Railroad Forums 

  • Leased equipment MARC/NJT/AMTK

  • Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.
Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.

Moderator: AlexC

 #1405444  by Silverliner II
 
Nope. Still have a boatload of MARC cars on lease.
 #1405598  by Silverliner II
 
Amtrak's leasing would not affect SEPTA, even if they still have all the MARC sets at that point. There are still 30 single-level cars available of which Amtrak will only need 12, and on a day when MARC won't be needing them for service and would have them back in DC before they are needed for service.
 #1405636  by jmatchesky
 
How exactly did MARC end up with so many extra cars? Is it just good timing with their new bi-levels arriving and the old single-levels not being scrapped yet?

Just from riding a few of them on SEPTA (not that you can tell much from that), it seems like the coaches are in decent shape. It would be a shame if they can't continue to be used by someone if MARC has no more use for them.
 #1405684  by Silverliner II
 
jmatchesky wrote:How exactly did MARC end up with so many extra cars? Is it just good timing with their new bi-levels arriving and the old single-levels not being scrapped yet?

Just from riding a few of them on SEPTA (not that you can tell much from that), it seems like the coaches are in decent shape. It would be a shame if they can't continue to be used by someone if MARC has no more use for them.
They are in pretty great shape, overall. The oldest IIa's are only 2 years older than the original SEPTA Bombardier coaches, and the SEPTA cars have even less mileage on them, overall.
 #1405713  by Silverliner II
 
Which would be locked shut as normal for SEPTA.
 #1405769  by STrRedWolf
 
What's the longest line from City Center that SEPTA has? MARC's Brunswick Line is 74 miles (a 2 hour trip at freight track speed), and the Penn Line is 77 miles (1h40m max 125mph), measured from DC. Bathrooms are needed on such trips, and MARC will direct the operators of the lines to make bathroom stops if the train doesn't have a bathroom.
 #1405776  by zebrasepta
 
Wilmington/Newark line with Newark being 38.7 miles away
Paoli/Thorndale line with Thorndale being 35.2 miles away
Lansdale/Doylestown line with Doylestown being 34.4 away
Trenton Line with Trenton being 32.5 miles away
West Trenton line with West Trenton also being 32.5 miles away
 #1405789  by Silverliner II
 
STrRedWolf wrote: Bathrooms are needed on such trips, and MARC will direct the operators of the lines to make bathroom stops if the train doesn't have a bathroom.
Unless it is broken, every MARC train has at least one bathroom (in the cab car).
I never heard of them making "bathroom stops." The train dispatchers on the host railroads would not go for that at all. And most MARC stations don't even have ticket offices, never mind bathrooms. And those that do, aside from DC, Baltimore Penn, BWI, and New Carrollton, most are not even open outside of the morning peak. I was fanning at Laurel one afternoon a few years back and the building was locked up as tight as a drum.
 #1405820  by jackintosh11
 
The longest run in the system would be the trains that run from Doylestown and continue all the way to thorndale (and vv), but it's very rare for a passenger to make that entire trip (it's about 2 hours and 30 minutes). The longest anyone is usually on a septa train would be an hour and twenty minutes, and that's only on locals from Doylestown to Center City.
 #1405874  by ChrisU
 
Anybody know what lines the leased sets are being used on now? Thinking about heading out there tomorrow.
 #1405878  by Silverliner II
 
All MARC sets, and all on the Paoli-Thorndale Line now. This morning, the MARC sets were on trains 9524, 9526, 9506, and 9538, respectively. The last one had SEPTA cab 2408 leading with the MARC coaches all reversed (MARC logo towards the cab car end of the train instead of the usual locomotive end).

The NJT set was returned last week; Friday the 14th was the last day for that set.
I saw the leased Keystone set at Suburban Station on Monday morning, but not sure what train it was on, or if it is still on SEPTA lease now.
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