SEPTA Regional Rail Iceberg Explained!

Starting with the Long Island Railroad Iceberg, I’ve intensively looked into the varying histories of the many commuter rail agencies of the northeast, and ultimately arranged them into separate icebergs after deciding that a single iceberg on all of these agencies would be too lengthy. This allowed me to allocate more time to each specific commuter railroad and add in several new topics that weren’t in the original iceberg, with some commuter agencies having much more info than others. As the previous iceberg covered New Jersey Transit, we’ll be crossing the Delaware and into the nation’s birthplace, as we’ll be looking into SEPTA’s expansive history in commuter railroading, meaning that any non-commuter rail divisions of SEPTA including subways and streetcars will not be included in this video. Also included in this iceberg are entries that include SEPTA during the time in between operating other commuter systems in the late 60s and the official formation of SEPTA’s regional rail division in 1983 to include some more interesting topics that otherwise would have been excluded.
Credit for all photos used go to their original photographers.
Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976: allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Music Used in Order:
Randy Butternubs - Dyalla
No Good Right - Freedom Trail Studios
Royale - Josh Lippi & The Overtimers
Suzuki's Theme - Endless Love
Breakfast Alone - The Whole Other
Underwater Exploration - Godmode
Go Down Swinging - NEFFEX
Night Sky - Reed Mathis
0:00 - Intro
1:19 - Layer 1
8:38 - Layer 2
17:03 - Layer 3
24:39 - Layer 4
29:54 - Layer 5
36:25 - Layer 6

Пікірлер: 46

  • @SteveGettingAroundPhilly
    @SteveGettingAroundPhilly2 ай бұрын

    Me, who talks about SEPTA a lot on my channel and is a regular rider: *grabs popcorn* this is gonna be good

  • @JessicaKasumi1990

    @JessicaKasumi1990

    2 ай бұрын

    Pass the popcorn. This is going to be interesting.

  • @Ostermond

    @Ostermond

    Ай бұрын

    Pass me the popcorn, too.

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    Ай бұрын

    Why doesn’t SEPTA order regional metro rolling stock that can work with both the broad street line and regional rail network? Modernization of both at once before screaming FRA automation buddy expansion of NJ service via PATCO expansion

  • @295g295

    @295g295

    Ай бұрын

    I imagine that the Fox Chase line can be built into an extension of the Broad Street Subway, a system with four tracks that does not have very much train traffic.

  • @johnchambers8528

    @johnchambers8528

    6 күн бұрын

    @@295g295The Fox Chase line is built to railroad standards while the Broad Street Subway is built to transit standards. I don’t see any advantage to running that line into the subway even if it could be done.

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    I remember Railworks! (barely) It was instigated by the one bridge, but it was actually a whole-scale rebuild, with bridges (plural), roadbed, tracks, catenary, and a new station at Temple University (along with the near-total demolition of North Broad). Terminal A isn't the newest station before Wawa. That would be 9th Street Lansdale, followed (iirc) by the current station at Temple University. The old station was known as "Columbia" (after Columbia Avenue-now known as Cecil B Moore), and was located a few blocks to the south. The Stoney Creek Branch is actually owned by SEPTA.

  • @JustARandomGuy2024
    @JustARandomGuy2024Ай бұрын

    Engines of SEPTA Mentioned 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

  • @andrewmazzarini2742
    @andrewmazzarini2742Ай бұрын

    8:59 TECHNICALLY there was an express service between Worcester and South Station that was called the "Heart to Hub" but it was killed in the pandemic. It was the only passenger train on the Worcester Line that passed through Framingham in revenue service without stopping. It was revived recently and now stops in Framingham

  • @EarthScienceGuy
    @EarthScienceGuyАй бұрын

    This series has some of the best videos on KZread. Thank you so much

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    The retraction from Parkesburg was actually to Downingtown. Thorndale was opened later (as a new station). SEPTA was able to do it because that was where the trains deadheaded to anyways, so it didn't really effect the schedule.

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    The Great Valley Flyer wasn't the only named SEPTA train. The West Trenton line had the Neshaminy Flyer, and the Doylestown line had the North Penn (which had formerly been the flagship express to Bethlehem and Allentown).

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    In 1996-8, there was a proposal by a private company to take over Amtrak's Harrisburg service. They would use rebuilt Jersey Arrow II EMUs running in 4-car sets and talked about offering some sort of light meal service. Unfortunately, this went nowhere, possibly due to the poor condition of the Arrow IIs.

  • @TheTrainspotterFromTauranga
    @TheTrainspotterFromTaurangaАй бұрын

    The National Train Day and Rail Rodeo events remind me of what I saw in Wellington recently. It was a display of both modern and heritage rolling stock to celebrate 150 years since opening of the Wellington to Lower Hutt railway, which now forms part of the Hutt Valley and Melling lines. As for Septa's reasons for cancelling their CRRC order, that speaks volumes about the manufacturer's reputation.

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    Last I heard, SEPTA still owned the line all the way to Bethlehem, through Quakertown.

  • @A_Lazy_dude
    @A_Lazy_dudeАй бұрын

    I am excited to watch this!

  • @Jello12
    @Jello1229 күн бұрын

    I didn’t know the Allentown & Auburn railroad was a museum…

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    I'm pretty sure that the Strasburg had a couple of other direct fantrips to/from Philadelphia. At the very least, 7002 and 1223 ran all over the Pennsylvania, from Rockville to Maryland, in the early 1990s-hauling something like 18 cars! GG1s operated into 30th Street Upper all the time up until 1952. They were heading in and out of Broad Street Station.

  • @Pensyfan19

    @Pensyfan19

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks for the correction about the GG1s. The reason as to why I didn't include 7002 and 1223 for the SEPTA iceberg is that the train didn't use any SEPTA equipment.

