Philadelphia | SEPTA

[pudgym29]

I recently spent some time in Philadelphia, PA. for the American Homebrewers' Assoc.'s National Homebrew Conference. During one afternoon, I went out from downtown and got photographs of SEPTA's Route #15; the line with the restored postwar Presidents' Conference Committee streetcars.

Edited January 25, 2020 by pudgym29
restoring three missing images.

[Busjack]

Besides probably still being around at at least 65 years, the surprising thing is that they were able to retrofit the LED signs in them. Also, the interior with the brown seats is much more realistic than the one with the blue plastic ones.

[rotjohns]

Sweet pics!

[geneking7320]

Nice pictures! I visited Philadelphia back in 1998 and 1999 and managed to ride quite a few of SEPTA's lines.

I really wondered how they got PCC 2733 in that spot to display it.

[MetroShadow]

Those trolleys and the new luminator signs. Very weird.

[Railwaymodeler]

The gas pedal style controls seem weird to me. I don't imagine it would feel very "natural", having gas/brake pedals, but no steering wheel.

Were very many streetcars operated this way? I am building a short interurban line on my HO scale layout. Found an antique coffee grinder box, with a handle that looks like an old style motorman's throttle handle, hid a power pack inside the coffee grinder box, linked the grinder handle to it, so my interurban line controls look like an old motorman's throttle. Plus built a foot operated "Trolley bell" for it too. Use a push button to ring an electric bell, push button is mounted to the floor.

These gas/brake pedal controls almost ruin it for me, even though the clerestory cars I run (Rebuilt from paper/wood Varney shorty cars with new ends and an Athearn mechanism underneath), would have had the old style throttle in real life.

[Busjack]

The gas pedal style controls seem weird to me. I don't imagine it would feel very "natural", having gas/brake pedals, but no steering wheel.

Were very many streetcars operated this way? I am building a short interurban line on my HO scale layout. Found an antique coffee grinder box, with a handle that looks like an old style motorman's throttle handle, hid a power pack inside the coffee grinder box, linked the grinder handle to it, so my interurban line controls look like an old motorman's throttle. Plus built a foot operated "Trolley bell" for it too. Use a push button to ring an electric bell, push button is mounted to the floor.

These gas/brake pedal controls almost ruin it for me, even though the clerestory cars I run (Rebuilt from paper/wood Varney shorty cars with new ends and an Athearn mechanism underneath), would have had the old style throttle in real life.

Reportedly, standard for PCCs except for CSL/CTA, which used the crank controls later recycled into the L cars.

Toronto cars had the grab rail (and I suppose that those now running in Kenosha do). I made sure to check, because I wondered onto what the operator would hold if there wasn't a steering wheel or controller.

Also, an explanation why CSL/CTA cars were different was that because conductors collected the fares, the motormen didn't have that responsibility, while motormen on other systems had to have their hands free to collect fares and punch or rip transfers. It is not indicated how CTA rebuilt some for one man operation.

Interurbans would have crank controls and an air brake handle, while the PCCs, being all electric, would only have the controllers.

[buslist]

Reportedly, standard for PCCs except for CSL/CTA, which used the crank controls later recycled into the L cars.

Also, an explanation why CSL/CTA cars were different was that because conductors collected the fares, the motormen didn't have that responsibility, while motormen on other systems had to have their hands free to collect fares and punch or rip transfers. It is not indicated how CTA rebuilt some for one man operation.

Interurbans would have crank controls and an air brake handle, while the PCCs, being all electric, would only have the controllers.

.

Two comments, CSL's PCCs were hand controlled through 2 levers not using controller handles found on the 6000s. Visit IRM some day that the 4391 is operating to see how it works.

And not all PCCs were all electric. The prewar ones had air brakes, still pedal operated however.

[Railwaymodeler]

...

Interurbans would have crank controls and an air brake handle, while the PCCs, being all electric, would only have the controllers.

Thanks, Busjack. That makes me feel a lot better

[Pace831]

Last night I saw a new SEPTA New Flyer 30' bus going east on I-80/294. They also have a contract for new 40' buses.

[jajuan]

On 1/22/2017 at 9:57 AM, Pace831 said:

Last night I saw a new SEPTA New Flyer 30' bus going east on I-80/294. They also have a contract for new 40' buses.

The linked SEPTA report on the 40 foot buses mentions that once those hybrid Xcelsiors are all delivered, SEPTA's hybrid buses will comprise 95% of the total bus fleet. 

[pudgym29]

For all you motor coach maniacs, here is a post about a new motor bus route being institituted on SEPTA (notice how its run number is sufficiently messed up).

[NewFlyerMCI]

18 hours ago, pudgym29 said:

For all you motor coach maniacs, here is a post about a new motor bus route being institituted on SEPTA (notice how its run number is sufficiently messed up).

