A snowy Septa SL5 RFW from PHL to picturesque Doylestown on train

We enjoy a snow laden ride from Jefferson Station to Doylestown and what is likely my favorite Septa Regional Rail line. I have yearned for a long time to capture a snowy trip on this scenic branch to the quaint historic town of Doylestown.  There is a narration and plenty of info graphics, which primarily dwell on the stations,  the interlockings,  the passing trains, and all of the road crossings and there are many.  In addition, we have some insight from Engineer Trainee Bill from Jefferson to Jenkintown-Wyncote where he detrained.  We conclude the video with a walking tour of historic Doylestown which is one of the charming communities of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!! (FYI- AT 1:09:57 the signal there is RESTRICTING. NOT SLOW APPROACH!!!!!)

[@tomgebbie6294]

I enjoyed your video, as usual. Great commentary. I still have to speak up for the Silverliner IV's (as I've done previously). Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, and I find the IV's and V's equally good looking. I should add that I much prefer the look of a manifest freight, though! I took a trip to the Franklin Institute yesterday with my brother, nephews, and the nephews' children. We boarded in Wayne and disembarked at Suburban. It was a cold walk up the Parkway to the Institute, but at least the wind was at our back for the walk back! Silverline IV's inbound and outbound. I was hoping for V's on at least one half of the trip so the kids could experience both. Oh well, maybe next trip!

[@3985uprr]

You can disagree with me about most things and that’s fine. I’m super grateful for the SV5’s because they have allowed me to make all these RFW videos. I enjoy doing cab videos very much. I’ve done them on the Long Island Railroad, Metra, VRE, and Caltrain.

[@johnjones928]

Nice ride, iv'e crossed most of that line in my time so it's interesting to see so much of my stomping grounds from the tracks, If you walked down past the music store on Main St in Doylestown to the bike shop you'll see some of my work. I laid the brick sitting area outside of the store next to the shop, one of my costumers used to own both buildings.

[@3985uprr]

Very cool!

[@malachimuhammad-dy2ow]

There's an express on the Doylestown Line departing Suburban Station at 5:16pm tomorrow, and that's 2522: Express to Fort Washington, and Local to Doylestown. I'm quite sure the Silverliner Vs can do that service too.

[@3985uprr]

There seems to be a patten on what trains get them. #2514 I’ve ridden several times with them.

[@malachimuhammad-dy2ow]

I'm quite sure that's the idea for you. And I'm sure they'll find out which Silverliner will run that express service.

[@Adamdaj]

Between Wyne Jct. and Fern Rock, I remember getting the train, so high tale it to school at Broad & Olney. I notice that stop has ceased to exist. As I recall that was a Friday and the Gym Teachers to a group of us to Adam's Lanes near at Adam's and Rising Sun Avenue. That was heck of walk from where I got off the train to school. If my mother only knew half the sh** I done, mom would have gone to prison for Homicide, because she wasn't too thrilled with me exploring the city by myself, especially when I needed on the School Bus and not public transportation. Thank you Mr. Tim for the memories that you help bring up, especially when you ride by Holmesburg Junction.

[@aprilhilliard3302]

Wow! Thanks so much for the tour of Doylestown! Oh yeah.....and the train stuff too. lol

[@bigdaddyl-rob7445]

Another great RFW video, RRHG!! I was born and raised riding on the Reading/Penn Central/Conrail trains (particularly the Silverliners II,III, IV and V) being a life-long Philadelphian I rode the trains to Reading Terminal and Suburban Station and these trips you take bring back great memories! Thank youfor sharing and education future SEPTA engineers!!

[@3985uprr]

I had no idea I was doing this for them but I’m super glad that I am contributing. Sometimes assistance comes from unlikely sources.

[@mariofilippi3539]

Another fine video, it's just like being on the train in person. Thanks.

[@USArailfan2000]

Thank you for the historic tour of Doylestown!

[@paulpine6511]

Thanks for the virtual ride and special thanks for the finishing touch. The tour of Doylestown. I never been there but it looks great, very quaint and colonial. Loved your commentary both on train and in town. Your other videos which I have seen roughly 5 or 10, also top notch work.

[@3985uprr]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@nickcef]

I'm originally from Reading and live in NYC now, and really love these tours of the SEPTA system that you sometimes post. Spent a lot of time on those rails in my youth. I think a great future video would be taking the Airport line and doing a tour of Philly Airport.

[@isleman9473]

Thanks, Tim, for another great ride!

[@tomboylan1522]

…an immense “Thank You” …yet another EXCELLENT video from you! (That was a real, unexpected, gem, having the Instructor describing many features.) I really enjoy your narration (I guess, if people didn’t care for it as much, they could always just turn the volume down. …but I like it, very much!), and I appreciate you adding subtitles, identifying interlockings, etc. I am a Philly Boy, originally (but live in California now). If I was making that ride, that is exactly the window I would be looking out! …so I really appreciate your effort in producing, and posting these videos. Thank you!

[@3985uprr]

Thank you sir.

[@amitymichiels3277]

great one! fun fact about the Fortuna station, it was originally named Cowpath after the adjacent road, as it was a cowpath back when the branch was constructed. it got its current name however after a Reading locomotive struck and killed a cow while in service, and the farmer intended to press charges but he and Reading settled out of court by renaming the station after the lost cow: Fortuna

[@johnpontin9276]

One of your best vids..really enjoyed it. Thx so much. Regards, John PS the snow made the difference!

