Septa wire train

I saw a Septa wire train at West Trenton at about 3PM today, Tuesday Sept. 21. It consisted of deisel locomotive 61 at one end and 601, a retired MU at the other end. There were 2 flat cars with wire spools and other equipment on them. Maybe the MU 601 was a retired NJT MU. I am not an expert but I read somewhere that maybe Septa had a few MU's from NJT for work service.
Anyone know how many other work trains have? Other wire trains or other MOW trains.

yes, i posted several weeks ago that they started using the NJT MU as a cab car.

is the wire train still working regularly? i havent gotten a pic of the new cab car yet.

blueduck577 wrote:is the wire train still working regularly? i havent gotten a pic of the new cab car yet.

Just about every night between Fern Rock & Jenkin

When you say every night does that mean in darkness or is this set running somewhere in daylight ?

kevikens wrote:When you say every night does that mean in darkness or is this set running somewhere in daylight ?

It only works in daylight in emergencies. It normally runs after scheduled service ends, and works through the night. Remember, it completely blocks a track. Bad idea during the day.

Who says the Wire Train only comes out to play at night???

Seen today at Langhorne Station at 2:30pm...


http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~wld25/WireTrain1.JPG File Size is about 1.3 mb or so.

I remember working on a site along the Reading mainline north of Elkins Park and seeing the SEPTA Wire Train pass through about 8:30-9 in the morning, and then return sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 that afternoon. I think SEPTA has few problems sending the wire train out on the branches as they see far fewer TPH than the trunk does. Tying up one track for a few hours is a bearable problem when only 4 or 5 trains go down it a given hour, when more than 10 do so it becomes a bigger problem.

And for those who are wondering, here's a tiny pic of the Arrow II which rides on the back of the Wire Train. I apologize for the crappiness, but the mini-high at Langhorne got in my way: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~wld25/SEPTAArrowII.jpg

Wdobner wrote:Who says the Wire Train only comes out to play at night???

Insomnia?

Just learned that the NH&I purchased the old 9125 wire train tool car and will be bringing it up to New Hope sometime next week.

aem7 wrote:Just learned that the NH&I purchased the old 9125 wire train tool car and will be bringing it up to New Hope sometime next week.

I'd love to ride a blueliner again - even as a trailer.........

Which car is that? Its not the light blue one parked at Wayne, is it? Wonder if they're going to restore it?

That's great news that the 9125 will be preserved, another reason to go to New Hope.

Which car is that? Its not the light blue one parked at Wayne, is it?

9125 has served as camp and tool car on the wire train pretty much since the Blueliners were retired back in the late 80's. It was not repainted and retained it's (faded) Reading blue and white. The other Blueliner sitting at Wayne next to Roberts Yard is landlocked (switch to siding has been removed) and serves as a storage locker. I believe the number on that one is/was 9130.

^I thought 9125 had a more SEPTA-ish color scheme. The one I always saw with the wire train before SEPTA got the Arrow II was painted white, and had the '80s style solid blue/red stripe.

My bad, I went back and checked a couple pictures and you are correct, 9125 is painted in the Septa circus scheme.

Thanks for the correction.

Saw the 9125 cab car sitting on the NH&I siding north of Street Road. Heard its gonna be there a couple of days due to there not being any room at New Hope.

9125 is currently sitting in the Wycombe yard. There's not really room for anything at New Hope.