Elm Street station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Located at Elm and Markley Streets, it is the last stop on the Norristown section of the Manayunk/Norristown Line. It includes a 219-space parking lot. In FY 2013, Elm Street station had a weekday average of 300 boardings and 257 alightings. This article stated that the station was originally built by the Lehigh Valley Transit Company as part of its Liberty Bell Limited service between Allentown and 60th St Terminal in Upper Darby. This is incorrect. The station was built by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad as the terminal of its Norristown to Philadelphia service. Prior to electrification there was a locomotive service facility located between Main St Station and Elm St Station. Since the platform at the station is much closer to Marshall St than Elm St one can question the name of the station. However there seems to be good evidence on the ground for the name. I only remember two tracks at this location, the station track and a yard track to the west. With electrification I-beams were installed at end of track to tie off the overhead wire. While there were two tracks there were three I-beams. When Septa added a third track recently they installed new I-beams but left the old ones there. The three tracks now have an even spacing whereas the old third track was further west than the present third track. Thus it is clear that Elm St Station originally was a three track station. There was a platform were the existing platform is, then two tracks, then another platform, and then the third track. It seems reasonable to believe that a small station building occupied the present parking lot and fronted on Elm St, thus the name for the station. The Reading's Stoney Creek Branch continues northwest from here until it meets the old Bethlehem line just south of Lansdale Station. The Lehigh Valley Transit trolleys ran in the middle of Markley St past the station but never used it.
