Silverliner IV

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PC MA-1E/MA-1F / RDG REG-13 / Silverliner (IV)
standard gauge

The Silverliner IV is the fourth-generation

Greater Philadelphia
.

The 232-car Silverliner IV order was the largest order of the Silverliner series to date. It allowed for the retirement of most of the Reading electric multiple units and PRR MP54 cars, which dated from at least the 1930s. Three times as numerous as the previous Silverliner trains put together, the Silverliner IV became SEPTA's most common passenger railcar from 1976 onward. Like the Silverliner II and III cars, the IV cars were owned by SEPTA and provided to the private railroads for use in their state-supported commuter rail operations until SEPTA assumed direct operation in 1983.

Features

The cars were ordered from

married pair configuration, although a minority of cars were outfitted as single units. They were also the first to be equipped with a PA system. The delivery of the Silverliner IVs allowed SEPTA to replace most of its remaining PRR MP54s
and Reading's pre-war MU fleet save for the 38 rebuilt "Blueliner" cars. While being fitted with an updated propulsion system from General Electric, the Silverliner IVs were nevertheless still delivered with Ignitron tube rectifiers, which were later replaced with silicon controlled rectifiers.

A readily apparent external feature of the Silverliner IV is a windowed body panel plug in the middle of the cars on each side, a provision for high-platform-only center doors which have never been installed, in contrast with

New Jersey Transit's similar, contemporary Arrow II and III cars which were built with such doors. Internally, pairs of seats occupy this partitioned area which was intended for passenger flow.[2]

Delivery

The Reading got the first batch of Silverliner IVs in the form of 14 single unit cars produced during 1973. The first two (#9018 and #9019) were unveiled to the press on Thursday, February 21, 1974.[1] These were numbered in series with their existing Silverliner IIs, 9018 through 9031. In 1974-75 the Penn Central took delivery of 34 single units numbered 270 through 303. Delivery of the Silverliner IVs were briefly interrupted by the production of 70 Arrow II cars for the New Jersey Department of Transportation before the Penn Central received 96 pairs numbered 304 through 399.[1] Finally in 1976 the Reading took delivery of a final batch of 88 pairs numbered 101 through 188.[3][failed verification] All the IVs were delivered with the circular SEPTA logo on the left, and the Penn Central or Reading logo on the right, of all car sides and ends, although the Reading black diamond logo was omitted (and the space left blank) on cars 129-188 which were delivered after the Reading Company was absorbed into Conrail on April 1, 1976. These logos remained mostly intact until 1983, when SEPTA took over commuter rail operations from Conrail and quickly began applying its current rectangular logo over all the others.

Modifications

Market East Station (now Jefferson Station) and others on the former PRR "side" of the system. In the late 1990s the fleet received its most noticeable upgrade with the original "ketchup and mustard" colored interior replaced with a softer gray motif as well as softer seating. Around 2004 SEPTA began to replace the cowcatcher pilots equipped on the original Reading cars with a bar type pilot to match those on the PRR cars. Starting in 2009 SEPTA began to replace the original Faiveley pantographs with more modern Schunk
type units.

Service history

The Silverliner IV fleet has provided service on all of SEPTA's Regional Rail routes, providing the backbone of SEPTA's service plan, with older equipment tending to be used on peak services only. Most SEPTA trains consist of a single pair of Silverliner IVs, with longer trains made up as needed. The single units are most frequently coupled to pairs to make 5 or 3 car trainsets, although single units are run alone on Cynwyd Line service.

In 2013, SEPTA announced it had begun the process of replacing the Silverliner IV fleet,

North Wales station in 1980, which damaged the car beyond repair.[6]

On August 29, 2018, car 144 was heavily damaged in an electrical fire at Glenside station.[7] Its mate, car 143, was repaired. Single car 278 was renumbered to 144 and mated to 143. The burnt 144 was renumbered to 278, with the possibility of being converted to a control car for work trains.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Silverliner IV: New Commuter Cars for Philadelphians". Headlights. 36 (4): 14–15. April 1974.
  2. ISBN 0-9602080-0-3
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1
    .
  4. ^ http://articles.philly.com/2013-01-26/news/36550367_1_new-silverliner-v-cars-silverliner-iv-vehicles-and-big-construction [bare URL]
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2016-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ ICC North Wales Accident Report Archived March 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "VIDEO: SEPTA train catches fire at Glenside, Pa. station - 6abc Philadelphia". 30 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Interesting consists - Page 38". RAILROAD.NET. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-04.

External links

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