18-02-17 PHOTOS: Spring Travels

Spring is usually the down season for rail photography. Short days combine with rain and clouds to create an atmosphere that is dim, cold and muddy. Not the best time to get out of doors and trek off road. However, my usual slate of organized activities often have a rail transit component and this set gathered together a number of events in the March 2018 time frame including some PATCO runs and a trip to Boston. As usually you can visit the complete set of photos here.

Dealing with a jury duty scare concerning my disabled mother brought me into Camden where I grabbed this shot of RiverLINE LRV #3510 at the Rand Transportation Center. Since I was last there a new Rutgers Camden building has gone up.

Rebuilt PATCO car #1116 at Haddonfield.



NJT GP40PH-2B's still have a home on the Atlantic City Line and here we see #4215 passing through the Haddonfield Trench with a typical ACL comet consist in tow.

On a different weekend I got what I thought would be my last PATCO ride with #258 at the end of the morning rush. As a result I grabbed what I thought would be my last videos from the railfan seat, heading into the Mickle Street tunnel and heading eastbound over the Ben Franklin Bridge.



Here we see some views of the classic 1960's/70's interior.

Instead of getting off at 8th and Market I rode this classic all the way to the 15th/16th terminus.

I needed to burn a Club Acela pass before it expired so I decided to try out the lounge at 30th St station and to my delight I can say it is easily the second best lounge on the NEC, easily surpassing the dingy store rooms in New York and DC and coming right behind Boston. With an overhead view of the Spirit of Transportation and all of the dirty peasants down below in the main concourse, Philly's Club Acela lounge also features private elevator access to the platform level, alleviating any risk of picking up a communicable disease xD

Once on the platform I caught a simultaneous arrival of a southbound Regional and a Northbound Acela featuring ACS-86 #646 and Acela Power Car #2032.




Skipping head slightly to my Boston trip, here we have Amtrak Acela Express #2035 and a 700 series P32AC-DM lit up at Penn Station New York.

Amtrak motor storage yard at New Haven with Amtrak ACS-86 #660 and the signals of SS75.

MBTA Type 8 #3819 at the Arlington station.

MBTA Type 7 #3626 also at Arlington.

Unfortunately the Scollay Under sign at the Government Center station is no longer an easter egg hidden behind a partition on the lower level.

MBTA Type 7 #3624 at the rebuilt Government Center green line station.

Amtrak Acela Express power car #2020 at Boston South Station.

MBB cab car #1511 also at Boston South Station.

Acela Express #2009 was at the leading end of my train back to the Baltimore area.

Additional locomotives at BOS. Amtrak ACS-86 #632 and MTBA F40PH-2C #1060

Amtrak #2009 posing behind 1911 vintage Penn Station signal 116E.

And I'll finish up with NJT ALP-46 class leader #4600 also at Penn Station.

That's it for now. Next time we'll catch some MARC commuter action at Saint Dennis, MD.