Amtrak's Routes that SEPTA uses

[F40]

How many of SEPTA's Regional Rail routes run on Amtrak territory? And also, what are the stations and how many stations do both Amtrak and SEPTA serve?

[F40]

To add, which of Amtrak's routes nationwide is electrified?

[RMadisonWI]

To add, which of Amtrak's routes nationwide is electrified?

Washington to Boston, Philadelphia to Harrisburg, and New York to somewhere just north of New York, towards Albany.

[Jersey_Mike]

The SEPTA R2 Wilmington, R7 Trenton, R8 CHW, R6 Cyncyd and R5 Thorndale run on Amtrak operated lines. Technically the R1 operates on Amtrak as well, but only through the limits of PHIL interlocking.

The electrified lines that Amtrak runs on are of course the entire NEC Boston to Washington, the Harrisburg Line and the Hudson Line up to Croton-Harmon. Of course on the latter Amtrak trains only run in electric mode within the West Side Access tunnel. In chicago Amtrak trains run adjacent to the electrified Metra Electric Line.

[queenlnr8]

The SEPTA R2 Wilmington, R7 Trenton, R8 CHW, R6 Cyncyd and R5 Thorndale run on Amtrak operated lines. Technically the R1 operates on Amtrak as well, but only through the limits of PHIL interlocking.

To clairify, some of these routes do not use Amtrak owned property all the time. The R8 (my namesake) uses the NEC to access SEPTA owned track, as does the R6. The R5 uses the Keystone Route the whole way and the R2 and R7 use the NEC the whole way.

[7 Train]

Washington-Boston, Philadelphia-Harrrisburg and the section between NY Penn Station and the West Side tunnels on the Empire line are Amtrak's only electrified routes.

The Empire line runs on electified track between the Bronx and Croton-Harmon, but that third rail is used by Metro-North, not Amtrak.

[Otto Vondrak]

You might also want to ask your question about SEPTA in our SEPTA forum...

-otto-

[Olton Hall]

SEPTA and Amtrak both use 30th Street Station, North Philadelphia, Cornwells Heights, Ardmore, Paoli, Exton, Downingtown, Newark and Wilmington DE,

[sccaflagger74]

SEPTA and Amtrak both use 30th Street Station, North Philadelphia, Cornwells Heights, Ardmore, Paoli, Exton, Downingtown, Newark and Wilmington DE,

I think that SEPTA and Amtrak use different stations in Newark, DE. The SEPTA station is on the south (east?) side of the tracks near the auto plant while the Amtrak station has platforms on both sides of the tracks but I'm not sure of the exact location.

It's been a long time since I've been down there but I think I've got it right... though now that I'm thinking about it I'm not so sure. Can anyone clarify?

Thanks,

Bob

[walt]

SEPTA's use of Amtrak rails, especially on the PRR side has its orgins in the days when the RRD constituted the suburban services of the PRR and Reading Railroads. At that time, of course, the NEC was the North- South mainline of the PRR- and the famous "mainline" running west was the PRR east-west mainline. SEPTA's lines that use that now Amtrak owned trackage were, in that era, simply local suburban lines operated by the same railroad ( the PRR) that operated the intercity services. (and in the Broad Street Station days, arrived and departed from the same platforms as the Pennsy's intercity trains)
Similarly, Amtrak's electrified trackage along the NEC, and the Phila. Harrisburg line was formerly the "electric territory" of the PRR ( and between NYP and New Haven, the New Haven RR.) Amtrak has extended the NEC electrification to Boston, but other than that trackage, most of Amtrak's electrified trackage is that installed by the PRR and New Haven.

[CSX Conductor]

in addition to Jersey Mikes info about the Albany-bound Amtrak's......the Metro-North's Hudson Line which is used by these Amtrak trains is 3rd rail, not overhead catenary.

[Irish Chieftain]

And to further qualify, the third-rail on the Hudson Line is not used by Amtrak trains.

[RailMike]

Exactly once, some 25 years ago, Amtrak used an unusual set of electrified track.

In 1978 I believe it was, a freight derailed on the NEC in Metuchen and blocked all four tracks. Thankfully no passenger trains were involved, though did hear that two had a narrow escape. But in any case the NEC was impassable, for several hours while the wreck was being cleaned up, Amtrak trains went from the NEC to the North Jersey Coast Line of NJ Transit (New York and Long Branch, I think) until South Amboy. From there, Amtrak took some rare mileage: Conrail's Amboy Secondary south, through Browns yard, to Jamesburg. From there the trains headed west on the Dayton Branch to re-join the NEC at Monmouth Junction. (see http://www.geocities.com/transit383/asmap.jpg for an excellent map) I heard that those were the first passenger trains to roll through Jamesburg in decades.

Was that Amtrak route electrified? You bet! The NJCL was electrified at least as far as S. Amboy, and the two Secondaries still had full catenary; the AEM-7's could run just fine. Those catenary wires have since been removed by Conrail, though the towers remain for any future use by NJ Transit. In fact, both routes are contenders for the proposed "M-O-M" (Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex counties) route, but I doubt they will electrify them. Meanwhile, the NJCL was electrified to Matawan, then to Long Branch since then.

Another electrified line that Amtrak once used -- SEPTA in fact: the branch to Philadelphia International Airport, when direct trains were run between there and Atlantic City in some airline promotion. The locos, of course, were diesel, since the AC line is not electrified, even though some catenary structures near where the line crosses the Delaware River suggest that part of it may have once been. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the AC-bound trains parallel, but do not use, the third-rail electrified PATCO tracks.

[chuchubob]

The catenary on the New York & Long Branch (presently the NJCL) used to end at South Amboy.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/286 ... laDfyMQohT

http://community.webshots.com/photo/286 ... GeuopAXVNP

Trains would change engines there.

The NJT Atlantic City track runs beside PATCO from Haddonfield to Lindenwold. NJT and PATCO do not share any track.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/495 ... 0909wTYkln

The NJT track is the one on the far left, lacking third rail.

The PRR was electrified from Frankford Junction across the Delair Bridge and into Pavonia Yard, Camden. The NJT Atlantic City line crosses the Delair Bridge, but diverges from the line to Camden as soon as it leaves the bridge.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/306 ... 0203CpetbH

The track leaving the Jersey Mike photo at the bottom is the track to Camden; the tracks leaving the photo at the right go to Haddonfield and beyond.

[Gilbert B Norman]

An off topic aside, of interest to any STEAM fans around here ( I actually do know one "seventysomething" fellow who will only ride or model trains pulled by steam locomotives), the NY&LB was one of the last strongholds of passenger steam railroading. I believe that steam held out until the "late fifties" around there (Mr Vogel? Ms Bly?).

The "last stand' of passenger steam in the USA was a GTW Detroit-Pontiac commuter operation along the existing Amtrak route. There, steam power lasted until the "early sixties".

Should I 'fish out" some TRAINS with the DPM/Hastings series "Steam in Indian Summer", possibly I can perfect both of these dates.