R4 train

It's a shame SEPTA hasn't even mentioned it as a long term project far out into the future.

I don't think SEPTA management is able to make long term plans. They've generally started projects in response to some crisis:

* RailWorks in 1992 and 1993 came after a bridge was found unsafe in 1984
* New El cars were ordered after a crash in the early 1990s

Lucius Kwok wrote:I don't think SEPTA management is able to make long term plans. They've generally started projects in response to some crisis:

* RailWorks in 1992 and 1993 came after a bridge was found unsafe in 1984
* New El cars were ordered after a crash in the early 1990s

And the N5 project pressed ahead after a series of accidents betweem 1985 and 1987 decimated the Strafford and Bullet fleet on the P&W. I wish I had video during the "Chicago Car" and "Retrucked El Car" days out there.

Even stranger, the El cars that were put on old PATH K-Car trucks for the P&W service rode much more smoothly than they did on their own wheelsets.

I didn't get to photograph the El cars on the P&W, but I got this CTA train a month before my job moved to Central Jersey from the building in the photo.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/290 ... ZTpOrtmAlz

Bob

Is there anywhere you can view the Vuchic plan?

capuzfu wrote:Is there anywhere you can view the Vuchic plan?

The engineering library of the University of Pennsylvania.

Perhaps someone could ask Dr. Vuchic if he has a computer file of it someone could convert into a PDF. I haven't seen it in a while, so I don't recall whether it was typewritten or word processed.

Matt Mitchell
(used Word 11 on the VAX in that era)

It's actually normally located in the Fine Arts Library (aka the "Furness Library"), but according to its library record it's temporarily shelved in Van Pelt (the main library).

Library catalog entry here:
http://tinyurl.com/9dc5q

There's some other interesting stuff from Dr. Vuchic in the library. including recommendations for upgrading subway-surface operations circa 1990.