Fox Chase Station Changes

I know this has been discussed before but could we rehash this one....

SEPTA recently took down the signals at Fox Chase which protected trains north of Rhawn St (hasn't been protecting much in 25 years...). The signals were kept active until they came down. I forget if this was a CP for SEPTA, but does anyone know why they were kept active for such a long period, and why they were recently taken down?

The southbound signals north of Rhawn are dead. I assume maintenance stopped in 1983. Are there any SEPTA signal maintainers in here?

There's been a bit of activity at Fox Chase over the past year, none of it good of course. Most recently, SEPTA moved the termination of the catenary to immediately north of Rhawn Street, with the installation of a new steel beam square on center of the track formerly used by the Fox Chase Rapid Transit trains (prior to 1981 the trains ran through on the main track).

So why change the catenary configuration now? If the change is permenant, why must it still extend over Rhawn street (isn't this addional liability, maintenance?). We of course would like to see the opposite (extend it north!).

Yet with all the changes, the crossing protection is still intact (if you can call it that...does it still work?), and the tracks have not been paved over (last "surviving" crossing on the Newtown line).

the catenary would likely be hard to terminate next to the street, because a storm knocking live wire off that last support (with nothing else to hold it on the northern end) falling down on a busy street would not bode well with the neighbors...



the operations at the end of the line always confused me, and gave me the impression that the line might come back so those signals might have not been taken down for a while because SEPTA didn't feel the need to, possibly to use as proof that the newtown service was "temporarily" suspended- to convince whoever questioned it, and maybe convince themselves there was hope for it. now, i think they have outlived their usefulness, and SEPTA decided to take them down.

and if SEPTA ever does bring back the newtown line, they might want more breathing room for electric trains... nah, they won't do it and that is absurd as is.

I mean, SEPTA had such a busy schedule over the past 20 years, they had no time to take down the signal.

jfrey40535 wrote:I know this has been discussed before but could we rehash this one....

SEPTA recently took down the signals at Fox Chase which protected trains north of Rhawn St (hasn't been protecting much in 25 years...). The signals were kept active until they came down. I forget if this was a CP for SEPTA, but does anyone know why they were kept active for such a long period, and why they were recently taken down?

The southbound signals north of Rhawn are dead. I assume maintenance stopped in 1983. Are there any SEPTA signal maintainers in here?

There's been a bit of activity at Fox Chase over the past year, none of it good of course. Most recently, SEPTA moved the termination of the catenary to immediately north of Rhawn Street, with the installation of a new steel beam square on center of the track formerly used by the Fox Chase Rapid Transit trains (prior to 1981 the trains ran through on the main track).

So why change the catenary configuration now? If the change is permenant, why must it still extend over Rhawn street (isn't this addional liability, maintenance?). We of course would like to see the opposite (extend it north!).

Yet with all the changes, the crossing protection is still intact (if you can call it that...does it still work?), and the tracks have not been paved over (last "surviving" crossing on the Newtown line).

Not to change the subject, but I thought we established that the Fox Chase Rapid Transit was a bus line. What is this train you refer to?

capuzfu wrote:

jfrey40535 wrote:I know this has been discussed before but could we rehash this one....

SEPTA recently took down the signals at Fox Chase which protected trains north of Rhawn St (hasn't been protecting much in 25 years...). The signals were kept active until they came down. I forget if this was a CP for SEPTA, but does anyone know why they were kept active for such a long period, and why they were recently taken down?

The southbound signals north of Rhawn are dead. I assume maintenance stopped in 1983. Are there any SEPTA signal maintainers in here?

There's been a bit of activity at Fox Chase over the past year, none of it good of course. Most recently, SEPTA moved the termination of the catenary to immediately north of Rhawn Street, with the installation of a new steel beam square on center of the track formerly used by the Fox Chase Rapid Transit trains (prior to 1981 the trains ran through on the main track).

So why change the catenary configuration now? If the change is permenant, why must it still extend over Rhawn street (isn't this addional liability, maintenance?). We of course would like to see the opposite (extend it north!).

Yet with all the changes, the crossing protection is still intact (if you can call it that...does it still work?), and the tracks have not been paved over (last "surviving" crossing on the Newtown line).

Not to change the subject, but I thought we established that the Fox Chase Rapid Transit was a bus line. What is this train you refer to?

it was the RDC shuttle, not a bus line. that was the "FNS" route.

Why was it called "Fox Chase Rapid Transit" and not "Newtown Rapid Transit"? The first would imply a transit line service the Fox Chase area, when in fact Fox Chase had its own "separate" rail line, whereas Newtown was served by the RDC shuttle, and later the bus line, now the 24/130 bus routes (which area joke).

On topic here, it seems every few months SEPTA manages to send crews out to dismantle remnants of the line, no matter how small it may be. Last year the "Lolipop" station signs came down, a few years before it was the grade crossings. There isn't much left. I'm waiting for the day when the crews go out and pull up the rail (although that would involve clearing the ROW---too much work).

jfrey40535 wrote: On topic here, it seems every few months SEPTA manages to send crews out to dismantle remnants of the line, no matter how small it may be. Last year the "Lolipop" station signs came down, a few years before it was the grade crossings. There isn't much left. I'm waiting for the day when the crews go out and pull up the rail (although that would involve clearing the ROW---too much work).

The latest casualty would have been the signal cables over Rhawn Street and the north end switch. At least the MOW crews were still able to benefit from the latter but now that the cat pole is in the gauge of the siding track, that's a moot point too.

the signal cables over Rhawn Street

For what signals? Are you referring to the signals for SB trains approaching Fox Chase?

Looks like SEPTA forces have been busy....the only remaining grade crossing signal tower on the line at Byberry is now gone. Must have been done within the last few weeks.

Kind of annoying to see all this activity, not just because they're erradicating the line, but for a company that cries broke, they sure spend alot of labor hours destroying infrastructure. Just why did those station sighns have to come down, and why did they go up in the first place???

The Byberry cantaliever must have just gone this past week. The cables over Rhawn Street came down about 6 months ago when the NB signals were removed.

Looks like SEPTA forces have been busy....the only remaining grade crossing signal tower on the line at Byberry is now gone. Must have been done within the last few weeks.

I believe the overhead masts are still standing on Terwood Road.

Some of the relay cases that are still locked have relays in them.. along with rodents, wasps, birds, etc.

I believe the overhead masts are still standing on Terwood Road.

SSShhh...we don't want them taking them down too! I forgot about them since they're so covered in weeds now....

Some of the relay cases that are still locked have relays in them

That's about all that's left. Now is a good time of year to document this stuff (with photographs) before the vegetation springs to life again and continues to engulf the little that is left.

My dad's a SEPTA signal maintainer. I'll ask him for some info next time I see him probably this weekend.