16-12-27 PHOTOS: SEPTA Mid-Winter Trip XVI

Despite running for 16 years, the SEPTA Mid-Winter Trip is still capable of doing something new. This year the novelty came from a ride on the Route 34 Subway-Surface line to Angora (of wool fame), which had been neglected for so long since it is the only trolley route that doesn't connect with anything. The trolley bonanza would continue with a more typical Rt 10-Rt 15 combo that then ran seamlessly into a Broad Street Line express run to Fern Rock and Back. The afternoon featured a quick Fox Chase turn followed by a photo session at Temple University. A planned express run all the way to Newark, DE was scrapped in favor of two additional photo sessions at the 30th St Station garage and the Market Street elevated. Attendance was about 12 or so with different people joining and leaving throughout the day.

I know it's July, but I wanted to once again thank everyone for coming, I hope you had a good time and I hope to see your all again next year! You can find all the photos here, the long format videos will come later in a followup post.

The weather was kind of gross that morning, which seems to be a pretty common occurrence for MWT's, but it wasn't raining heavily enough to make us miserable or make photos impossible. As usual I started things off with an inbound express PATCO run to Center City. With unrebuilt cars getting fewer in number this might be the last year where I can take advantage of the railfan window. This year Vickers car #282 did the honors.

These wonderfully analogue destination signs will also be a thing of the past.

The Route 34 just sort of heads off into West Philadelphia south of Market and above the Rts 11 and 13 to Darby. There is a walking connection to the R3 Angora Regional Rail station, which I probably should have made use of before now and will definitely have to keep in mind for the future. Here we see SEPTA K-Cars #9028 and #9044 pulling into the station track on the Angora Loop.

Here we see #9028 ready to depart back to Centre City.

In the West Philly trolley tunnel under the University of Pennsylvania Campus, trolleys are always arriving every couple of minutes. However they are never the ones you need :-) Here is a Route 13 Yeadon, encountered while Waiting for a Route 10 at the 33rd St station.

SEPTA K-Car trolley action at the 33rd St station on the Subway part of the Subway-Surface system. Note the LED Christmas lights on the special SEPTA Holiday Trolley. This would be the first of three encounters with the Holiday Car that day.



K-Car #9108 eventually picked us up from 33rd St. and transported us to Girard Ave where we would transfer to a Rt 15.

Anything for a good photograph, eh? PCC II #2334 and K-Car #9105 at Girard Jct.

PCC II #2334 and K-car #9010 passing at Girard Jct.

Morning group shot of MWT XVI participants @ Girard Jct.

Getting off Rt 15 PCC II #2328 at Broad St.

Lead car of our BSS train was #558, which, as luck would have it, was also a holiday car.

Looks like something interesting is pulling into Fern Rock!

Operating cab of #691.

SEPTA SL-IV #336 at Market East.

SEPTA SL-IV #450 heading south through the phase break on the Reading viaduct.

Surviving interlocking towers on the former Reading Trunk line at WAYNE JCT and NEWTOWN JCT.

SEPTA SL-V #818 at Fox Chase.

Six car outbound train of Silverliner V's at Tenple University.

At this point the express train to Newark, DE pulled in with SL-IV #176 in the lead, but due to a mix-up reading the schedule, and the train's length we completely missed it. As events would play out later that night, this was likely for the best.

With so many trains constantly rolling through, like this inbound SL-IV pair with #143, it was easy to get distracted at Temple University Station.

The alternate plan was to hit up the old 30th St Parking Desk that overlooked the Race St engine terminal. In the yard that day were GP15D's #575, #578 and #579, ACS-86 #624 and #640, GP38-2 #722 amd GP38H-3 #527.

Over in the Penn Coach Yard a leased SEPTA MARC set was sitting next to the Amtrak display train.

Meanwhile, P42DC #94, reversed back through Penn Interlocking to turn on the ZOO wye after having come off the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh.





Which was right before an electrically powered Keystone arrived from Harrisburg with Metroliner Cab Car #9650 and ACS-86 #614.

For the final stop of the day we proceeded to the 52nd St MFL station for some golden hour views of the Philadelphia skyline and westbound El trains.

A second brief stop was made at the 46th St MFL station for the similar purpose.

There's that holiday K-Car #9031 again, this time at 30th St.

Unfortunately, due to a suicide at Broadway, PATCO service was suspended for about 4 hours in the height of the rush. For those MWT participants with their vehicles in NJ, we immediately proceeded to 30th St where NJT ACL trains were cross-honoring PATCO tickets. The delay was about 50 minutes, but we managed to get back alright. 

Thanks again for everyone who attended. Hopefully you had a good time and will be able to show up next year. For anyone new to the scene I highly recommend the trip, so try and schedule some time off between Christmas and New Year's. The 2017 edition of the MWT will involve the new Cyncyd Branch connection as well as a possible visit to Norristown Elm St.