SEPTA makes progress on historic trolley restoration project

Ross DiMattei reports.

[@garysmith394]

Beautiful Work. WE LOVE OUR TROLLEYS!! Can't wait to see the whole fleet back in service (and ride them).

[@johnchambers8528]

It’s nice to see SEPTA doing something to keep trolleys running in the city. For years other cities have preserved and run these PCC cars for historic and tourist interest while SEPTA was abandoning old trolley lines. Modernizing them and keeping them running which use electric power is better than using diesel powered busses. I hope they continue to conserve and maintain these cars and possibly bring more back to run in the historic area of center city to appeal to tourists like other cities do.

[@rwboa22]

My hope is that when SEPTA acquires the new Alstom LRVs to replace the 40+ year old K-Cars, that the PCCs the K-Cars replaced will still see service. Most of the track infrastructure in Center City is still intact so it would not take much to get said infrastructure up and running and allow the trolleys to be Philadelphia's equivalent to San Francisco's famous cable cars.

[@johnchambers8528]

@@rwboa22 I agree but SEPTA’s management does not seem that interested in running trolleys instead of busses on surface routes. Part of the problem is Philadelphia car drivers don’t pay attention to proper parking and in many cases delayed many old trolley routes. It always was a problem on the Rt. 23 trolley line. In center city many times 2 or 3 trolleys would run right behind each other and then there would be a big gap in service till the next trolley. There also is the problem of where to store the old trolleys since many of the old trolley barns have been torn down and in the old space now bus only garages or the old spaces were sold off and the garage that serves those old trolley routes is not near by.

[@AL-zr5qv]

WE NEED MORE SEPTA TRANSPORTATION IN THE SUBURBS!!!!

[@brett8706]

Ain’t gonna happen. The rich suburban community does not want the urban folk in their neighborhoods any more frequently as they are now.

[@L154N4LG4IB]

I think we should just encourage more transit oriented development. Would be better than trying to give transit to people who don’t want it.

[@brett8706]

@@L154N4LG4IB Yup, the rich that don’t want certain people in their neighborhoods.

[@rwboa22]

​@@brett8706the "Old Money" folks being replaced by the younger Millennial and Zoomer folks, which mean Democrat-majority governments at the county and municipal levels and mandates from DC in regards to where low income and affordable housing is to be built. Were not yet into seeing 15-minute cities on the Main Line yet, but given their penchant to vote for the Party of the "Propriska" (internal passport, which would be needed to leave the "Plantation" a.k.a. Collective Farm), I would not be too surprised if such would sprout up.

[@samanthab1923]

How cool is this! Please no graffiti artists please 🙏🏻

[@yvonneplant9434]

There has been no graffiti problem on rolling stock since the late 70s/80s.

[@samanthab1923]

@@yvonneplant9434 Really? Is that just Philly? NYC is a disgrace. No sooner a new batch of cars are on the rails, they are vandalized

[@ArturoRailProductions]

@@yvonneplant9434That’s a lie

[@lambo8961]

@@yvonneplant9434 someone apparently put graffiti on a broad st line car in the 2010s but besides that it's mostly true

[@kircinnamon8496]

@@yvonneplant9434 I still see graffiti on walls going inside and out of stations, some trains especially when looking at them from 69th St, I see graffiti trains near the back; aka the last trains on the chain have graffiti on it.

[@EnterpriseXI]

The proper people did a video on a streetcar graveyard a couple of months back, and they mentioned that a person that’s been dedicated to try to preserve and restore Some of these street cars were targeted by vandals and heavily vandalized and destroyed. I wonder if this is the same place that was targeted. Anyways, great work guys and gals for bringing these old cars back to life and back to running order

[@karlpiepenburg127]

I wish Chicago and St Louis had kept some PCCs and trackage. These are beautiful

[@dysontyronetd]

In that was the case, why can they restore routes 29 and 79 track-less trolleys. It's STILL NOT FAIR

[@339gabriel]

HOPEFULLY THEY WILL BE BIGGER WITH MORE PLACES TO SIT !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@malachimuhammad-dy2ow]

I hope I can see them on the 15 again.

[@paulgreen6921]

I hope to ride one of these historic streetcars! PWG

[@losh330]

I saw so many people call BS on the PCCs needing new frames after 15 years but damn that looked bad.

[@PhillyMadeCris]

Take your time guys hard work pays off we don’t need the trolleys rn some ppl don’t deserve them rn cause once they hit the streets ppl will tear it apart again

[@fairlessdave1834]

Too bad they ripped up the route 56 tracks.

[@dysontyronetd]

Same with 23 as well

[@dysontyronetd]

The tracks are actually underneath

[@fairlessdave1834]

@@dysontyronetd are they? I thought their were sections ripped up and sections paved over.

