SEPTA hauling corn syrup????

I was down at Market East today, waiting for the 11:22 Fox Chase train when a "work train" came through the station.

Power was #50 and #51 (pull-pull style) with a corn syrup tank car (labled as such) and a flat car loaded with some kind of equipment. Anybody have a clue what that was?

*shaking head* A tank car with corn syrup....I wonder if it was loaded....is SEPTA trying to take on freight now? LOL!!!

Joe

What you saw was the SEPTA gel train. They apply chemicals to the rail heads during slippery rail season so that trains have a little more traction and stopping ability. They normally store it at the North end of Wayne Electric Car Shop during the Spring and Summer.

whovian wrote:What you saw was the SEPTA gel train. They apply chemicals to the rail heads during slippery rail season so that trains have a little more traction and stopping ability. They normally store it at the North end of Wayne Electric Car Shop during the Spring and Summer.

I guess the gel was in the corn syrup tank then......

What you saw was the pressure washer train, also used during the fall leaf season to literally blast the oily residue from the rails. The tank car (SPAX1505) carries water for the 10,000 psi pressure washers which are mounted on the flatcar (SPAX2104). Pictures of the train can be found at: http://www.trainweb.org/phillynrhs/RPOTD041028.html

The gel trains use ex-LIRR F7 622 and FA 615 with one train stationed on each "side" of the railroad. There is also a link to the gel train with the above pictures.

I'd love to get some photos of that consist. Any idea when they might operate during daylight and on what lines ?

The gel trains and washer typically run overnight when there's no scheduled traffic but with the track and signal work currently going on, you may get lucky and catch one after the morning rush, as was the case with the trains in the pictures. Best bet would be to listen to a scanner for an Extra 50, 51, 52, 60, 61 etc...

glennk419 wrote:What you saw was the pressure washer train, also used during the fall leaf season to literally blast the oily residue from the rails. The tank car (SPAX1505) carries water for the 10,000 psi pressure washers which are mounted on the flatcar (SPAX2104). Pictures of the train can be found at: http://www.trainweb.org/phillynrhs/RPOTD041028.html

The gel trains use ex-LIRR F7 622 and FA 615 with one train stationed on each "side" of the railroad. There is also a link to the gel train with the above pictures.

Thanks for the explanation. I got that from another group where I posted that. I had forgotten about the pressure washer train, actually. Well, that cancels my previous reply above, LOL!

I also saw both gel train control cars parked at Wayne Electric, presumably getting their preperations for the campagin ahead.

Well, the gel trains are certainly a lot more graceful looking and much easier to keep in mind.

Congrats on your 500th post as well!

glennk419 wrote:Well, the gel trains are certainly a lot more graceful looking and much easier to keep in mind.

Congrats on your 500th post as well!

It just occured to me that I've got no video of either gel train in action. I'm going to have to try to change that this season....

Thanks for the congrats....and now it's off for the next 500!

Silverliner II wrote:I was down at Market East today, waiting for the 11:22 Fox Chase train when a "work train" came through the station.

Power was #50 and #51 (pull-pull style) with a corn syrup tank car (labled as such) and a flat car loaded with some kind of equipment. Anybody have a clue what that was?

*shaking head* A tank car with corn syrup....I wonder if it was loaded....is SEPTA trying to take on freight now? LOL!!!

Joe

Actually ironically, SEPTA does run freight service into Maryland from South PA. they inherited the lines from PC or CR, they are also leasing the track to another RR that also runs freight into MD and throughout PA.

One of One-Sixty wrote:

Silverliner II wrote:I was down at Market East today, waiting for the 11:22 Fox Chase train when a "work train" came through the station.

Power was #50 and #51 (pull-pull style) with a corn syrup tank car (labled as such) and a flat car loaded with some kind of equipment. Anybody have a clue what that was?

*shaking head* A tank car with corn syrup....I wonder if it was loaded....is SEPTA trying to take on freight now? LOL!!!

Joe

Actually ironically, SEPTA does run freight service into Maryland from South PA. they inherited the lines from PC or CR, they are also leasing the track to another RR that also runs freight into MD and throughout PA.

No, while that track was owned by SEPTA for a long time, it was never operated by SEPTA. That is the Octoraro branch, which was passed up by Conrail, purchased by SEPTA to preserve the right of way (for future commuter rail expansion...I guess before that expression became a four letter word to SEPTA), and the freight service was operated by private railroads (my family's Octoraro Railway being the first) under trackage rights from SEPTA. With the most recent change in operator, from the Morristown & Erie to East Penn, EPRY bought the line outright from SEPTA.

[quote="octr202No, while that track was owned by SEPTA for a long time, it was never operated by SEPTA. That is the Octoraro branch, which was passed up by Conrail, purchased by SEPTA to preserve the right of way (for future commuter rail expansion...I guess before that expression became a four letter word to SEPTA), and the freight service was operated by private railroads (my family's Octoraro Railway being the first) under trackage rights from SEPTA. With the most recent change in operator, from the Morristown & Erie to East Penn, EPRY bought the line outright from SEPTA.[/quote]

I stand corrected, but I thought I read something in transcripts saying that SEPTA gained the line through inhertance from PC in '76 when CR was form since they did not include it in their system plan, becasuse of this the PC Board of Trustees gave it to SEPTA. M&E from a close friend of mines who work for them once told me that they was only operate the Octoraro Railroad and that SEPTA actually owned the Railroad.

When did East Penn Railways take over?

One of One-Sixty wrote:[quote="octr202No, while that track was owned by SEPTA for a long time, it was never operated by SEPTA. That is the Octoraro branch, which was passed up by Conrail, purchased by SEPTA to preserve the right of way (for future commuter rail expansion...I guess before that expression became a four letter word to SEPTA), and the freight service was operated by private railroads (my family's Octoraro Railway being the first) under trackage rights from SEPTA. With the most recent change in operator, from the Morristown & Erie to East Penn, EPRY bought the line outright from SEPTA.

I stand corrected, but I thought I read something in transcripts saying that SEPTA gained the line through inhertance from PC in '76 when CR was form since they did not include it in their system plan, becasuse of this the PC Board of Trustees gave it to SEPTA. M&E from a close friend of mines who work for them once told me that they was only operate the Octoraro Railroad and that SEPTA actually owned the Railroad.

When did East Penn Railways take over?[/quote]

ERPY only took over in the last 12 months or so...not sure of the exact date.

That's more or less true about ownership. SEPTA did aquire the line from Conrail, and retained ownership until EPRY bought it recently, but SEPTA never had any operations, or really any involvement period with it. Octoraro Railway was the entity that reopened/reconstructed the line in the 1970's for freight service.