  • @SteveGettingAroundPhilly
    @SteveGettingAroundPhillyАй бұрын

    On the whole, great as usual, though there's one nitpick I have, which has to do with the Pop-Up Metro. SEPTA didn't propose the use of the concept on the West Chester line, but Rail Development Corp, who is still backing the concept approached West Chester's borough council about the idea, and the Borough Council's committee for rail service has run with it ever since. If anything, SEPTA is one of the idea's harshest critics, due to safety concerns in the event of a collision, since the ex-London Underground D stock they use are technically classified as Light Rail. As much as I love the concept, I'm definitely skeptical of it there, and in fact my first video was about it!

  • @Pensyfan19

    @Pensyfan19

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you for the suggestion. I assumed SEPTA initially proposed it since there was concept art of the railcar in a SEPTA livery, and said photos also made several railway news headlines.

  • @amitymichiels3277
    @amitymichiels3277Ай бұрын

    SEPTA still owns the stony creek and bethlehem branches. all of septa’s tracks that they own or operate on are shared with the East Penn and Penn Northern, there are no adjacent tracks

  • @ItsTheCostanza
    @ItsTheCostanzaАй бұрын

    After working for a septa train station for two years, septa is very disorganized and mismanaged lol

  • @kwydir7362
    @kwydir7362Ай бұрын

    Just a reminder the double deckers are meant to run with the single level coaches not replace them

  • @JoeyLovesTrains
    @JoeyLovesTrainsАй бұрын

    New Rochelle to New Haven is 60Hz, not 12.5. It is however, 12.5 thousand volts (12.5kV) between New Rochelle and New York I believe it is 60Hz, although it changes close to sunny side yard

  • @295g295
    @295g295Ай бұрын

    30:28 - "You can't beat the system. ... SEPTA System! "

  • @295g295

    @295g295

    Ай бұрын

    This was a tag-line / jingle of radio advertising in the 1970s.

  • @Wewwers
    @WewwersАй бұрын

    it's Lank-ister not Lan-caster

  • @himbourbanist
    @himbourbanistАй бұрын

    Ugh I really hope that SEPTA doesn't end up getting BMUs if they ever extend to West Chester. Anything less than fully electrified service is a concession that SEPTA shouldn't need to make.

  • @mityace

    @mityace

    Ай бұрын

    A better idea would be to have electric units with batteries as well. They could run to West Chester as battery and electric the rest of the way. This could also be used on other non-electrified former routes.

  • @himbourbanist

    @himbourbanist

    Ай бұрын

    @@mityace Ultimately, this is just another concession. SEPTA needs to electrify all the way to West Chester instead of relying on unproven battery-electric trains. It really just doesn't make any sense not to other than that putting up catenaries is expensive, or because NIMBYs are scared of wires, which are just excuses. I'd almost rather they used DMUs instead of relying on Battery-electric, or buying fully new trains with onboard batteries just to accommodate their lack of electric infrastructure West of Wawa. At least we know DMUs are reliable and there are reputable manufacturers making them nowadays that operate successfully on other services. Batteries just don't make any sense for trains, mode-switching or otherwise, and they carry zero operational benefits but all of the negatives of having to carry your power source.

  • @TheWildIVY

    @TheWildIVY

    Ай бұрын

    @@himbourbanist Yeah fr, just use diesel or put one some catenary

  • @mxsalm

    @mxsalm

    Ай бұрын

    @@TheWildIVYunfortunately it won’t ever be a diesel because the commuter tunnel doesn’t have any ventilation 😢

  • @TheWildIVY

    @TheWildIVY

    Ай бұрын

    @@mxsalm Well they could do an engine change at Wawa, just like they do at Washington D.C. and New Haven

  • @295g295
    @295g295Ай бұрын

    35:35 - What will happen to the trains that Amtrak has been using for fast Acella Express services after being run by Amtrak for 20-25 years?

  • @Pensyfan19

    @Pensyfan19

    Ай бұрын

    They're still in service for the foreseeable future, although I think four or five sets have been taken out of service for extra parts.

  • @briandynamite7942
    @briandynamite7942Ай бұрын

    Please dear lord do an MBTA one

  • @295g295
    @295g295Ай бұрын

    24:02 - Does this station now have a second name, other than "30th Street" ?

  • @warrencrosby2620

    @warrencrosby2620

    Ай бұрын

    Yes it’s now called William H. Gray lll 30th street station

  • @Ratcher.
    @Ratcher.Ай бұрын

    they should restore the old connection between the thorndale line to west Chester that's long been gone would be so nice since right now you you either take the wonky when ever it shows up bus or you take the full r5 to philly then to westchester when the line opens again

  • @00Zy99
    @00Zy99Ай бұрын

    Software? The SIVs weren't really built with "software". The real issue is different power systems-ac versus dc motors and the resulting different acceleration curves.

  • @Pensyfan19

    @Pensyfan19

    Ай бұрын

    I was referring to the software of the Vs and the electrical components of the IVs.

  • @mapguy
    @mapguyАй бұрын

    Rides septa regional rail today. Sees the video. Lets go 😂

  • @scottydude456
    @scottydude456Ай бұрын

    How exactly would amtrak get from 30th street bottom level to the reading tracks? Would they have to leave from the top level?

  • @Pensyfan19

    @Pensyfan19

    Ай бұрын

    No, they can use the lower level to run to the Wheeler Hill Connecting Track, which connects the Trenton Line to the Morristown Line just before North Philadelphia Station.

  • @Eric_Hunt194
    @Eric_Hunt194Ай бұрын

    The Pacer should really have been used on the Cynwyd line, what with the obvious Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 origins of Cynwyd... and Bala.