Washingtonville Station

Washingtonville Station

"Washingtonville, Montour County, is seen far to the right, after a run of eleven miles has been made from Watsontown. The Washingtonville station was first named "Let-Her-Go," because the residents of the quiet village did not give the railroad people any encouragement to run near them, and they passed around her nearly two miles away, saying "Lethergo!" Things have changed, however. The name has been dropped and the station is known as Washingtonville."  - The Williamsport Gazette & Bulletin, 1899

"On June 22, 1886 the Wilkes-Barre and Western Railroad (W.B.&W RR) was formed. By Monday, December 13, 1886 the railroad opened for business with two round trips each day, except Sunday, from Watsontown to Jerseytown, and a third round trip in the late afternoon to Lethergo. 

The rail line extended from Watsontown on the west (where it connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad) and had stations in Watsontown, McEwensville, Warrior Run, Turbotville, Schuyler, California (later renamed to Ottawa), Lethergo (later renamed to Dieffenbach), Derry (aka Strawberry Ridge/Washingtonville), Jerseytown, Eyer’s Grove, and Millville. " - Brief History of the WB & WRR by Hoke 

Strawberry Ridge, S B & B R.R.

The Wilkes Barre & Western railroad later became known as the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg & Berwick.

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On June 22, 1886 the Wilkes-Barre and Western Railroad (W.B.&W RR) was formed. By Monday, December 13, 1886 the railroad opened for business with two round trips each day, except Sunday, from Watsontown to Jerseytown, and a third round trip in the late afternoon to Lethergo.

The rail line extended from Watsontown on the west (where it connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad) and had stations in Watsontown, McEwensville, Warrior Run, Turbotville, Schuyler, California (later renamed to Ottawa), Lethergo (later renamed to Dieffenbach), Derry (aka Strawberry Ridge/Washingtonville), Jerseytown, Eyer’s Grove, and Millville.

Later stops were added at Rohrsburg, Orangeville, Lightstreet and Bloomsburg. At Orangeville the WB&B used the S&B RR station and in Watsontown it used the PRR Station. The line was originally intended to extend from the anthracite coal fields in Shickshinny in the east and merge with the rail lines carrying soft coal from Clearfield County in the west. The line to Shickshinny never fully materialized to the east. Special Sunday excursions took passengers to places like the picnic grounds at Eyer’s Grove and the Bloomsburg Fair.

The WB&B was in operation until 1902 when it was auctioned off to a group of bond holders. And later in 1902 it was resold again and renamed the Susquehanna Bloomsburg and Berwick Railroad (S.B.&B. RR). After this sale the new owners started to make plans to extended the line to Berwick to service the growing American Car and Foundry (A.C.&F.) plant. The line that ran from the Millville junction to Orangeville was abandoned and a new route that ran from Eyers Grove towards Bloomsburg, crossing Fishing Creek to Lightstreet and then on to Berwick to the A.C.&F. and ending with a station at 9th and Market Streets was constructed.


The S.B.&B. line from Watsontown to Berwick continued to be in use up until the late 1960’s when the AC&F closed. After the closing of the AC&F the line didn’t see much traffic and slowly fell into disrepair. By the early 1980’s all the tracks from Berwick to Washingtonville had been removed. The section of the line from Watsontown to Strawberry Ridge is still used to day to service the Pennsylvania Power and Light Plant at Strawberry Ridge." - Andrew Hoke, A Brief History of the WB & WRR

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NOTE - there is a Washingtonville New York train station as well as the one in PA.

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"Washingtonville, Montour County, is seen far to the right, after a run of eleven miles has been made from Watsontown. The Washingtonville station was first named "Let-Her-Go," because the residents of the quiet village did not give the railroad people any encouragement to run near them, and they passed around her nearly two miles away, saying "Lethergo!" Things have changed, however. The name has been dropped and the station is known as Washingtonville.

 Far to the right, on the way out, that lovely rural district known as Paradise is seen. Jerseytown, one of the oldest hamlets in that part of the country, is passed. It is sixteen miles from Watsontown. The great highway running from Muncy to Bloomsburg passes through Jerseytown. The name was derived from New Jersey settlers. William Wilson, John Rogers, Jasper Yeates and Benj. Humphreys were the original warrantees for the land. Although a hundred years old Jerseytown has grown but little and is about as large today as it was at the beginning of the century. The surrounding country is hilly and broken, and after passing through the mountain, Greenwood Valley, Columbia County is reached and a run of a few miles brings the traveler to Millville."  - The Williamsport Gazette & Bulletin, 1899