The Colebrookdale Branch of the railroad was created to join the businesses and industries of Boyertown, Bechtelsville, Eshbach and Barto to Pottstown and points beyond. Talks began in 1853 but actual work on the construction did not commence until 1868. Finances were raised by selling stocks at five dollars a share.

Mr. George Rice was hired as the contractor and responsible for hiring. The laborers were both local men and German immigrants who were housed in shanties along the way.

Construction started in July of 1868. Land had to be cleared and graded and the ties and rails laid. Before long the workers were not satisfied with their pay of $1.50 for a ten hour day. After they had a strike they were paid $1.75 for an eleven hour day.

The original intent had been to continue the railroad as far as Hosensack where the trains could meet the Perkiomen Line which extended through Emmaus to the Lehigh Valley and eventually to New York. The railroad was built as far as Barto where the iron mines were located. Although they had surveyed farther, they stopped, for good reason. That was as far as their money took them.

The Engineers for the construction were C.E. Beyers, Chief Engineer and C.W. Buckholtz, Resident Engineer.

On September 11, 1869 the first passenger train left from Boyertown travelled to Pottstown and returned to Boyertown to a massive and joyous celebration that included a band playing, dogs barking, and passengers being carried away on young men's shoulders. The newspapers, especially the Berks and Schuylkill Journal, wrote glowing reports about the day.

The conductor for the first ride was P.M. Plotts with John Schweinhart as engineer, William Missimer as baggage master and brakeman and Lewis Mollsburger as fireman.

The first trip to Barto was made in October of the same year. The destination was Barto Station, pictured at right.

Ore from the mines of Barto was loaded and taken to the foundry in Colebrookdale. Passengers who rode the train paid a fare of thirty cents.

Because Barto was the end of the line, it was necessary to construct a "Y". This "Y" allowed the locomotive and tender to pull forward on one part of the "Y" and by switching the track connections (shown at left) to back onto the other part of the "Y" and then pull onto the main part now headed back to Boyertown.

Later workers on the line included Edwin Moser who was the trackman at Bechtelsville and Al Moll, a trainman at Barto. John Edwards and Clinton Piate were engineers; Claude Croll and Wayne Leh were telegraphers and "Cooney" Conrad and Paul Fisher were station clerks. Mr. Charles Hirsch was the station agent at Barto. His sons Willard and William, and daughter, Alva, are still residents of the Township who had the fun of growing up in the station.

Frequent riders in the 1930s included the Hirsch family, the Leh family, Mae Latshaw who rode the train to high school in Boyertown and Mary Heins who taught at the high school.

With the closing of the mines the use of the rails slowly lost importance. At one time the railroad allowed quick delivery of milk to Philadelphia, the hauling of freight for local industries and passenger transportation. The rails are gone but their impact on the Township will long remain.

Excerpted from "CONTINUING THE VISION -- PRESERVING THE VALUES", the history of Washington Township prepared to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Township's establishment. Copyright 1990, Washington Township Historical Committee.

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