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Found and ordered a set of these destination signs from the SEPTA Regional Rail trains that were retired this past summer, so I thought I'd share. You can buy the set or individual signs. They'd be great on a wall or on the layout facade. Check it out!

SEPTA Transit Store

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quote:
Originally posted by Traindiesel:
Found and ordered a set of these destination signs from the SEPTA Regional Rail trains that were retired this past summer, so I thought I'd share. You can buy the set or individual signs. They'd be great on a wall or on the layout facade. Check it out!

SEPTA Transit Store



Just saw your post, great info. Thanks! Did you ever find anyone with a single end Kawasaki LRV?

Chris
quote:
Originally posted by Traindiesel:
Thanks for the info Steve! I believe it was IHP who made the LRV's I saw back then. I wonder if the ones they are producing now are O gauge.


Hi Brian,

I actually spoke to Mike Bartel at IHP yesterday, very nice guy and very helpful. They have a handful of single end LRV body molds for the Philly subway surface lines and they are looking at a possible run of the double ended LRV's the are on the Media and Sharon Hill Lines. Now, it looks like the double end LRV's will be fully built and painted etc right now but, I am not certain that is final. Also, they have some P & W "Bullet" cars. Now, all are kits that you have to build but, he was very helpful.

ALso, the Silverliner V's and are available in HO. Do you think there is a good bit of interest for Silverliner V's? If so maybe we could ask how many he'd need to do a run of them in "O"?

You can reach Mike at ihphobby@hotmail.com

Chris
quote:
Originally posted by newtoO:
quote:
Originally posted by Traindiesel:
Thanks for the info Steve! I believe it was IHP who made the LRV's I saw back then. I wonder if the ones they are producing now are O gauge.


Just stumbled over a video of IHP's Silverliner V's on Youtube. Thought you might be interested.

Chris


Doh! Here is the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...BKN4&feature=related
You know, there's something about an organization like S.E.P.T.A. which causes confusion & resentment by switching the names of its commuter trains because (and it's not the exact quote but it conveys the reason why there was change) 'out of towners coming to the Philadelphia Region don't know where the (in example) the R5 travels to or what the names of the towns are so we'll switch the names of the trains'. So it matters not that all the people living in the area, and are 95+% of the fare payers, know the names like the back of their hands (and those people happen to pay the monies which make up the S.E.P.T.A. budget), we'll accommodate the >5% of the people who come to the area and can't read map that S.E.P.T.A. has at every station. And that map happens to be rather well done, graphically speaking.

Can you imagine if NYC tried to change the names of the subways because of that reasoning? HA!

What really ticks me off is S.E.P.T.A. making profit off the locals who want a piece of history by selling the former name signs. Didn't we already pay for them with our taxes? We should get them for free! Smile

Bill
quote:
Originally posted by prrbill:
You know, there's something about an organization like S.E.P.T.A. which causes confusion & resentment by switching the names of its commuter trains because (and it's not the exact quote but it conveys the reason why there was change) 'out of towners coming to the Philadelphia Region don't know where the (in example) the R5 travels to or what the names of the towns are so we'll switch the names of the trains'. So it matters not that all the people living in the area, and are 95+% of the fare payers, know the names like the back of their hands (and those people happen to pay the monies which make up the S.E.P.T.A. budget), we'll accommodate the >5% of the people who come to the area and can't read map that S.E.P.T.A. has at every station. And that map happens to be rather well done, graphically speaking.

Can you imagine if NYC tried to change the names of the subways because of that reasoning? HA!


What really ticks me off is S.E.P.T.A. making profit off the locals who want a piece of history by selling the former name signs. Didn't we already pay for them with our taxes? We should get them for free! Smile

Bill



Hi Bill,

Yea the renaming of the commuter lines was a bonehead move. It has just created more confusion. They have 10 variations on the same line depending on where and how often the train stops. When I first heard the out of towners comment from a friend, I thought they were joking. I guess if the out of towners want club car service we'll get that too.

Yea, that's the ticket, I think I hear an out of towner now saying they wished SEPTA had a club car on Paoli local.... ;-)
quote:
Originally posted by Traindiesel:
quote:
double ended LRV's

Thanks for the info Chris. I'd be more interested in these if they will be ready to run. I don't have the patience for craftsman kits.

As far as the Silverliner V cars, I've been wishing for SEPTA Silverliners of any type for quite a while. If made in O gauge I'd hope there'd be a lot of interest.


Yea, I am not a kit person either, not particularly skilled in that area. But, I did order 2 of them because I don't think there is anyone else out there who has or wants to build these. SO, I am going to take a stab at it. We'll see how it goes.

On the Silverliner V's, I emailed Mike at IHP and asked how many he'd need to make it worth doing, I'll let you know what he says.

