R3 "Vine"

Sometimes on the LED boards at Market East, there are trains listed as "R3 Vine". What does this mean? Is it a train that terminates after Market East?

blueduck577 wrote:Sometimes on the LED boards at Market East, there are trains listed as "R3 Vine". What does this mean? Is it a train that terminates after Market East?

Those are the inbound R3 trains from Elwyn, which turn back before Temple University station on weekends. The R3 Elwyn trains are the only ones that don't operate from a PRR branch to an RDG branch on weekends (R3 West Trenton trains go through to the R1 Airport, as does the R2 Warminster). SEPTA should at least run the Elwyn trains to Temple at a bare minimum.

What happens to these trains? Do they simply change ends while in the tunnel?

"Normal" (and I put that in quotes because we're talking SEPTA here, where anything goes)...

"Normal" operating procedure for the weekend R3 Elwyn trains arriving at Market East is to cross over from #2 to #3 track at Juniper, and simply park right on the platform on Track #3 at Market East to reverse ends.

But in the event of a late arrival, and incoming traffic, they would then continue to Vine to change ends and return to the station.