWyax8. I think the depot was here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1oN26ZgvmrQLWyax8.

This is the first link in the comment by Dennis above.

Street View, Jul 2024

I used this 50/50 image between the 1901 topo map and a 1953 map to help determine the location of the old railroad bridge.

50/50 mix of 1901 and 1953

Unfortunately, I used an aerial photo to confirm the location. It was unfortunate because it appears the P&LE depot got moved a couple blocks north and that confused me. It was probably moved when Pennsy built its new route through the area. The discrepancy between the topo map and the aerial photo is why I checked out the houses along Bridge Street to verify that the depot had been between the two former bridges.

Jun 18, 1952 @ 23,600; AR1UG0000020101

Pennsy hugs the east side of the river while PL&E hugs the west side. And at Beaver Falls, Pennsy also jumps over the Beaver River, climbs out of the valley and heads West.

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