17 October 08: Every Silverliner has a cloud

by Steve Ives Around this time next year commuters in the Philadelphia area will begin enjoying something that's become old hat for bus, trolley and El riders in Philadelphia -- new vehicles. The Silverliner Vs (manufactured in Korea and assembled right here in Philadelphia) will begin their tour of duty over the meadows and through the woods of Southeastern Pennsylvania and environs, replacing the charmingly outdated Silverliner IIs and IIIs, which began life with a railroad named Reading. The new vehicles boast some of the trappings of modern railcars -- they're brightly lit and commodious, have electronic message signs and center loading doors, making it a bit easier to get out of them after a long day of doing whatever it is one does before boarding a train. The new cars are certainly welcome at a time when transit usage is up big time in cities all over America and, unlike in sports, Philadelphia's situation is what other places are aspiring to. (Ed. note: ahem . . . baseball?) SEPTA could never be accused of giving short shrift to its commuter rail network and these new vehicles are a solid show of support for the 21st century ideals of Regional Rail. However, there's always an issue. Somebody is going to find something. It wouldn't be SEPTA and this wouldn't be Philadelphia if there weren't some kind of kink in any new 'thing'. Admittedly, the kinks aren't catastrophic on the surface. Depending on whom you ask they could range from potentially dangerous (no full operator cabs, eliminating the 'crumple zone' between the front end of the cars and the passenger cabin) to the shortsighted (no restrooms -- a jolly good idea at a time when SEPTA is courting people to take the train home after a night of chicanery on Market, Main or Grape Street). Most likely, the worst thing anyone will have to worry about are destination signs announcing 'Next Stop-Trevose' when you've just left Ridley Park. If only that were the case for those of us who ride The El. The first half of this month, a mock-up of the new cars was on display at Suburban Station and it certainly elicited opinions. While sitting in the molded seats, comment such as "big windows!" and "more two-seats!" bounced down the aisle. Something stirred the old train buff in me looking around inside. I noticed at the front of the car a change from the Regional Rail vehicles of old -- a front passenger 'railfan window', giving two people the same view down the tracks as the train operator who would have to do his or her job from a compartment slightly larger than a shower stall. I made a comment about it out loud and it was promptly responded to with "yeah, so now SEPTA has more seats for more butts but I have nowhere to put my bag." Surprised, I turned to see a man who certainly looked the part of a train operator, sans the striped overalls. Assuming he knew something about the subject, I asked if all the new cars were laid out this way -- without full operator cabs such as those on the older cars or on the Broad Street Subway, which give more comfort and security to the train operators. He responded no, quickly adding that in his estimation the lack of such cabs is a 'safety risk' for riders. Probing him a bit further, he noted with a hint of disdain the danger that Jane and her railfan kid would face in the event of a crash. Nothing sturdier than the front of your average sedan protects the people in the front seating area and that the front seats are a lawsuit waiting to happen the next time a train comes across something on the tracks that shouldn't be there. Not wanting to push his buttons, I decided not to add that in the same situation the only difference between him and a passenger was that he'd have the privilege of being killed behind a door. I was taken aback by his reaction to something that the public would give little thought to if any at all. After all, railfan windows have been a hit on The El for ten years and the cars of the previous generation had windows on the front doors that opened (I have fond memories of doing so in snowstorms). The man's negativity notwithstanding, I guess one could see his point. Life is frought with all kinds of hazards but I don't know if it didn't come at least a bit from a resistance to something new. And as far as our transit system goes, the idea of something -- anything -- new is something all of us will have to adjust to. * * * SEPTA's Silverliner V is on display at Suburban Station until tomorrow (Saturday October 18) on Track 0. For more info, visit Septa's announcement HERE. A recent Silverliner discussion on Railroad.net is HERE. For a mini-essay of photos of the Silverliner V (6 total), please click HERE. –Steve Ives phillytrax@aol.com For more from Steve Ives, please see his archives HERE.