The Quakertown and Eastern Railroad

The Quakertown and Eastern Railroad (also called the "Quick and Easy" by the locals) was a single-track line that ran from Quakertown to Riegelsville.  Construction began on the line a month after it was chartered in July of 1896.  Exactly a year after construction commenced, passengers and cargo began being transported from where it branched off the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company's Bethlehem line in Quakertown to Richlandtown.  It was another year until service was available to Springtown.  Then another year until it reached the Durham Iron Works.  Records then show it took exactly two years to make it the remaining short distance to Riegelsville.  The original plan was to extend the line to Easton and connect with the Lehigh and Hudson River Railway, creating a shorter route from Philadelphia to New York State.


Q & E's original engine Engine No.1 in 1903.


The first locomotives to pull cars on this line were from the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company.  In 1903, the Quakertown and Eastern Railroad purchased their own locomotive on installments.  10 months later, they had to trade it in for a smaller model.  It frequently derailed because it was too long for some of the tight curves. 



After leaving the Quakertown station and shortly after crossing Broad Street to the north, the Q&E, branches off the Bethlehem line and heads northeast.  Across the tracks from the rear of the Borough building, you can see a short section of the abandoned rails, but the interchange switch is long gone. 

Between Quakertown and Richlandtown, the Right of Way (ROW) isn't very clear today, due to commercial buildings, a couple housing developments and woods. 

In Richlandtown, it looks like the tracks used to pass behind the Post Office at Pumping Station Road and crossed Richlandtown Pike at about the 7-11 parking lot.  I can't find any sources indicating where the Richlandtown station would have been.  I'm thinking it may have been where the line crossed Union Street right by where the propane company tore down the neat, weathered old wooden building to build a big ugly steel box. 



View from Bridge Street in Pleasant Valley, showing the
ROW curve sloping down to the crossing of Bethlehem Pike.

 The next station was Pullen, just north of where the line crossed Pullen Station Road at the S-curve.  The long driveway to the northeast is the old ROW.  Less then a mile from Pullen Station, where Cooks Creek turns to the northeast, the line begins following the creek.  It crossed Old Bethlehem Pike just after Bridge Street in Pleasant Valley, before the Three Arch Bridge over the creek.  There was also a Pleasant Valley station, but I don't know that location either.

The next station to the northeast was named Gehman and was probably near where the line and Cook's Creek cross Slifer Valley Road.  near where the creek and the line crossed Rt 412/212, east of Springtown, is probably the Location of the Springtown Station.

Cooks Creek and the rail line then turn more Easterly and somewhere, about halfway between Springtown and Durham Village, is Witte Station.  It was likely near where the Haupt's Mill covered bridge once spanned the creek.  It was sometimes called Witte's Bridge.  There was likely a station at the old Durham Village, as well. 

Between Durham Village and Durham Iron Works, the line crossed the creek twice and some of the stone bridge piers still stand in the creek.  After Durham furnace, the line turns North and continues to Riegelsville station.

1900 Bucks County map, showing the entire Q & E line and stations.


The Quakertown and Eastern Railroad operated until 1906.  This end date corresponds with, and is likely related to, the demise of the Durham Iron Works.  Pennsylvania Eastern Railroad took over operations but ceased in early 1907.  The locomotive was repossessed by the manufacturer.  The cars were collected by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, who also removed the switches to the line in Quakertown. 

This wasn't the end of this railroad though.  It was revived for service to Upper Bucks County a few more times and that will be the subject of my next post.

Bedminster Township

Mention Bedminster township and I immediately picture driving along quiet country roads with long views of beautiful farmland and through a few tiny, historic hamlets.  It's located "below the lake" to those of us that live north of Lake Nockamixon, right in the middle of the northern half of the county.  Tinicum creek is its northern and eastern border and the lake was created by damming the creek in the northwest corner of the township.  The northern border actually extends to the creek bed out in the middle of the lake.  The western edge follows the Old Bethlehem road from where it's submerged in the lake to route 313.  The line then turns southeast and follows route 313 down to and around Dublin.  The final border runs northeast and follows Applebutter road from Dublin to just above Plumsteadville, then it continues northeast along Township Line Road to Durham Road.  The line then continues this same direction all the way east to Tinicum creek, just below Stover-Myers Mill.

