Hyundai-Rotem Leaving Town

So much for that.

“We did a lot of work trying to keep the company here,” Kang said. At its height, the plant — just south of Snyder Avenue between I-95 and the Delaware River — employed 300 workers, though by 2016 it had “reduced significantly.” It will close for good at the end of August.

The factory built 120 Silverliner V commuter cars for SEPTA, starting in 2009, and finished a couple of later car-refurbishing contracts for the transit agency by 2016, Kang said. It was that summer that the wide-windowed cars had to be returned for welding repairs, leading to months of train schedule cuts and overcrowding. SEPTA and Hyundai Rotem blamed the problem on a Pittsburgh-area welding subcontractor; Korean-owned Hyundai Rotem paid to rent substitute cars while the Silverliners were fixed.

Both Nippon Sharyo and Rotem announcing they are closing up shop the same week. What work is still being doing at the Rotem facility until the end of August? Major assembly and production work has since wound down.

So what happens now if they find another major problem with the Silverliner Vs? Denver's RTD has them too.

This sounds like deja vu with the city's award of the Broad Street car contract to Kawasaki vs our now defunct Budd Company.

Southern California's Metrolink also runs Rotem double level coaches and cab cars. Where were those cars built?

glennk419 wrote:This sounds like deja vu with the city's award of the Broad Street car contract to Kawasaki vs our now defunct Budd Company.

Even so, Budd did final assembly at Red Lion for the GCRTA (Cleveland) Tokyu Red Line cars in 1984-85.

The Metrolink(SCAX) and Tri-Rail in Fl Bi-Levels were built in SoCal,with SCAX oversight.that facilty has shut down as well.

As with any commuter rail/subway car/streetcar order now, the contracts have the clause, built in the USA and the state. Boston's new Orange & Red line from CRRC are being built/assembled in Springfield, Mass for a total of 404 cars. So when those are finished the plant in Springfield is finished. It brings in as I see it temporary jobs, on a 3 to 4 year time frame, for the respective state. Even if another state wants CRRC's product they would want to boost their economy so CRRC will pack up shop and move. It's the working business model now the days of a fixed plant of Budd, Pullman, St Louis Car are gone.

Historical question, when people talk of Budd Company as they do in this thread, they often mention or call it Red Lion. What is that a reference to? This predates my fanning in the area.

train2 wrote:Historical question, when people talk of Budd Company as they do in this thread, they often mention or call it Red Lion. What is that a reference to? This predates my fanning in the area.

it would be this place https://digital.library.temple.edu/digi ... 248/rec/15

... and the Red Lion name refers to the plant's location on Red Lion Road in northeast Philly:

https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/p ... .cfm/10851
https://www.google.com/maps/search/Red+ ... 914,14.09z

As for where "Red Lion" itself comes from, no clue

The Red Lion plant used to be at this location with a connection to the current SEPTA West Trenton line just east of Philmont station. Check it out.

https://historicaerials.com/?layer=map& ... -75.043942" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

JeffK wrote:... As for where "Red Lion" itself comes from, no clue

My best guess is it has to do with the Royal Standard of the UK. The Red Lion is part of the Scottish Royal Banner, so the name probably goes back to our Colonial founding.

tgolanos wrote:

JeffK wrote:... As for where "Red Lion" itself comes from, no clue

My best guess is it has to do with the Royal Standard of the UK. The Red Lion is part of the Scottish Royal Banner, so the name probably goes back to our Colonial founding.

That's quite likely. Red Lion Road ran to the Red Lion Inn, which is at the very southern tip of Bensalem Township across from Poquessing Creek from the intersection of Knights and Frankford Ave. The 66 trolley terminus is nearby as well.

tgolanos wrote:

JeffK wrote:... As for where "Red Lion" itself comes from, no clue

My best guess is it has to do with the Royal Standard of the UK. The Red Lion is part of the Scottish Royal Banner, so the name probably goes back to our Colonial founding.

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider how many other names in this region from "Delaware" and "Maryland" to "Malvern", "Wayne", and "King of Prussia" have colonial or Revolutionary roots.

Update: The Rotem assembly plant was up for lease in 2019 as a 283,500 square foot logistics center and it
appears that it is now Amazon Logistics Center DDP2.