Libertyliners Arrive

Рет қаралды 30,503

16 жыл бұрын

In 1941 the North Shore Line received a pair of deluxe streamlined articulated trains named Electroliners. The two train sets made five trips each way between Chicago and Milwaukee logging millions of miles in service. After abandonment of the North Shore Line the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co., commonly known as the Red Arrow Lines, purchased the two trains and after rehabilitation operated them in rush hour service between the 69th Street Elevated terminal in Upper Darby, Penna. and Norristown. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) continued to operate the trains for a few years. Both trainsets are now in museums with the one at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. externally restored to its Electroliner configuartion.
This video features film from Richard Vible of the arrival of the trainsets at Upper Darby. A Pennsylvania Railroad diesel switcher moves the trains to the Red Arrow Lines tracks and from there box motor 402 brings the cars to the shops.

Пікірлер: 48

@emjay5577 2 жыл бұрын

I got to become a big North Shore fan when I moved to Milwaukee. I was able to ride the Electroliner at the Illinois Railway Museum back in the early 1990s when it had been repainted and restored.

@artistmac 5 жыл бұрын

I'm glad that one of the Electroliner train sets is back home at the Illinois Railway Museum. If I can just pick a day to visit when it's running...

@Poisson4147 14 жыл бұрын

The track connected to the old Cardington branch. SEPTA severed the connection when they built a new bus terminal on the lower level of the P&W station. Some of the old track can still be seen from the El during the winter when there's not too much growing over them.

@JoeyLovesTrains 3 жыл бұрын

It’s kinda neat that both of them are still around

@fredpohl1372 6 жыл бұрын

I was glad to see the Ex North Shorr Electroliners rnd up in museums

@RRansomSmith 8 жыл бұрын

+5257Lee it connected at the Terminal. Cardington branch paralleled the El from 63rd St to the Terminal and then rose up to track level just west of where the north terminal is today. The track still drops down, but ends as a stub.

@bobellis2026 Жыл бұрын

The only P&W equipment I never got to ride

@Larsky1010 14 жыл бұрын

Electroliners were heavy, very fast, air conditioned, and rode with an elegant smoothness you can't imagine between Milwaukee & Chicago.

@joeynova3550 2 жыл бұрын

Was this part of a larger video? Would love to see more!

@fmnut Жыл бұрын

Sir, I would like your permission to use this footage in a documentary about the Electroliners/Liberty Liners. It provides a transition from one to the other. Thank you for your consideration.

@fredpohl5202 9 жыл бұрын

I was in my third year of high school at the time zI was glad to see we got them

@EMDSD14R 11 жыл бұрын

they got it running again. I saw a video of it up on u tube awhile back

@5257Lee 14 жыл бұрын

This is interesting video. At what point does the "old P&W RR" junction with the Pennsy? I thought this was a rather isolated line. I know this line has seen CTA cars from Chicago and retrucked Almond Joys from the Market Frankford line but its always interesting to see how rail lines interconnect

@vze428s7 16 жыл бұрын

wow that side track still exists at 69th street but is the track that the diesel switcher was on pulling the cars still there or long gone

@BenAliGtor 16 жыл бұрын

Con Cor is coming out with a Liner model in HO later this year.Better order now if you want one: they'll sell faster than an express run to Edison Court. As to the Electroliner at IRM, it's beautifully restored to its 1941 paint scheme- but rarely run, It draws so much electricity the museum circuit breakers pop- so for now it sits on silent display.

@mattsmocs3281 5 жыл бұрын

BenAliGtor the reason was it needed a major overhaul. Right now they are redoing it inside out because the draw comes from wear and tear associated with age and the P&W conversion. It changed so many times now it needs a rebuild

@vze428s7 16 жыл бұрын

do u have a extended version of that video cause that was a teaser lol

@fleetwoodbrawm 13 жыл бұрын

where exectly is that section of track that the engine is backing up on? i know the area and the track because im from the area and worked down that way....is that backing up on the siding next to 69th st?

@RiisPark99 16 жыл бұрын

The North Shore Electroliners were perhaps the greatest communter trains ever designed. Such a shame that only one now exists in the Illinois Railway Museum.

@judpowell1756 5 жыл бұрын

the other one is at Orbisonia PA

@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory 3 жыл бұрын

they aren't commuter trains They are interurbans.