Chris
quote:
posted by newtoO:

Yea, that's the ticket, I think I hear an out of towner now saying they wished SEPTA had a club car on Paoli local.... ;-)



Which reminds me Chris of the club car on the end of the 4 car P&W Electroliners. They were originally express trains to Norristown but later added a stop at Bryn Mawr which barely gave riders a chance to bend an elbow. BTW, we're fast approaching the 47th anniversary ( February 1st which is also the anniversary of the infamous PRR/NYC merger) of the "Liberty Bell" and "Independece Hall"'s first run on the P&W. I was but a mere pub of 14 that day so I was not allowed in that 4th car. And by the time I turned old enough to legally drink there, they were no longer in running order.

Bill

Hi Guys,

 

Mike at IHP here.  Thanks, Chris, and others for supporting the O scale Kawasaki LRV shells and kits. They're still available through our eBay Store and decals for them are coming.

 

It seems there is interest in some O scale Silverliner MU models, but I think you guys will want them ready to run, with DCC and sound.  That seems to be where the market is these days.  Unfortunately, if IHP does them, they'd be body kits, and not cheap.  And, it's not because of the licensing from SEPTA for the graphics images. That's actually the easy part for us! No, it's the tooling and development costs of the model itself, which will be large in O scale, plus the short run, limited market nature of the production.  We don't do what MTH does, nor can we.  You'd have to do some powering and painting yourself, in addition to adding DCC or other gadgets yourself.  If enough people feel they can deal with this, you'd see an O gauge Silverliner V from IHP in a heartbeat. 

 

Think about it, I wouldn't mind having one myself! :-)

 

Thanks,

 

Mike Bartel

IHP

 

 

 

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER
Originally Posted by Mike@IHP:

It seems there is interest in some O scale Silverliner MU models, but I think you guys will want them ready to run, with DCC and sound.  That seems to be where the market is these days.  Unfortunately, if IHP does them, they'd be body kits, and not cheap.  And, it's not because of the licensing from SEPTA for the graphics images. That's actually the easy part for us! No, it's the tooling and development costs of the model itself, which will be large in O scale, plus the short run, limited market nature of the production.  We don't do what MTH does, nor can we.  You'd have to do some powering and painting yourself, in addition to adding DCC or other gadgets yourself.  If enough people feel they can deal with this, you'd see an O gauge Silverliner V from IHP in a heartbeat. 

 

 

Yes, I can understand that.  It would be interesting to see the SEPTA Silverliners.  If I could muster up the patience to build a couple and have DCS or TMCC installed in one of them and get someone to paint them I'd be interested.

 

Approximately how many is enough to produce these?

The cars on ebay, "O Scale 1:48 SEPTA Kawasaki LRV Trolley" run from 69th ST., Upper Darby, PA to Norristown, PA over the Philadelphia and Western tracks, I have never seen them run on any of the routes shown on the SEPTA signs shown in this post.  They are basically trolley cars with pantographs.  The cars shown in the U Tube video of HO SEPTA cars appear to be the new SEPTA Regional Rail cars which are - or will be - in use to replace 40 yr old SEPTA Silver Liners. 

 

ATLAS and (I think) MTH produced SEPTA sets with AEM7 Engines and Bombadier (SP?) passenger cars - the real ones running - at least the R5, route everyday.  

 

The signs apply more to the part of the route a particular train will service, not the entire route. I live on the western end of the R5 route; in the past,when leaving Philadelphia, it was possible to get on any number of R5 trains only to find that I could not get home because I was on a train that terminated in Bryn Mawr, Paoli, or Malvern.  With the new signage on all of the trains you see where the train terminates as it pulls into Philadelphis, Market East, Suburban Station, or 30th Street Station.  Now I look for the "R5 Thorndale" and know I'm on the right train.  Back in the day when I rode the PRR "Owl" MU cars, I never knew what train I was on until the trainman/conductor announced it between Suburban Station and 30th Street - the commuter crowd and his trying to make sure everyone was on board kept him quite busy until the train was moving.  At rush hour, R5 trains to different end destinations ran a couple of minutes apart, that with trains never running on time led to a great deal of confusion. 

 

Being a senior citizen, I get to ride all SEPTA routes for a dollar a trip, no matter how long or short the route.  Just for the fun of it, I am working my way through each of the routes listed on the signs.

 

glen.

i bought 2 septa beeps from the septa store in philly.  Its sucks that no one makes a septa car that is smaller.  i bought a two pack of MTH subway cars that have a small MTA logo on them.  im gonna buy septa stickers and just cover the MTA logo.  It is a really small lay out so i couldnt buy those huge septa comet cars from Atlas.

 

 

Originally Posted by Mike@IHP:

Hi Guys,

 

Mike at IHP here.  Thanks, Chris, and others for supporting the O scale Kawasaki LRV shells and kits. They're still available through our eBay Store and decals for them are coming.

 

It seems there is interest in some O scale Silverliner MU models, but I think you guys will want them ready to run, with DCC and sound.  That seems to be where the market is these days.  Unfortunately, if IHP does them, they'd be body kits, and not cheap.  And, it's not because of the licensing from SEPTA for the graphics images. That's actually the easy part for us! No, it's the tooling and development costs of the model itself, which will be large in O scale, plus the short run, limited market nature of the production.  We don't do what MTH does, nor can we.  You'd have to do some powering and painting yourself, in addition to adding DCC or other gadgets yourself.  If enough people feel they can deal with this, you'd see an O gauge Silverliner V from IHP in a heartbeat. 

