02-06-21 CLASSIC PHOTOS: SEPTA MFL & BSS

It is time to take a blast back into the past with a casual trip on the SEPTA Market Frankford Elevated and Broad Street Subway lines during the summer of 2002. Not much more to say than that except this should round out my series of Classic photos from 2002. I had moved on to 2003, but then found another 2002 photo set that I has not yet remastered and rereleased so sit back and enjoy.

You can find the full set of photos on my still working photo hosting service here.

We begin on PATCO where a crew was dropping new tie extenders and plastic insulators for attaching the third rail to the new concrete ties.

Moving on to the MFL we catch M-4 car #1201 at Girard. The old signaling system is still in place as evidenced by the block signals and air operated trip stops.

M-4 #1060 at Huntington.

While the old signals still had about a year left the A-10 pneumatic point machines had already been replaced.

The original Bridge St terminal with the new terminal rising in the background.

M-4 #1191 at Bridge-Pratt.

Here is a picture of some of SEPTA's budget track structure that made use of CWR made from butt welding existing stick rail (that's why the trains still make clickly clack sounds on some sections) and then bolting it to the ties with actual bolts and not much more.

Moving over to the Market St elevated we find the 52nd St interlocking in its original configuration as a single trailing point crossover. Here is the 4R dwarf signal protecting wrong direction moves. This would soon be replaced by a full crossover.

 M-4 #1147 near 60th St on the original closed deck ballasted El structure. Running on ballasted track really reduced the noise even compared to the modern direct fixation El structure that eventually replaced it.

 Here is the open desk El structure used in the several hundred feet that the line runs through Darby before becoming a plain surface route. The closed decking was mandated by the City of Philadelphia for noise control. Since Darby was a little late to the game regulation-wise they got the noisy track.

The original Millbourne station and its famous wooden pedestrian overpass.

M-4 #1137 rounding the loop at 69th St after discharging on the outbound platform.

M-4 #1122 at the outbound platform at 69th St.

N-5 car #146 in training service on the Rt 100 platform at 69th St.

#144 departing towards Norristown.

M-4 #1012 rounding the loop at 69th St.

62nd St interlocking St interlocking showing the old 2L dwarf and new signals.

 M-4 car #1045 with the Philly skyline behind it.

End of the old Market St El structure which used to continue to 22nd St until the 1950's when the subway was extended to 46th St. With a clear view of Center City this is considered to be the Smith 9th St of the Philly transit system.

M-4 car #1077 emerging from the 44th St portal. 

Rounding the Fern Rock shoppes we find B-IV car #523 sitting in the ready yard. Also visible is an old school US&S DA series pneumatic yard switch which was eventually replaced when the entire yard was turned into an electric plant.

North ready service yard showing how it worked before it was rebuilt. Also note the original position of the "Historic Fleet". 

Riding back to NJ we find replacement concrete ties piled next to the RoW in the Haddonfield trench.

Well that's all for this time. Next week stay tuned for pics from my recent trip to San Diego.