Philly Railfan Pictures of the Week

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Railfan Pictures of the Week - 03/25/2018

CSX Trenton Line CP Berry Philadelphia PA and SEPTA Main Line Melrose Park PA March 23 and 24 2018

On March 7 2018, Union Pacific train SFLES-07 led by SD70M UP 4912 departed Sacramento CA headed east with the final delivery of MARC Chargers (numbers 85, 86 and 87) and the third shipment of SEPTA ACS-64 Sprinters (904 and 905). Having dropped off the MARC engines in Baltimore MD on March 20, the train, now called CSX W991, paused for a snow storm before continuing on to its final destination: CSX Woodbourne Yard in Langhorne PA. A bright and sunny morning on March 23 finds the train on the CSX Trenton Line just east of CP Berry.

SEPTA initially got a look at the new electrics on their rails back in 2016 (after they had already placed an order for 13 of them). In February 2016 Siemens lent them Amtrak 664 for test runs on the system in March 2016 and then SEPTA borrowed a few from Amtrak in the summer of 2016 while the Silverliner V fleet was sidelined. The first SEPTA Sprinter SPAX 901 came in on CSX Q404 on December 13 2107 and was picked up by SPAX 80 that night. SPAX 902 and 903 were picked up on February 21 2018, again by SPAX 80. This time SEPTA sent its gen set SPAX 70 on March 24 to pick up SPAX 904 and 905 and take them to Wayne Electric, here passing Melrose Park Station.

At this rate, the SEPTA order should be completed this summer. In other related news, the CRRC plant in Springfield MA that will produce 45 SEPTA bilevel cars to go with the new engines is slated to commence production in April 2018, beginning with an order of 404 subway cars for MBTA, followed by the cars for SEPTA.

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Website created January 1, 2017