SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines

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     Subway–Surface Trolley Lines
#9074 operates on the #13 line in Darby, PA.
Info
Type Trolley
Locale Philadelphia, Yeadon, and Darby, PA
Terminals Overbrook (Rt 10)
Darby (Rt 11/13)
Angora (Rt 34)
Eastwick (Rt 36)
Juniper (all lines)
No. of stations 8 total underground stations, 8 major surface stations
Service routes Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36
Operation
Opened 1906
Owner SEPTA
Operator(s)
Character Underground and surface
Technical
Gauge 5 ft 2¼ in (1,581 mm)
Electrification Overhead lines
Line map
uCPICl CPICra
Juniper
uCPICl CPICr
15th
uSTR BHF
19th
uSTR BHF
22nd
uCPICl CPICr
30th
BHF
33rd
eABZrf
RT 10 to Overbrook
BHF
36th
xKBFe
37th
exBHF
40th
exABZrf
RT 34 to Angora
exABZrf
RT 13 to Mt. Moriah, Yeadon, and Darby
exABZlf
RT 36 to Eastwick
exSTRrf
RT 11 to Darby
Map Legend
BHF
Underground line
uCPICl CPICr
Free rapid transit connection
exBHF
Surface line
Philadelphia Portal

The Subway–Surface Trolley Lines are five SEPTA trolley lines that operate on public streets in Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and also operate in a shared rapid transit and light rail subway in Center City, Philadelphia.

The system is comparable to Boston's Green Line and San Francisco's Muni Metro, which use longer, articulated LRT vehicles.

Starting from their eastern end in downtown Philadelphia, the lines run in a tunnel under Market Street. All five routes stop at underground stations at Juniper, 15th Street, 19th Street, 22nd Street, 30th Street, and 33rd Street. From 15th to 30th Streets, they run in the same tunnel as SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line, with the rapid-transit trains on the inner tracks and the subway–surface trolleys on the outer ones.

Passengers may transfer free of charge to the Market–Frankford Line at Juniper/13th, 15th, and 30th Streets and to the Broad Street Line at 15th Street. Connections to the SEPTA Regional Rail are also available. Underground passageways connect the 13th and 15th Street Stations to Market East Station and Suburban Station.

The 30th Street trolley station is across the street from the 30th Street railroad station that serves SEPTA and Amtrak trains. An underground passageway that connects these stations is currently closed.

The Route 10 line surfaces on 36th Street just south of Market Street, then heads northwest on surface streets. The other four lines make underground stops at 36th and Sansom Streets and at 37th and Spruce Streets, surface at the 40th St Portal near 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue, and then head southwest on surface streets.

Contents

[edit] History

College Hall (and Logan Hall) viewed from Woodland Ave., ca. 1892.
College Hall (and Logan Hall) viewed from Woodland Ave., ca. 1892.

The Subway–Surface lines are remnants of the far more extensive streetcar system that developed in Philadelphia after the arrival of electric trolleys in 1892. Several dozen traction companies were consolidated in 1906 into the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company. The PRT funneled the West Philadelphia lines into subway tunnels as they approached the city center. After the PRT declared bankruptcy in 1939, it was reopened as the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC), which was absorbed into SEPTA in 1968.[1]

In October 2006, Penn's class of 1956 funded the construction of an innovative portal for one of the eastbound entrances of the 37th and Spruce station: a replica of a Peter Witt trolley of the kind manufactured by J. G. Brill and Company from 1923–26. Operated by the Philadelphia Transportation Company until 1956, these trolleys brought university students to the campus and to Center City, Philadelphia. Routes 11, 34 and 37 ran through the Penn campus on Woodland Avenue and Locust Streets for nearly 65 years.

In 1956, the trolley route was buried to enable the university to unify its campus. Woodland Avenue and Locust Street became pedestrian walkways.

[edit] Routes

Route West terminus Main streets of travel East terminus Depot assigned
Route 10 Overbrook
63rd Street/Malvern Avenue Loop		 Lansdowne Avenue and
Lancaster Avenue		 Center City
Juniper Street Station/City Hall		 Callowhill Carhouse
Route 11 Darby
Darby Transportation Center		 Woodland Avenue Elmwood Carhouse
Route 13 Yeadon
Yeadon Loop, OR
Darby
Darby Transportation Center		 Chester Avenue Elmwood Carhouse
Route 34 Angora
61st Street/Baltimore Avenue Loop		 Baltimore Avenue Elmwood Carhouse
Route 36 Eastwick
80th Street/Eastwick Avenue Loop, OR
Elmwood
73rd St/Elmwood Avenue		 Elmwood Avenue Elmwood Carhouse

[edit] Stations

All stations are in Philadelphia and western suburbs. Stations only on Route 10 are shown in gray.

Station Lines Notes
Juniper 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
15th Street 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
19th Street 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
22nd Street 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
30th Street 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
33rd Street 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
36th Street Portal 10  
Overbrook Loop 10  
Sansom Commons/36th Street 11, 13, 34, 36
37th/Spruce 11, 13, 34, 36
40th Street Portal 11, 13, 34, 36  
Angora Loop 34
Mt. Moriah 13
Yeadon 13
Darby Transportation Center 11, 13
  • Limited service on Route 13 to this station
Eastwick Loop 36
  • Within walking distance of the Eastwick R1 station

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley, or, A Short History of Route 34". Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
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