 

Think about it, I wouldn't mind having one myself! :-)

 

Thanks,

 

Mike Bartel

IHP

http://ihphobby.tripod.com

 

 

do u have septa stickers for sale?

Hi Mike,

I'd be interested in the Silverliner V's even if it were a kit, perhaps 4 or 6 cars to make up 2 trains.  Who else would be interested?

I totally understand folks hesitation on building a kit, I am not at all an expert model builder myself.  But, once I figured out what parts I needed to order and from whom (with help), it was pretty straight forward.  Mike perhaps if you are thinking of possibly doing the Silverliner V's a suggested spec sheet suggesting compatible parts that aren't included would really help.  That might give folks a road map.

Chris
Originally Posted by newtoO:
Hi Mike,

I'd be interested in the Silverliner V's even if it were a kit, perhaps 4 or 6 cars to make up 2 trains.  Who else would be interested?

I totally understand folks hesitation on building a kit, I am not at all an expert model builder myself.  But, once I figured out what parts I needed to order and from whom (with help), it was pretty straight forward.  Mike perhaps if you are thinking of possibly doing the Silverliner V's a suggested spec sheet suggesting compatible parts that aren't included would really help.  That might give folks a road map.

Chris

Hi Chris,

 

Unfortunately, for a resin cast body shell in O scale for something like a Silverliner V, the number would be far greater than our typical minimum.  At least 100 units would have to be produced, with nonrefundable deposits on all of them.  The reason for this is the master pattern for the casting. It would cost me a couple of thousand just for the 3D printed parts, not counting preproduction samples for approval.  Don't forget, there are a couple of different body styles to be done. Then, a lot of moulding rubber, and a LOT of resin per casting.  And, all that demanding physical work on the caster and mouldmaker (me), and the health hazards of the exposure to the chemicals.....well, you can imagine it's not something I'd be wanting IHP to lose any money on.

 

As for extra parts, well, this isn't like a trolley kit where you can get poles and trucks and interiors from other suppliers.  Everything for the Silverliner V is specific to that car class, and would have to be designed and supplied in a kit.  A power truck would have to be made.  That's even more money. When you consider all of this, it becomes possible to start thinking of it less in terms of a kit and more in terms of a RTR model, but that requires a greater jump in cost and production minimums, and I don't think the market for these is there for that kind of jump. 

 

The Silverliners, quite honestly, are a gray area model right now.  Could it be done in resin in some form?  Sure, but I don't see the returns right now for the work that would have to go into it (and you know that IHP puts the work into our products). 

 

No plans for any other LRVs in O scale, sorry.  I like the S70 in HO, but even the market for them in HO really isn't there yet.

 

Mike Bartel

IHP

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER
Hi Mike,

100 units eh?  You are giving me ideas.  Any way, thank you for indulging us.  I know there is a heck of a lot of time invested in each casting, never mind the front end work.  For the extra parts, I wasn't suggesting you include them, just perhaps point folks in the right direction.

Can I ask what your next project is going to be? 

Chris

Being a senior citizen, I get to ride all SEPTA routes for a dollar a trip, no matter how long or short the route.  Just for the fun of it, I am working my way through each of the routes listed on the signs.

 

glen.

Glen, a fun SEPTA trip I've done is to start at the Norristown Transportation Center on the High Speed Line to the end at 69th Street.

 

Then take the Market-Frankford Line from the 69th Street terminal to the Market East Station and have lunch in center city.

 

After lunch take the R6 from Market East back to Norristown Transportation Center.

 

Three different types of rail rides in a round trip!

Traindiesel,

 

I keep forgetting about riding that route, it's an "out of site, out of mind" thing.  Everytime I drive thru Vilanova and see the line and a car whizzing by on it I put that on my mental list - then forget it.  It's now on my todo list - thanks.

 

If I remember correctly, at one time the "Liberty Bell Line" from the P&W terminal in Norristown, to the Allentown/Bethelem Area picked up where the P&W ended using re4gular trolley cars.  I think it was called the "Liberty Bell Line" because it followed the route taken to hide the Liberty Bell in Bethelem during the Revolutionary War.

Folks, don't forget that the Philly Chapter of the NRHS is sponsoring a Farewell to the Faithful Silverliners fantrip using the last operable Budd and St. Louis Silverliner cars . The trip will run on Sunday, 6 May 2012 and will cover the Norristown, Fox Chase, Cynwyd and Chestnut Hill West lines.  Tickets are $50.00 per person and there will be a lunch stop.  The trip will depart from Suburban Station at 10:00am that morning. 

 

With Silverliner V deliveries becoming more steady, SEPTA reportedly wants all the Budd and St. Louis cars retired in June or July of this year, so now is your last chance to say goodbye to these venerable cars.

 

Order your tickets from:

Philadelphia Chapter NRHS

PO Box 7302

Phila, PA

19101-7302

 

Include a #10 SASE to get your souvenir ticket for the trip.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike Bartel

 

 

 

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