Man, that bus has been 3 years in the making. Useful for me when I go to see friends at Drexel, especially since the MFL likes to single-track so often

[pudgym29]

I am not posting here any more. But I did want to restore the three images which imgbox somehow lost: #s 1, 4, & 5. They were backed up on another imagehost. But it is going to show an interstitial warning of "Adult Content". ? You won't glimpse anything like that in these images, and there are no edgy banner ads.

[SlickFlair_859]

On 3/2/2019 at 12:09 AM, pudgym29 said:

For all you motor coach maniacs, here is a post about a new motor bus route being institituted on SEPTA (notice how its run number is sufficiently messed up).

It wasn't in service. It was a publicity shot to inaugurate the new service (which is now over a year old). That pic is in front of SEPTA HQ so being as it wasn't logged into an actual run, the default is 0000 since they use 4 digit "block signs".

In Philly, the schedule is the RUN, but the BLOCK is the position on the line itself. In essence, a run could start on one route with one BLOCK and switch to a different ROUTE with a different BLOCK; or it could start with the one BLOCK that it started with that doesn't align with the ROUTE it's on and then go to the next route and fall into the BLOCK number system there.

[SlickFlair_859]

On 1/22/2017 at 10:57 AM, Pace831 said:

Last night I saw a new SEPTA New Flyer 30' bus going east on I-80/294. They also have a contract for new 40' buses.

The 30 ft buses are New Flyer MiDis that run on circulator and contract lines. They are the first SEPTA all diesel buses purchased since the last D40LFs in 2005.

[SlickFlair_859]

On 7/20/2013 at 7:49 PM, Busjack said:

Besides probably still being around at at least 65 years, the surprising thing is that they were able to retrofit the LED signs in them. Also, the interior with the brown seats is much more realistic than the one with the blue plastic ones.

Seats are steel frame with blue and green fabric inserts. They were originally used on the now retired (since 2000) Volvo B10M articulated buses, but they had blue cushioned inserts.

 

The one with the brown inserts is PCC 2733, which is on permanent static display at SEPTA HQ (since 1995) minus its motors. It's the only original car (aside from work car 2194) remaining in the city albeit not in service.

[SlickFlair_859]

On 7/21/2013 at 9:09 PM, geneking7320 said:

Nice pictures! I visited Philadelphia back in 1998 and 1999 and managed to ride quite a few of SEPTA's lines.

I really wondered how they got PCC 2733 in that spot to display it.

They removed the window from the upstairs lobby and lowered it in with a crane. They used to have pictures next to it detailing the process. Been there since 1995.

[geneking7320]

11 hours ago, SlickFlair_859 said:

They removed the window from the upstairs lobby and lowered it in with a crane. They used to have pictures next to it detailing the process. Been there since 1995.

Thanks for the info! If I ever visit Philly again I must check that out.?

[SlickFlair_859]

Just now, geneking7320 said:

Thanks for the info! If I ever visit Philly again I must check that out.?

Don't know if the pictures are still around as they now have the area outside the trolley as an overflow for the senior and disabled KEY card registration area.

Plus, with covid-19 around, the building is closed except for SEPTA personnel so yeah.

[SlickFlair_859]

On 7/21/2013 at 11:31 PM, Busjack said:

Reportedly, standard for PCCs except for CSL/CTA, which used the crank controls later recycled into the L cars.

 

Toronto cars had the grab rail (and I suppose that those now running in Kenosha do). I made sure to check, because I wondered onto what the operator would hold if there wasn't a steering wheel or controller.

 

Also, an explanation why CSL/CTA cars were different was that because conductors collected the fares, the motormen didn't have that responsibility, while motormen on other systems had to have their hands free to collect fares and punch or rip transfers. It is not indicated how CTA rebuilt some for one man operation.

 

Interurbans would have crank controls and an air brake handle, while the PCCs, being all electric, would only have the controllers.

These have a grab rail as well for rookie operators to hold onto as most seasoned vets operate hands free with their feet doing all the work.

[SlickFlair_859]

On 7/20/2013 at 7:49 PM, Busjack said:

Besides probably still being around at at least 65 years, the surprising thing is that they were able to retrofit the LED signs in them. Also, the interior with the brown seats is much more realistic than the one with the blue plastic ones.

They're practically new as they were rebuilt in 2002-03 with modern controls. The only thing original is the body itself; everything else was rebuilt by Brookville Equipment Company (same company that overhauls the F-Market cars for Muni). 

The sign addition was easy since all they did was remove the old roll sign and put an LED box sign in there and then wire it to the car. Just wished they would've went for a white sign instead of amber since it would've liked more realistic and wouldn't clash with the color scheme and the look of the car so much.