R1 Catenary Replacement Project

Why is SEPTA replacing 25 year old catenary on the Airport line? We still have catenary that is over 60 years old on the system and this is getting done?

One would think that projects like Newtown don't get done because of senseless projects like this. Not to mention, with the current headways, only one track is needed on the Airport line, so why is money being wasted on this?

This is the first I have heard of this project. I know that the R1 has constant tension catenary, could that have something to do with it along with required maintenance on the weight and pulley systems? It is hard to believe though that a "modern" system would be less durable than the 70+ year old rigid catenary that still soldiers on in many places of the system.

The catanery trolley wire on the Airport Line is in bad shape and needs attention. It is badly worn and has caused numerous problems in the past few years. I guess they just don't build things to last for 70 years anymore.

During August, R1 trains TO the airport will run 6+ minutes late. It's not a significant difference but SEPTA has gone and put up yellow fliers in the hopes that no one misses flights during the delayed operations.

As if the airport train wasn't slow enough. A mule could do better.

aem7 wrote:The catanery trolley wire on the Airport Line is in bad shape and needs attention. It is badly worn and has caused numerous problems in the past few years.

[bleep], you'd think that with advances in materials science, trolley wire would be lasting longer these days, not shorter.

The wear is supposed to be on the pantograph shoes, not the wire. It's a lot easier to replace shoes than the wire, so the shoes are made of soft carbon, IIRC.

And I can't see how a constant tension design would worsen the life of the wire--there's a lot more movement and stresses in rigid catenary.

Matt Mitchell
(a biophysicist, not a civil engineer)

Just another great example of SEPTA flushing money down the toilet so they really don't have to make the system better, or heaven forbid, expand it.

Gotta love how SEPTA burns through millions in capital improvement projects each year and nothing seems to get better about it.

It is hard to believe though that a "modern" system would be less durable than the 70+ year old rigid catenary that still soldiers on in many places of the system.

And I can't see how a constant tension design would worsen the life of the wire--there's a lot more movement and stresses in rigid catenary.

I've been saying for years that the PRR catenary is probably the best catenary in the world and the CT stuff is cheap junk. It seems that I am finally being proven correct. Maybe they should go back to the copper based wire instead of the titanium alloy thing they use now.

<i> Maybe they should go back to the copper based wire instead of the titanium alloy thing they use now.</i>

I could check, but last time I looked into it, it was still copper. In fact, Phelps Dodge, who makes the stuff, supplies it to Amtrak, Septa, NJT, etc. It's still a copper based alloy, though there are silver bearing copper alloys. There's a few that can be spec'd, including PD high speed wire, which was used on the NEC for the Boston project.

FWIW, their specialty copper products division is based out of Elizabeth NJ...

I remember Phelps Dodge when they were along the turnpike, glad to hear they're still around.

How ironic. A SEPTA train on the R7 snags up some wire shutting down the NEC today into tomorrow morning.

Well, whatever is going on down there on the Airport Line, SEPTA also wired the formerly un-wired crossover at 90th Street North and temporarily changed one of the home signals to a dwarf only capable of displaying Stop Signal and Restricting aspects.

Methinks I need to take a ride down there. No wait, I'll be on there anyway in 27 days when I head off on vacation....never mind!

Like I said, good to see our tax dollars well spent on transit!