[as of 25-Sep-2005]
As many as 13 years ago, in 1992, the trolley service via Philadelphias route 15 ceased. Back then everyone thought this was the year when PCC cars rolled through the streets of the city for the last time. Trolleys briefly returned to route 15 during the summer pick of 1995 in a form of modern Japanese-built LRVs, when route 10 trolley service was suspended. Yet, on September 4th, 2005 SEPTA reopened its trolley service via route 15 with rebuilt PCC cars.
CARS
18 genuine 1947 PCC cars were rebuilt by Brookville Equipment Corp. of Brookville, PA at a cost of $1.2 million each. The cars were completely stripped down and rebuilt from scratch. Each car received air-conditioning and a wheelchair lift. With the exception of an extended hump on the roof containing a 120,000 BTU AC unit, on the outside these cars still look like genuine PCCs. The interior, however, was somewhat overmodernized. Strangely, some elements of the interior were meticulously preserved (for example, the original lightening), yet others were replaced by cheap modern substitutes that spoil the remaining authenticity (for example, the new seats, similar to modern LRVs). The new wheelchair lift is incredibly bulky and awkward to use. It requires drivers to unlock it from the inside of the car, then walk outside, unfold the lift, lower it down with external controls, load the passenger, walk back inside to finish the process with internal controls, unfold the bridge to the lift, unload the passenger and fold the lift back in. At one point it took 12 minutes to load a passenger on the wheelchair. The other main complaint is absence of any emergency exits. Overall cars do feel like authentic PCCs, the new trucks and suspension still produce the classic sound of the original PCC boogies. The new Kiepe electric propulsion system, however, produces constant deceptively modern electronic back noise that accumulates to unnatural pitching sound upon acceleration.
TRACK
Thanks to SEPTAs general (though sometimes upsettingly selective) policy of preserving streetcar tracks even when unused, some sections of the 8.2 mile right-of-way needed relatively minor rebuilding. Only a few areas saw complete rehab, like Girard Ave by the Zoo. As a result, the ride is now incredibly smooth. This is a big step from the dreadful condition of the track I observed during a fan trip over the unused track of route 15 in 1999. Back then the passage was barely possible.
SERVICE
Route15 is a crosstown line that never penetrates downtown. Nevertheless, ridership is pretty good - at least north and west of Center City. (Ridership is lighter northeast of Center City.) The busiest stops are the transfer stops with rapid transit lines (Market-Frankford Elevated and the Broad Street Subway). Route 15 runs 24 hours a day. Rush hour headway is 10 minutes with occasional school-related outbursts down to 7 minutes, usually at the expense of the following interval, which subsequently becomes 13 minutes. General daytime and weekend headway is 15 minutes. Nighttime is 30 minutes. On Sunday, September 25th the on-time performance was not perfect, but still somewhat impressive, especially considering the fact that trolley service was absent for 13 years, thus public and motorists had enough time to forget what a trolley on route 15 looks like. As trolley cars were rebuilt to such a significant extent, the technology could also be considered somewhat new. Yet, on Sunday, September 25th about 80% of runs were close to schedule.
The following are the reasons for the delays I observed:
- A right-of-way being blocked by parked cars. To my surprise, most incidents were resolved relatively quickly. Only one vehicle had to be picked up and the rear of it had to be carried over sideways by passengers and by by-standers. I also observed only one case of a classic gesture of waving at the trolley to go around, displayed by a woman in a parked car with New Jersey license plates.
- Operators indifference. This mostly included apparent unwillingness to make up time after a delay. It looked like operators were thinking -its trolleys problem, not mine- on which grounds they seem to have been granted immunity from prosecution. One operator was doing 5-10 mph when he was 20 minutes late (a timetable was displayed on a dashboard right in-front of him).
- Delays caused by vehicles turning left, in which case a car in front of the trolley waits until the end of the traffic light cycle, thus leaving the trolley confronted by a subsequent red light. There were also some delays caused by vehicles with NJ license plates completing left turns in the opposing direction, inadvertently taking over space of the opposing track. The Girard / I-76 interchange seemed to be the source of most of such delays. Trolleys also didnt perform well while caught in traffic, mostly due to low driving manners and due to NJ drivers refusal to recognize trolleys inability to go around the obstacle. This was most evident at the intersection of Girard / Lancaster.
- Mechanical breakdowns happened to be the most popular complaint among some operators, yet only one such case was noted in the field.
- The use of the wheelchair lift to load a handicapped passenger was timed at... 12 minutes. I assume unloading would take about the same time.
- And last but not least, I observed a 10-minute delay due to a pole jumping the wire, with operator refusing to pull it back up as she did not have enough training to do so! She waited for another streetcar with a more experienced operator, who helped put the pole back onto the wire.
Despite these delays there was no supervision in the field whatsoever. Route 15s management totally depended on operators reporting.
There was one diesel bus observed assigned to route 15. The bus was parked at the Richmond & Westmorland Loop, placed on stand-by in anticipation of gaps in trolley service. The bus was used on two occasions for apparent service-patching. One of these two cases seemed completely unnecessary; at the same time a few other service delays went unaddressed. Before I went to Phila I heard a rumor that diesel buses, mixed with trolleys, were used on route 15 for regular service. As per service patterns on a given Sunday, this was not confirmed. 12 trolleys are required to maintain normal service during peak hours, 18 are potentially available.
ERGONOMICS
Most traffic engineering efforts to accommodate new trolley service came down to a few basics. There were additional loading platforms erected in the middle of the widest sections of Girard Ave (as I remember, prior to 1992 most platforms were either inconspicuous or absent at all). Curbside bus stops were suspended, signs directed passengers to the platforms in the middle of the street. Some stops were lost altogether, thus with the trolleys return the spacing between stops was slightly increased. Other bus routes that run alongside route15 were redirected to stop at platforms as well. A number of trolley stops, however, still undermine unloading passengers directly into the street. Practically in all such cases the rightmost lane is occupied by parked cars, effectively blocking any moving traffic. If parked cars are absent, the safety of passengers remains in Gods hands. A number of pockets for left-turning vehicles were provided, also the signage indicating such pockets did not seem to be adequate. As the entrance into the pocket is usually located prior to the intersection and before the platform, drivers do not see what streets they are about to turn into. Thus, the most common violation happens when cars with NJ license plates turn left from the right lane, from the right side of the platform, practically crossing in the path of the trolley moving in the same direction at 90-degree angle. Some sections of the right-of-way are designated for the trolley and bus use only, although the entire right-of-way is paved and accessible to cars. The signage is not clear enough, which prompts a lot of confusion among motorists, resulting in multiple violations, intentional or not, all of which are left completely unaddressed by local police force even when present.
The east end of route 15 serves the Port Richmond neighborhood, which is the center of the Polish community in Philly. The pierogies are very, very good, especially at Syrenka Luncheonette, 3173 Richmond St., which is just a block from the Richmond & Westmorland Loop.
PS: Photography was welcomed and sometimes even encouraged by SEPTAs staff.