Philadelphia's Historic PCC's - Page 1

Philadelphia's Historic PCC's

Classic streetcars in charter service

Page 1 of 2

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This section was set up on April 19, 1999.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates several streetcar lines in the city of Philadelphia. Today the lines are operated with modern cars built by Kawasaki, which replaced classic PCC cars. SEPTA has maintained a small fleet of PCC's, however, for operation on an irregular basis in Center City as the "Welcome Line" and in the northern-most part of the city as the "Chestnut Hill Trolley." These cars are also available for charter by groups. These photos highlight two charters by the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The first, using silver PCC 2728, was the Turkey Trot Trolley Trip on November 22, 1998. The second, using green cars 2785 and 2732, was the Super Saturday Streetcar Special of January 30, 1999. The Turkey Trot Trolley Trip is usually held the Sunday before Thanksgiving each year, and the Super Saturday Streetcar Special is held the Saturday before the Super Bowl each year. For details on these trips e-mail steve@daylightimages.com.

Our tour starts with PCC 2728 pausing at theYeadon Loop on SEPTA's Route 13, where regular-service Kawasaki car 9022 is also waiting.

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Next, 2728 pauses at the Mount Moriah Cemetery on Kingsessing Street, still on Route 13.

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The Center City tunnel runs from the 40th Street portal to City Hall at 15th Street. The chartered PCC is stopped at the 22nd Street station.

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Back on the surface again, the 2728 is westbound on Girard Avenue on the Schuylkill River Bridge as Amtrak AEM7 905 leads an eastbound Amtrak train on the parallel ex-Pennsylvania Railroad viaduct. This is SEPTA's Route 15, which is normally operated by buses, but the wire and rail are maintained for charters.

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Our next stop is the Malvern Loop on SEPTA's Route 10. Kawasaki car 9080 also occupies the loop.

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The trip finishes on SEPTA's Route 36 down the median of Island Avenue near Philadelphia International Airport. Kawasaki car 9069 heading north meets PCC 2728 heading south.

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