Route 15 Startup

From a reliable source there are two options for route 15 and the
59th street standoff.

1. Install the special work and switches so the cars can go west and
go up 60th street. This must be approved in a meeting that is
upcoming. This takes 59th street out of the equation.SEPTA has the
swiches, special work, and manpower to do this job, the source says.

2. If this first option can not be done, run the cars out of Elmwood
depot, where the 10 is running from now.

June 12th, 2005, will be the start up date for route 15 trolley if
either of these two things happen.

I know we have all heard this before, but this time it sounds a
little more like it will happen.

Earlier I mentioned this infomation I recieved and never really addressed it.

On option 1, SEPTA makes its own turnouts and the like at either Midvale, Woodland or Wayne Jct. (not sure which one) and would probably not cost them pretty much in capital money. Getting permission from the city is another story. I have yet to hear anything out of the aformentioned meeting concerning this.

Now Option 2 was heavily "smacked down" down on the board cause of SEPTA's current operating budget. Now keep in mind how dumb it sounds to deadhead all the way either from 48th & Lancaster or 41st & Girard to Elmwood. With that in mind if they were to run the 15 out of Elmwood, they would not keep the car out of service all that time.

Now this is speculation here but if they were to run the 15 out of Elmwood, the cars could leave the 15 at 48th and Lancaster and then run as rt 10 cars to 40th & Market and then as rt 36 cars to 73rd & Elmwood. The 10 does this already. If cars short turned at 41st & Girard, they could dead head down 40th to Lancaster and then become a rt 36 car from and run to 73rd & Elmwood.

Pullouts are simple, they simply run the cars as 36s to 40th & Market and then 10s to 48th & Lancaster and then pick up the 15 from there. That would cut out about 98% of any deadhead running.

Funny how they love to complain though about deadheading from Elmwood though, yet we have Frontier buses that deadhead from places like Neshaminy and Oxford Valley Mall all the way to Plymouth Meeting. I guess its ok for a bus to deadhead, but not trolleys.

Although come to think of it, the trains do plenty of deadheading as well, especially on the Thorndale Branch, and the very first and last trains to Cynwyd deadhead back to 30th Street as well. Go figure, logic is non-existant at SEPTA.

jfrey40535 wrote:Funny how they love to complain though about deadheading from Elmwood though, yet we have Frontier buses that deadhead from places like Neshaminy and Oxford Valley Mall all the way to Plymouth Meeting. I guess its ok for a bus to deadhead, but not trolleys.

Although come to think of it, the trains do plenty of deadheading as well, especially on the Thorndale Branch, and the very first and last trains to Cynwyd deadhead back to 30th Street as well. Go figure, logic is non-existant at SEPTA.

I find it idiotic that RRD trains deadhead at all. 7 out of the 13 branches have layup yards at the ends to their lines for overnight storage yet they are reluctant to use them.

For the lines that do lack them, why can't they just run in service to 30th St and Wayne Jct? Wouldn't you at least break even with the cost of running the train to either of those two destinations?

There is too much deadheading in all of SEPTA (no wonder operating costs are so high). Some can't be done away with, like on the Thorndale branch, alot of trains deadhead back to Thorndale or Paoli during AM rush.

With the buses, I don't know why they can't run them in revenue like DART does. Instead of going from Oxford Valley to Victory dead, why not put something up like "PLYMOUTH MEETING via FRONTIER GARAGE".

jfrey40535 wrote:Just something to add to the rumor mill.....I spoke with a 15 operator today and he's saying the route designation is changing back to BUS with the next schedule change in June, meaning it will no longer be classified as Trolley (or surface rail) with bustitution. So what did the $60 mil buy us?

I spoke this evening with Pat Nowakowski, Operations AGM at SEPTA and he says this is not true. It is and will continue to be a trolley route, bustitutioned when necessary - like now.

How do the drivers get to/from the bus terminals if they didn't start there to begin with?

Sounds like they are going to put the switches in at 60th.

jfrey40535 wrote:Sounds like they are going to put the switches in at 60th.

Oh? Where did you hear this from?

My boss downtown who heard that Faye wants these things running June 15th come hell or high water

jfrey40535 wrote:My boss downtown who heard that Faye wants these things running June 15th come hell or high water

That's a pleasant change in attitude.

PARailWiz wrote:Before SEPTA chose its "Serious about Change" slogan, they considered the alternative "Why do something simple when you can hold out for an exceedingly complex method?" (for an example see: Metro, Schyulkill Valley).

They also might've considered "What else are you going to do, walk?"

jfrey40535 wrote:With the buses, I don't know why they can't run them in revenue like DART does. Instead of going from Oxford Valley to Victory dead, why not put something up like "PLYMOUTH MEETING via FRONTIER GARAGE".

Because, unlike SEPTA, most of DART's routes terminate in Downtown Wilmington either at Rodney Square or the Amtrak Station; the main DART garage is a few blocks from Amtrak. The remaining routes either operate out of DART's new depot in Bear (or somewhere in that area); those buses have runs that generally start at or near Christiana Mall or are operated by Gregg's (Krapf's) out of their Newport/Stanton garage.

Except I see deadheads all over the place....buses on I-95 going back to Comley/Frankford, etc. Buses going down Rt 1 dead....no wonder there's no money coming in!

I've seen "Out of Service" buses running down Main Street in Norristown at morning rush hour several times.

I spotted a PCC-II at Woodland Depot (sorry, Woodland shop) today. Was parked on the outer track next to the other PCC that is always parked there. Anyone know what that other PCC is by the way(in Maroon paint)?

Woodland is where heavy overhauls are done. Not quite sure why a brand new PCC would be there. Funny how the M4's also get major work done there instead of at Victory Terminal (meaning they get trucked over).