Baltimore Belt Line pulled by horses along Pratt Street between the B&O's Camden Station and the PW&B's President Street Station. In 1884, the PW&B was purchased by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), a major rival of the B&O, and the PRR cut off the connection. The B&O then proceeded to build its Philadelphia Branch (formally known as the Baltimore and Philadelphia Railroad) to connect to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, in turn connecting with the Central Railroad of New Jersey for B&O's New York service. The combination also provided a connection to the Staten Island Railway, which served as the terminal switching company for
B&O Railroad Bridge the B&O replaced the original bridge with the current one. The three-span through truss bridge with a center swing span was built by the American Bridge Company. During construction, a tugboat grounded on the nearby riverbank and was freed by a B&O locomotive. The bridge was struck by the tugboat "Radnor", hauling a barge loaded with oleum, on March 12, 1924. The bridge was originally protected by a mechanical interlocking, which was revised in 1914. It was replaced in 1946 with an electrical interlocking, which also controlled the nearby junction with the Reading Company at Eastwick. In 1977, the Chessie