The township was mostly farmland until very recently.  There's still a considerable amount of farms, if including equestrian farms and orchards, along with traditional working farms.   There are also a few historic villages and hamlets within the township that served the agricultural community that still maintain much of their historic character.  Bedminsterville, located about the center of the township is one of those villages.  In addition to a post office, school and a large chair making shop, there was a popular general store that operated throughout much of the 19th century and well into the 20th.  Now shortened to Bedminster, the village has many fine historic homes and is also home to Architectural Antiques, that carries old building parts and some other restoration supplies.

Hagersville and Keelersville are small villages on the Old Bethlehem road, a major stage coach route.  Hagersville, south of Ridge road at one time had two coach factories, a wheelwright and blacksmith, a store and the Hagersville Hotel.  Keelersville, just north of Ridge Road had several shops, a store, a tannery and leather factory, and also had a hotel.

Pipersville is the most visible village due to its location at the northern termination of route 413 at 611, near the eastern corner of the township.  It's the home of the Piper Tavern, having a long history dating back to the original building's construction date of 1759.  This village, being located at the merge of the old Durham road and the Philadelphia-Easton Post road also had a store, post office, chapel, library (still there) and a large clothing factory.

Elephant is a hamlet of only two homes and the old Elephant Hotel, built in 1848.  It is at the intersection of Ridge and Elephant roads.  The hotel is currently undergoing a major renovation.  The original hotel sign hangs in the mercer museum in Doylestown.

Deep Run is not a village or hamlet, but a large area  with historic significance to the township.  Deep Run creek runs across most of the southeastern part and flows into the Tohickon just above Pipersville.  The first settlers to the area were "Scotch-Irish" and settled in the creek valley.  The inhabitants of "Deep Run Territory" petitioned to form a township in 1742, which was named Bedminster.  Many of the original settlers moved out of the area and "German" Mennonites Purchased much of the land, mostly for farming.  This area of Bedminster township is home to the historic Presbyterian "Irish Meeting House", the Deep Run East and Deep Run West Mennonite meetinghouses and the well-preserved "German school".

There are other smaller streams that include Cabin Run, Deer Run, Wolf Run, Mink Run, that flow east to the Tohickon and the beginning of the East Branch Perkiomen Creek that flows west.  At one time there were numerous mills along some of these creeks, and some creameries,  serving the needs of the farmers in the township.

Durham Village

Durham, located in the northeast corner of Bucks County, was the first area in what is now Upper Bucks to be inhabited by European settlers.

In the latter part of the 17th century, the Free Society of Traders were granted several tracts of land in Bucks County, including the township of Durham.  The land was sold to a stock company, the Durham Iron Works,  and in 1727 a charcoal fueled iron furnace was put into operation.  The furnace produced items like the "Adam and Eve", "Cain and Abel" stoves, firebacks, canons and shot for rebel forces during the War for Independence.

Next to Cooks creek, in the now quiet Durham valley, the furnace operated until 1789.  It was sold in 1819 and a grist mill was built on the foundation of the old furnace.  The overshot wheel-powered mill operated until 1969.  It is now a preserved historic building and houses the Durham Township Historic Society, the village Post Office and still contains the original gristmill machinery.

Two new furnaces, powered by anthracite coal delivered by canal boats, were constructed downstream, near where the creek meets the Delaware River in 1848 and 1849.  This left the original site to become the village center for the surrounding farm community.   Unlike many early "industrial " sites, the village today is a treasure of modest, immaculately maintained historic buildings, surrounded by reclaimed forest and farmland.

The process of producing iron not only leaves behind old buildings.  Old lime kilns and abandoned iron ore mines were also left in and near the village.  One mine has become a major refuge for 8000 to 10,000 bats of several species.  The Heritage Conservancy has recently been working to protect and preserve this critical bat hibernaculum.  Unfortunately, White Nose Syndrome, an infectious disease that affects several species of bats, has made it's way to Durham.

Durham is also home to an amazing photographer, Kathleen Connally.  Her award winning photoblog, A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania, has an incredible collection of images from this beautiful area of Upper Bucks County.