A set of SEPTA Silverliner V's arrives at Fortuna Station in Hatfield, PA, along the commuter agency's former Reading Company Doylestown branch. Fortuna? I always wondered how stations along this line like this, and "Link Belt" got their name... Link Belt, seen here, was named after the Link Belt Company which made conveyor belts had a stop right in front of its plant by the track. Fortuna... well, the station is located near the corner of North Broad Street and Cowpath Road. Cowpath Road was originally an actual cow path. Back in the late 1880's, a train struck and killed a cow here which the farmer was walking to the slaughter house (times have changed!). In an out-of-court settlement, the railroad agreed to name the stop after the deceased cow, Fortuna. Mooving story, no?
With the addition of a new stop in nearby Lansdale, and with the Colmar stop within sight, there was talk of eliminating this station from the line. The township spoke up! In 2017, the old green wooden shelter that was the station was removed. But don't have a cow, man... It was replaced with the new high level platform seen above. Cowabunga!