@beepbeep3000 2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, the Electroliner preserved is at Illinois Railway Museum. Just sitting there collecting dust for decades. Ignored and neglected. No reason to go there.

@DNRY122 2 жыл бұрын

@@beepbeep3000 Last time I visited IRM, the Electroliner set was starting a restoration project; among other tasks, all eight traction motors needed overhauls. Like most of these efforts, it's taking longer than we hoped, but eventually it will run on its own power with operating air conditioning one of these days.

@beepbeep3000 2 жыл бұрын

@@DNRY122 Thanks for the update.

@vze428s7 14 жыл бұрын

yea i kno, ur talkin bout the terminal where the 105 terminate at, but wut year was it when they build the bus terminal, thus causing them to sever it??

@MilwaukeeF40C 6 жыл бұрын

Apparently Philadelphia Suburban bought these trains, for their short route, for the bar amenities.

@Poisson4147 4 жыл бұрын

They were bought for a proposed extension to Exton PA that would have been built in conjunction with a widening of Highway 202. But that was the early 1960s when automobiles ruled supreme; the extension never made it off the drawing board. The Liners were relegated to the existing P&W tracks which were ill-suited to the heavy, juice-hungry cars, forcing Red Arrow and later SEPTA to restrict them to rush hours. They lasted long enough for me to ride them during my student days, although I couldn’t partake of the bar car at the time, bummer.

@LDTV22OfficialChannel 9 ай бұрын

what even is this song

@granskare 15 жыл бұрын

I used to ride the "el" in the late 40s as a kid but I don't remember this one..I may have seen it but have no memory but do recall the green ones with the ribbed overhangs on each end of the cars (don't know what else to call that look) :)

@jamesf791 2 жыл бұрын

There were only 2 of them, and they weren't L cars (el is the wrong way to spell it.) They were part of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Line (aka North Shore Line.) It ran between Milwaukee and Chicago on a few lines, what's now known as the Purple, Yellow, Red as well. It only went as far south as Roosevelt, though at some point did go down as far as 63rd. These cars were introduced in the 40s. They did not always run them because after about 3 weeks they glad to replace the motors. So if you rode the L in the 40s on the blue line, you would never have seen them.

@joeynova3550 2 жыл бұрын

@@jamesf791 It's spelled EL as in elevated. At least that's how it's spelled everywhere I've seen it. You can even check Wikipedia if you like.

@Poisson4147 Жыл бұрын

@@jamesf791 Joe Nova is correct. AFAIK Chicago is the only city where the elevated line is called "L" instead of "El": The Market-Frankford line has been "the El" for as long as I've been riding it - which dates back to 1958 (!) - and certainly a LOT longer.

@jamesf791 Жыл бұрын

@@Poisson4147 actually you are still wrong. Even the CTA website spells it L. So whatever acronym you used can say whatever it is, but 125 years of "L." Next time you try to correct someone, stop, cause you are probably wrong

@Poisson4147 Жыл бұрын

@@jamesf791 READ WHAT I WROTE. I said the CTA *does* call it "L" and Philadelphia uses "El", EXACTLY what the OP stated. I'll gladly delete this if you'll pull your insulting comment.

@Poisson4147 14 жыл бұрын

One of the original plans was to use the Liners for service that would split off from the P&W and run at high speed from the new junction out to Exton. But that being in the 1960s and 70s roads got priority so the Exton line was never built.

@Poisson4147 4 жыл бұрын

@Albert Carello I used to work near Exton and agree with you 100%! But between the financial hit everything’s taken due to the pandemic and pre-existing opposition by a rural-dominated legislature, it’s doubtful transit will be getting much if any help. They can’t even come up with funding to complete a 4-mile spur off the P&W to the K of P Mall and business districts even though plans are in place and the business community's solidly behind it.

@Poisson4147 4 жыл бұрын

@Albert Carello It unfortunately has a couple of limiting factors. Years of inaction allowed a lot of sprawl to develop without the anchor of a rail line. That forced the choice of a suboptimal routing to avoid destroying a lot of existing development; also the rat's nest of roads means nearly all of the extension has to be elevated. Result - higher construction costs and lower usefulness than hoped for. But no matter, it’s been a huge lift for SEPTA to get funding and support for a 2-mile at-grade extension to the Media commuter train line, let alone twice that on a causeway. 😥