| We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| INEPTA: Or, SEPTA: The Early Years - 1968 to 1985; Lets bring up some old memories... | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 5 2008, 11:36 PM (9,513 Views) | |
| MichaelBug | Aug 6 2012, 03:06 PM Post #21 |
|
Advanced Transit Fan
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
IIRC, PTC, Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company/Red Arrow Lines, Inc. (PSTC & RAL were two separate companies, but for all intents & purposes operated as if they were one), & Schuylkill Valley Lines, Inc. were all privately owned & operated before SEPTA came calling. My understanding is that SEPTA purchased PTC outright, but not the three suburban companies. PSTC/RAL, after selling off their traditional Red Arrow Lines businesses, were merged into an entity called The Bryn Mawr Group & later relocated to Florida, where they became a real estate investment enterprise. Schulykill Valley, after selling off to SEPTA what became the Frontier Division, contined for a few years as a local school bus & charter operator (they had the Philadelphian apartment shuttle for a while) before closing up shop sometime in the 1980's. Incidentally, the commuter bus operation between Exit 5 of the NJ Turnpike & New York, which is now an Academy Lines route, was at one time (1969) a Red Arrow Lines operation. Edited by MichaelBug, Aug 6 2012, 03:07 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| Mark | Aug 6 2012, 07:51 PM Post #22 |
|
Advanced Transit Fan
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The 41 was the Welsh Rd crosstown branch split off from the T bus in the early 1980's, ironically the original route was the 86 which was merged into the T in the 1970's. In 1987 [or 88], the 41 was merged into today's 88 bus and extended to Holy Redeemer Hospital. This route originally was planned to go all the way to Willow Grove Mall, but the mall did not want any more buses on its property and the extension "never" came to be. The extension is still on the books as planned. The P bus was merged into the 89 in the 90's. Remnants of the original routes still exist today, but the combination brought some wild routings in order to serve major points like St. Christopher Hospital, the Aramingo Ave shopping strip, and lower Kensington. The U bus was merged into the 108 in 1993. It is the only route operated jointly between the STD and the CTD. The original 57 ran from 29th and Jefferson to 2nd and Erie. It was the only N.Philly crosstown route that did not connect with the Broad St Subway [running on Master and Jefferson St]. In the late 60's the bus was extended from 2nd and Erie to 5th and Godfrey. In the late 70's it absorbed what was left of the original 8 bus in lower Kensington [now part of the 89 bus], in the 80's it was combined with the XO bus and extended to Fern Rock, the Master-Jefferson crosstown became weekday-only. In 1993, the 57 was TOTALLY made over, taking over parts of the 5 and 50 in South Philly, transferred the Master-Jefferson crosstown run to the 89 [and killed that portion a couple of years later]. Hope that explains some of the old, dead routes. |
![]() |
|
| Neoei3318 | Aug 6 2012, 08:24 PM Post #23 |
|
Transit Historian
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
More old long defunct routes: Rt. 69 - Bala to Manayunk: I take it's routing was from 54th-City to Domino-Umbria, via PA 23, Rock Hill Rd. and Belmont Avenue? I'm guessing this was a concession route that was set up when R6 service was truncated to Cynwyd. Gee, I wonder why THAT didn't last long. I only learned about it from the Old Schedules Thread. Rt. 81: Springfield Mall to Wynnfield via US-1: Any service history (specifically discontinuation) and routing in Phila. would be quite helpful. Also was it a former Red Arrow service, or a CTD anomaly? @ MichaelBug: Thanks. I always love doing research on SEPTA, specifically in it's early years. It mostly has to do with the fact outside of RRD, LRO, service meltdowns and labor disputes, a lot of this era of SEPTA is very under-documented, compared to other large TA's. |
![]() |
|
| MichaelBug | Aug 7 2012, 07:14 AM Post #24 |
|
Advanced Transit Fan
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The 69 & 81 were actually both former Red Arrow (PSTCo) lettered routes that were inherited by SEPTA with the takeover of Red Arrow in early 1970. The 81 was at one time in the early SEPTA years known as Route 141. I can't recall the exact routing of the 69 or 81, but I can say that at least in the later years, both routes only operated one or two round trips per day. I know that the PM trips of the 69 & 81 were scheduled with the same bus & operator. Fellow PTV member RedArrowDoug & I were the very last passengers to depart Route 81 at Springfield Mall on December 7, 1990. I recall that there were only three or four passengers besides ourselves for the entire ride. RTS #8275 was the bus for the last trip: End Of The Line For SEPTA's Route 81, December 7, 1990 The bus operator on the last trip was kind enough to pause long enough, so we could take the picture of the bus with the Route 81 destination sign, before he deadheaded back to 69th Street. Edited by MichaelBug, Aug 7 2012, 07:20 AM.
