The Thorndale Coal Wharf was a massive, elevated fueling facility built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in Caln Township, Pennsylvania, operating from 1906 until it was dismantled in the 1950s.
History and Structure
Construction: Built between 1905 and 1906 when the railroad finished its Philadelphia and Thorndale freight branch.
Dimensions: Measured 325 feet long and stood 40 feet above 12 railroad tracks, spanning a width of 28 feet on its top deck.
Capacity: Designed to refuel steam locomotives quickly using gravity to drop coal from overhead storage bins directly into locomotive tenders.
Decline: Became largely redundant with the shift to diesel engines and electrification, sitting out of service by the mid-1950s before being almost entirely removed.