Trolley Stub at Juniper

A friend asked me what was up with the tunnel stub just north of the Juniper street trolley station and I said that it was for trolley storage. When I look more closely at the picture he sent I noticed that the tracks were missing from the stub. When did this happen? I vaguely remember reading something about it, probably here, but I was unable to find the reference. Admittedly it has been years since I was down there.

Sean

Mannnnyyyy years ago I heard that the stub had been built in anticipation of extending the S-S lines farther under Market Street. Unfortunately, like you I don't have any references to confirm that (hazy) memory.

JeffK wrote:Mannnnyyyy years ago I heard that the stub had been built in anticipation of extending the S-S lines farther under Market Street. Unfortunately, like you I don't have any references to confirm that (hazy) memory.

DRPA did have some plans (including a $1 billion proposal) to extend the Subway-Surface lines east to Penn's Landing and Pier 70 (ERA Bulletin, August 2007, page 15).

The stub is a remnant of the original northern section of the s-s lines loop around city hall.

The original routing of the MFL was not directly straight under city hall, but rather circled around around city hall. The MFL was inside the s-s loop, although rather than making a closed loop like the s-s turned to continue east. When the MFL was re routed straight under city hall the old trackway & tunnel was abandoned. These unused sections were/are "inside" the s-s loop.

When the CCCT was built the northern section of the s-s loop was needed to make room. So the northern section of the s-s loop was re routed into the unused MFL trackway inside the original s-s loop.

On the east end of the MFL 15th St eastbound platform you can see to some extent how the original MFL path turned and followed inside the s-s loop under that quadrant of the city hall square.

I highly doubt that stub was ever in anyone's plans to extend further under Market St. It's perpendicular to and on the north side of Market St. The trolley loop at that point had turned north from its southern leg around City Hall, and the stub's at the north end of the Juniper St station which is under the west end of the Market St subway's 13th St platform.
It may have been in someone's pipe dream of extending north under Juniper St and maybe making a right turn on some street parallel to and north of Market, but if the desire was, and construction possible with the buildings lining Market, to continue east then it makes lots more sense to do it where the trolley tunnel runs east-west.

Plus even if one was able to use the stub to continue east one must still consider how one is to return west.

It's been many years since I've ridden the S-S lines but the one time I did see the stub used was to push a dead PCC off the loop at rush hour to avoid shutting down the entire line.