|
![]() |
|
| Mark | Aug 9 2012, 06:23 PM Post #25 |
|
Advanced Transit Fan
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Michael Bug was right, the 69 was inherited by SEPTA when Red Arrow was taken over. This route started at 54th and City Ave, went to Belmont, turned north on Belmont, then turned off to serve the West Manayunk community before coming down the hill back to Belmont and over the Belmont/Green Lane Bridge and terminated at Main and Green Lane. This route ran two round-trips a day. One around 8 am and the afternoon run around 4 pm. The 69 would make sense today because it links St. Joseph's University with Manayunk. Back in the day Manayunk was a sleepy neighborhood, not the lively place it is today, in fact, a route from that part of Manayunk, into West Manayunk, and down Belmont, Lancaster, and 40th St to the Penn Campus [terminating at the 40th St SS Portal] would work today. The 81[formerly the 141] started at Decker Sq [Monument and St. Asaph's/Presidential Blvd] and ran straight down City Ave/Twp Line Rd to Springfield Mall, literally serving the entire portion of City Ave from Bala-Cynwyd to Overbrook Park, Brookline, Drexel Hill and Springfield. This route could be expanded [M-F/6am-7pm] and would work today taking pressure off the 1/44/52 and filling gaps in the 65 service, and make a huge avoidance of the fustercluck at 69th St Terminal. This line died because of the fare barriers between CTD and STD back in the day, but would thrive today because the barriers are gone. The 81's schedule had a trip leaving Sprinfiedl Mall around 7 am, go to Decker Sq, then the bus probably deadheaded to 54th St to do the 69. The Afternoon run started with the 69, then deadheaded to Decker Sq to do the afternoon run that left around 5 pm. Finally you could make a case for combining the two routes today [Springfield Mall-Manayunk] and the only thing you could do is tweak a portion of the routes. Edited by Mark, Aug 10 2012, 07:16 AM.
|
![]() |
|
| philabob1 | Aug 16 2012, 06:02 PM Post #26 |
|
Foamer
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
PTC had the Route F bus which went from 48th & Parkside to Main & Green Lane, mainly via Belmont but veering over the 38 to cover Conshohocken/Monunment. Never saw it in service, never rode it (I think it was only a trip or two each peak), and not sure it made it to the SEPTA takeover. |
![]() |
|
| CACrafter88bk2504 | Aug 20 2012, 08:00 PM Post #27 |
|
Transit Historian
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The F made it into the SEPTA takeover and it met it's demise in 1985. |
![]() |
|
| Neoei3318 | Sep 3 2012, 12:40 PM Post #28 |
|
Transit Historian
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The vibe I'm getting is 1985-86 was a death kneel for several Bus routes, am I right? |
![]() |
|
| CACrafter88bk2504 | Sep 4 2012, 09:53 PM Post #29 |
|
Transit Historian
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
You are correct to an extent. June 1985 brought the re branding of the W through Lawndale, Fox Chase, Bustleton and Krewstown with it being split into the 19 and 67, re branding of the S/26 to Fox Chase, which in turn became the 18 to Fox Chase and the 26 to Bridge and Pratt Elevated Station, the 6 to Johnsville was re branded into the 22. 1986 had a big shake up of bus routes in Red Arrow territory, as follows: 103- taken off of West Chester Pike and Darby Road(branch) 110- extended to Granite Run and Penn State The Chester routes kept the same routing with variations, and were re branded 114(74-Darby/Boothwyn), 115(72 to Delmar Village and 83 to Ardmore), 116(77 to Media via Aston- extended to Granite Run. 117(70 to Brookhaven, extended to Granite Run and Penn State), 118(80 Chester to Newtown Square via Media), and the 104A to Cheyney became the 120). Several bus routes were re branded and re numbered in the Northeast were re branded in 1988 and 1989: Boulevard Limited(route 1, September 1988) 14 through Penndel and Hulmeville was replaced by the 130 67 was extended to Franklin Mills The XA was merged into the 28, providing a direct link between Fern Rock, Fox Chase and Tacony. The 19 was extended beyond Grant and the Boulevard to serve Torresdale Station, replacing the 88 through Academy Gardens. Service to Academy Gardens provided by the 88 was discontinued, and extended to Holy Redeemer, replacing the infamous route 41 along Welsh Road in Holmesburg, Bustleton and Pine Valley. The 84 had a simpler routing through Somerton(Southampton Road, Trevose Avenue, Bustleton Avenue) that was replaced by re routing the line onto Worthington Road, Byberry Road, Philmont Avenue to Bustleton and County Line Roads. The 84 was re routed off of Ashburner Street, Torresdale and Linden Avenues to State Road and was re routed to run the length of State Road, past the Police and Fire Academies. Last, but not least, the 20 began to service Medford Road in both directions. Until 1988-1990, the 20 served Medford Road northbound and Academy |
![]() |
|
| CACrafter88bk2504 | Sep 4 2012, 09:56 PM Post #30 |
|
Transit Historian
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Until 1988-1990, the 20 serviced Medford Road in the northbound direction and Academy Road southbound between Knights and Medford Roads. By 1990, the 20 began to service Medford Road in Parkwood in both directions. The remaining GM Fishbowls and the Flixibles met their demise between 1986 and 1990. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · General History · Next Topic » |




![]](http://z1.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)



8:01 PM Jul 10