username2 wrote:jfrey40535 wrote:scotty269 wrote:Landsdale-Quakertown/Reading had no wire, or am I missing something?
They are not suburban commuter routes, they were intra-city routes. That's a significant distinction.
Also a significant distinction (and one that you seem to have missed) is the different definitions of intracity and intercity.
intracity = within a city (source: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intracity)
intercity = that connects cities one with another (source: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intercity)
username2. Since you inherently seem to lack decorum, respect and the ability to post something without displaying your shortcomings, I will start by sourcing this, as I think I see where
jfrey40535 is going.
(1) - SEPTA's
intracity routes are those within Philadelphia city limits (the current Fox Chase and CHE lines)
- SEPTA's
suburban routes (or "commuter routes) are those that stretch are far as the other four counties (Mont, Bucks, Chester and Delaware + the NJ/DE stops)
- SEPTA's
intercity routes are those extending to another city outside what was, at one time, considered non-traditional commuter routes, no different than LIRR's east end service. They routes were usually not electrified and sometimes ran as shuttle services. This would be services between Lansdale/Quakertown/Bethlehem/Allentown, Pottstown/Reading/Pottsville, and West Trenton/Jersey City, NJ.
See link below posted by
Pacobell73 clearly defining the intercity services.
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... pottsville
Source: Delaware Valley Rails by John Pawson, p. 52 (a gracious thank you to
Pacobell73, who has been posting maps and passages from this book, a copy of which I was able to purchase on Ebay).
The one sole exception to all of this was the, as
pistolpete66 put it, "beloved Newtown line."
It was very much a suburban/commuter operation due the fact in it within the 5-county region, but was treated as a stepchild, so it seems. It was the only line not electrified by the Reading in the 1930s. It seems that proposals had been discussed as far back as the 1970s to install a track connection at AYRES with the West Trenton route, and then abandon the 2+ trackage south of that location to Fox Chase, which, as we know, finally came to fruition two years ago.
Part of the reason for this was because population along the line in MontCo is sparse, there we few stations and parking lots. However, despite the small ridership, MontCo was assessed much of the route's cost, leading to opposition at the county level to continue the service. What kept the track in place was the fact the Newtown line is the shorter route to AYRES, and rush hour traffic through Jenkintown is heavy. Others plans called for full electrification of the line (which is why the Commuter tunnel would not have affected the Newtown line and why SEPTA installed signs along the line after the trains stopped running) or just cease all service north of Fox Chase. In short, all or nothing.
All of this information was pulled from said book by Mr. Pawson (p. 54,
username2. I have not been able to stop reading it since it arrived, my friends.
(2) Your many wikipedia links are essentially worthless, as few of them are actually sourced. In addition, it is not apparent in any of them when SEPTA actually purchased any of the lines. However, they do give a clear idea of when and who operated them. My advice to you is if you want to increase your credbility and decrease the chances of locking yet another Newtown-related blog, avoid wikipedia unless it is heavily sourced.
(3) I have a copy of a Railpace magazine that may clear things up. It appears that SEPTA starting running the commuter lines as early as 1964 under something called a "purchase of service" arrangement with both the PRR and RDG. At that time, the Reading operating five electric commuter lines (Doylestown, CHE, Hatboro, West Trenton and Norristown) as well as diesel trains to Jersey City NJ, Pottsville, Bethlehem and Newtown. By 1968, SEPTA gained the leftover PTC operations, and the railroad division was officially created. When the PC and RDG went bankrupt in 1971 and 1974 (respectively), SEPTA took over full operations of their commuter lines. This lasted until Conrail was created on 1 April 1976 and that carrier became the contracted operator (as well as owners) of the former RDG/PC, SEPTA-managed commuter lines (the expections being trackage owned by Amtrak). Finally, in September 1978, SEPTA excercised its
900 Day Option and purchased exactly 169 miles of unwanted Conrail-owned trackage (this option was apparently part of the Congressional legislation that Conrail in 1976). Under this act, state agencies were given uo tp 900 days from thr start up of Conrail to consider purchasing trackage Conrail had no interest in, so SEPTA purchased whatever commuter lines they could. This encompassed the RDG Norristown, CHE, Doylestown, Warminster and Newtown branches plus the Lansdale-Bethlehem segment as far north as Hilltop (the Bucks-Northampton county line). They also purchased the PRR West Chester and Ivy Ridge branch. At that time, trains on the latter only ran as far as Manayunk East. By 1980, SEPTA decided to expand service to the end of track at Ivy Ridge.
Now, what I just wrote was taken from an article published in
Railpace by Dale W. Woodland in December 2003. Additional sources are:
-
Delaware Valley Rails by John Pawson
-
Train-Watcher's Guide to North American Railroads by George H. Drury
username2, I hope this satisfies your insatiable appetite for cutting posters down when it comes to discussions of anything flavoured in Newtown. Please cease of your pointed attacks, because they make for a most unpleasant and rather derisory read.
Cheers, my friends.