[@dysontyronetd]

@@fairlessdave1834 You're quite correct

[@SomePerson_Online]

Oh so they’re brining back the 15 😭 last time I seen them jawns running was like 2012 💀

[@dysontyronetd]

They first came back in 05, I was in 10th grade when I first rode them. Since then, I rode these for 15 years and also became my second favorite trolley route

[@thekinglkatana9782]

It's good for them to restore PCC but my one question is they have 112 City Kawasaki cars right and they only have 18 pcc question is why they don't have a problem what's the other trolley lines not having wheelchair but it's a problem with Route 15 like I might be the only one saying that like it is good to see the pcc's being rebuilt but the same time SEPTA has 112 lrv so you're telling me they can just use 18 of them on Route 15 and people are going to say they don't have wheelchair even though all that other trolley line don't have it don't know what's the problem

[@johnchambers8528]

Most likely SEPTA is using federal transit funds to upgrade these trolleys and if major modifications are made the vehicles must meet handicapped access rules. Since the subway surface cars are only receiving routine maintenance and not a rebuilding they do not need to be updated. Hopefully it will not be much longer when they replace these cars with new handicapped accessible features.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@johnchambers8528 In addition, since Route 15 was restored to streetcar service after the ADA went into effect, it is legally required to be ADA-compliant. The Subway-Surface routes started before ADA, so they are not legally required to be compliant.

[@jcwnetwork5548]

Do the same to the k cars septa

[@thekinglkatana9782]

I agree with you bro

[@thekinglkatana9782]

SEPTA has 112 City K cars and you telling me they can't just rebuild 18 of the k-cars the run down Route 15 with wheelchair

[@losh330]

They are replacing them in a couple years

[@TajmirTheRandomFan]

so that's not gonna happen. Kawasaki has focused on other projects

[@rachelmelton4852]

The St. Louis car CO Brookville PCC route 15 will return to Girard Ave September

[@rachelmelton4852]

And don’t forget CBS three in 2027 the St. Louis car CO Brookville PCC And Kawasaki LRV 9000 and 100 series single and double engines being replaced by ALSTOM LRV

[@dennisallen8333]

Keep going septa!

[@yediydeyahisrael3170]

This is my question are they going to be running back to Port Richmond and Delaware Ave ?

[@1stwonder788]

Yes

[@martintransportlogisticsll2370]

thats whats up !

[@lazarbrzak3623]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Charles-yq8vv]

Exciting!

[@Helloa1415]

When are they coming back?

[@williamerazo3921]

So they restoring these cars again

[@pontyronkyisunknown2664]

I dont know why people are mad at SEPTA over bringing historic PCC trolleys back. Wasnt you guys riding these before they we're getting refurbished? you used to be excited to ride these historic trolleys but now all i see is people getting mad at SEPTA over a freaking trolley refurbish project. I dont get it.

[@Jawnderlust]

Love it

[@jasoncrablephillytransitbo4633]

Yes

[@fixieroy]

Why not just buy new ones…..

[@wakeup8922]

SEPTA should be more concerned with sexual assaults, crime and dangerous transportation stations.

[@yvonneplant9434]

I don't disagree with you. But these projects add jobs for talented people and the trolleys are an important part of the history of this area.

[@anthonybanchero3072]

@@yvonneplant9434 Is Brookville assisting in this project?

[@fogel76]

We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Its not like they are pulling transit pollice to do this work

[@anthonybanchero3072]

@@fogel76 No disrespect to police, but I doubt police officers can rebuild a 1940s PCC. Sad it was the Pinnacle of American Streetcar design.

[@sadgodzilla9687]

we need our trolley's back tho!

[@justin1982wilson]

We need new modern tram cars like 🇬🇧. Septa is so far behind with there transportation trains and trolley

[@1stwonder788]

They are gonna replace the Kawasaki trolleys for low floor modern trolleys but the 15 will use these trolleys, we should have them in a few years

[@kircinnamon8496]

Why they’re making (trolley) trains come back, clean up the routes that already here/still here. The sanitation is so f*ing disgusting, like feces on the trains- I would think it be better after what happened in this decade so far, it’s worst especially because of low employment. Not fair to school children either like, bring 🚌 back not old Septa route numbers.

[@newflower8974]

I mean this is cool but we got bigger fish to fry the safety and crimes, cleanliness and keeping drug use off Septa should be more of a priority rn

[@themoviebay]

They can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@themoviebay . . . As opposed to the T up here in the Boston area, which apparently CAN'T walk and chew gum at the same time (and even separately is questionable).

[@DPrizm215]

Terrible idea, those trolleys are sooo slow on an already long route

[@durece100]

You need to be patient. You think trolleys are slow, but not overly long train congestion like with subway trains. Trolley are very reliable and less complex.

[@Earlgreen8]

This is foolish and this is why SEPTA falls behind? This is a waste of money.