Mystery Doors & Boxes

Does anyone know what lies behind the "Ejector Room" door or the "Porter Room" door at the Cecil B. Moore station (southbound side) of the BSS? No "Ejector Room" and "Porter Room" answers, please

While I'm at it, there are a number of strange metal boxes with rounded-corner rectangular doors at Cecil B. Moore (possibly elsewhere, too, though I've never noticed them). Anyone know what these are?

Umblehoon wrote:Does anyone know what lies behind the "Ejector Room" door or the "Porter Room" door at the Cecil B. Moore station (southbound side) of the BSS?

"Porter" is another name for janitor (it's also a tasty dark beer).

I will guess that the "ejector" is a pump for removing water from the tunnel.

My favorite subterranean mystery in the SEPTA system is why about 3' of the rump of an escalator was left sticking out when a wall was built at the east end of the platform between Tracks 1 & 2 at Suburban Station. Always wanted to get a photo of that, but now I think it's surrounded by construction stuff.

New Year's Quiz:

How many people remember the compartments marked "Paddles" and "Flags" on the P&W Bullets and Strafford cars?

And how many people know what their purpose was?

That 'rump' is there becasue they used to have a direct entrance from the 'Municipal Services' building to the platform via that escalator. if you go upstairs and walk 'down the platform' you can look in the glass to escalator area. It's all still there, ready to carry passengers, but it blocked off. Another stupid SEPTA 'cost saving' idea.

JeffK écrit:

New Year's Quiz:

How many people remember the compartments marked "Paddles" and "Flags" on the P&W Bullets and Strafford cars?

And how many people know what their purpose was?

This veteran rider remembers them. Part of the unique flavor of riding the "Pig and Whistle". Flags should have been the interurban version of rr classification lights, I guess...extra, second section, etc. As for paddles, they should have been special insulating devices for isolating the car from the line voltage. Handy in case you have a flame-out and the fire department needs to apply water.

Corrections invited, as always.

BTW, Happy 2005 to the forum!

Franklin Gowen wrote:Flags should have been the interurban version of rr classification lights, I guess...extra, second section, etc.

Well the steam roads used flags before class lights were developed.

As for paddles, they should have been special insulating devices for isolating the car from the line voltage. Handy in case you have a flame-out and the fire department needs to apply water.

Yep. They were made of wood--to use them, you'd slide them in between the third rail shoe and the third rail.

Now for an easier one--what's a "stinger" and why was it needed?

Franklin Gowen wrote:As for paddles, they should have been special insulating devices for isolating the car from the line voltage.

I do remember more than one operator telling a naive passenger that the paddles were there in case a rider became unruly ...

Anyway, I sure wouldn't have wanted to find out the hard way that the wood had gotten wet! Nor would I have wanted to use those long-handled jumper cables that were needed to connect the shoes to the third rail if a car got stuck in a dead spot.

JeffK écrit:

Ah bien! Est-ce que tu parles le français aussi?

Matthew Mitchell wrote:"Porter" is another name for janitor (it's also a tasty dark beer).

I will guess that the "ejector" is a pump for removing water from the tunnel.

Isn't that tasty dark beer actually a Port (not to be confused with the tasty red wine) aka Stout? SO you think the ejector is a pump, eh? Darn, I was hoping it served a similar purpose as the P&W's paddle in JeffK's story.


Edited in after posting: So do you think that closet is where the janitors go to drink beer?