[@3985uprr]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

The concrete building at 1:12:13 is Mercer Museum. Fonthill Castle is about a mile away on East Court St. near Henry Chapman Mercer's Moravian Tile Works, which had its tiles used in the floor of the rotunda of the state capitol building in Harrisburg.

[@3985uprr]

I was confused by the map that I was reading, but it sure looked like a castle to me

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

​@3985uprr - I highly recommend doing the Mercer Mile. The museum has a lot of turn of the 20th century agricultural implements. Fonthill Castle was his home, and there is another vacant house on the property that was just approved for restoration. I described the Tile Works. All are made of concrete.

[@railbug6281]

How special to have snow, and great narration of the route pretty neat.👍

[@scottyerkes1867]

Nice snowy ride to historic Doylestown. Thanks Tim💚👌

[@ghostengineer]

My favorite part was when the train entered the station. Also the signal at Doylestown was displaying a restricting, not a slow approach

[@3985uprr]

Something you have made painfully obvious 🤣

[@JimCurry-uq3kj]

Those stairs you saw between the old Ogontz station and the Jenkintown Station were for the old Chelten Hills Station.

[@2READYCRETE]

As soon as you come out of the tunnel, you go past what was once Brown street interlocking. In the Reading Railroad days, there was a tower at Brown Street, and where you exit the tunnel is where Green Street roundhouse was

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

The door at Jenkin Tower is actually lettered "Wawa Tower," apparently by a SEPTA employee who was a fan of the TV show, "The Goldbergs," which was set in Jenkintown. That show frequently mentioned the Wawa convenience store nearby.

[@2READYCRETE]

At Glenside station on the North side, there was a siding in which there would be trains running pee wee runs from Warminster to Glenside which would take that siding. Septoid ripped it out

[@Olizimm]

another nice video Tim !! Good job !!

[@briangriffith2394]

Thank you so much my friend it was a great tour

[@3985uprr]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@2READYCRETE]

Link Belt had a siding that was manually controlled with electric lock derails and switches. FMC was located to your left which was served by the Lansdale Shifter

[@2READYCRETE]

At North Wales there were two sidings on the North side, which was controlled by a swith just on the other side of Beaver Street

[@redred1696]

Seems like the stations are really really close together. Almost like bus stops. Unusual?? Great videos. Appreciate what you do.

[@tomgebbie6294]

If you think they look close together on the former Reading line to Doylestown, watch some video of the other end of that old R5 line that heads west out of the city to Paoli/Thorndale. I'm not sure if the train ever gets over 40 MPH.

[@Touchybanana]

You should visit Lansdale too while you're at it, only bad thing about Lansdale is that it's a really dense suburb with a lot of traffic during rush hour time/North Penn School district dismissal times since buses clog up the streets dropping off students during the afternoon.

[@nolantherailfan5048]

You should make a rear view video on the Pennsylvanian from Philly to Harrisburg

[@PierceHaviland]

This ride reminded me of the song Slow Ride by Foghat. Definitely not a high .speed branch but another great video by you!

[@3985uprr]

It is not a high-speed branch, but it was definitely a fun ride.

[@2READYCRETE]

The csx sublime at Newtown Jct was called the Blue Line which ended at Midvale Jct

[@2READYCRETE]

SEPTOID took out the crossover North of Gwenedd Valley which faced south

[@Gojira160]

Yes but what about your first trip on SEPTA Train 7204: Express to Manayunk, and Local to Norristown?

[@3985uprr]

Don’t recall that

[@Gojira160]

@@3985uprr Oops my bad.

[@Gojira160]

@@3985uprr I mean rush hour does begin in the morning at 7:00pm. Not being rude. Just a reminder.

[@Gojira160]

@@3985uprr I mean I do need a phone.

[@2READYCRETE]

South Jenk was Chelton Hills siding to the left

[@2READYCRETE]

Tabor Jct , the Port Richmond branch ended. Iron ore and freight trains would ext there coming and going from and to Port Richmond

[@evangouldtransit]

48:07 does CSX comtinue straight from here.?

[@3985uprr]

Pennsylvania Northeastern. CSX has a yard there

[@alanlesitsky1300]

Check your description of this wonderful video. An error that I find hysterical.

[@3985uprr]

I caught that and corrected it. That was a “pisser” 😂😂

[@alanlesitsky1300]

I'm glad you did! @@3985uprr

[@2READYCRETE]

The sat track on the right was Huntington Street yard

[@christophercancel934]

Where exactly is the school (Delaware Valley) from the station?

[@3985uprr]

It’s further to the left oh the railroad.

[@evangouldtransit]

18:56 i do wonder what that used to be. i couldn't find any info on it.

[@3985uprr]

Old Chelten Hills station site

[@evangouldtransit]

ahh okay that would make sense.

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

​@@3985uprr- Tim, in the audio, you correctly named the station as Ogontz. The Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club has a wonderful HO layout.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

11:53 strange that the doors don’t line up perfectly with the platform height Edit: 15:15 and at this station they are lined up

[@carltonkeys6205]

Fanduel ruined them sir

[@3985uprr]

??????