PHILADELPHIA

INSET: CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA

I created the above maps by overlaying OpenStreetMap (OSM) maps with my own data. Copyright on the OSM maps is © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under a CC-BY-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 licence).

Please note that the OSM maps used as templates for these maps correspond to the situation at the time the maps were downloaded and may show features that did not exist at the time the GS Tram Site is supposed to show. In particular, they may show bridges and highways that were built later.

ROUTES

STREETCAR ROUTES

Operator: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

SUBWAY ROUTES

Operator: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

RAPID TRANSIT ROUTE

Operator: Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO)

LIGHT RAIL ROUTES

Operator: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)

Operator: NJ Transit

Note that the route abbraviations BR, BS, MF, PS and RL are for the convenience of this site only, and are not used by the operators.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM

NETWORK LENGTH

• Streetcar lines: 60 km.
• Light rail lines: ca. 40 km.
• Subway lines: 39.3 km.
• Rapid transit line (PATCO): 23.3 km.
• Light rail (River Line): 55 km.

HISTORY

• Municipal Streetcars: (horse-powered) 26 March 1856 - ca. 1900; (electric) 1 Jan. 1889 - today.
• Fairmount Park Transportation Co. streetcars: 10 Nov. 1896 - 9 Sept. 1946.
• Cable cars: 7 Apr. 1883 - 19 June 1895.
• Light rail (Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W)), to Strafford & Norristown): 22 May 1907 - today.
• Light rail (Phil. & West Chester Traction Company; later Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (PST)): 1895 - 1896; (electric): 1896 - today.
• Subway: 4 March 1907 - today.

GAUGE

• Streetcars (including Fairmount Park Transportation Co.): 1588 mm.
• Light rail (except Norristown line): 1588 mm.
• Market-Frankford line: 1588 mm.
• Other rapid transit (including Norristown high-speed line): 1435 mm.

SOURCES

PRINT

• Cox, H.E. Philadelphia car routes. Self-published, 1962.
• Cox, H.E. "The tram subways of Philadelphia [Map]" Modern Tramway & Light Railway Review, June 1963 (26: 306), p.205-214.
• Cox, H.E. "The tram subways of Philadelphia - A history and a forward look" Modern Tramway & Light Railway Review, Jan. 1964 (27: 313), p.24.
• DeGraw, R. "Pig and Whistle: The story of the Philadelphia & Western Ry" Central Electric Railfans' Association Bulletin 2007 (#140).
• DeGraw, R. The Red Arrow. Newtown Square (PA): Haverford Press, 1972.
• Demery, L.W. "US transit funding - Part 6: Elsewhere in the USA (East Coast) [Boston]" Modern Tramway & Light Rail Transit, July 1990 (53: 631), p.225-226.
• Gillham, J. Philadelphia Suburban Transportation map #118. Self-published, 1952.
• Jackson, R.E., Walker, P.J. & Wyse, W.J. "The Lyndenwold Rapid" Modern Tramway & Light Railway Review, July 1970 (33: 391), p.228-236.
• Jenkins, M. "Philadelphia's route 23" Modern Tramway & Light Rail Transit, Aug. 1987 (50: 596), p. 255-262.
• PTC Map of Philadelphia showing street car, bus and subway-elevated lines. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Transportation Company, 1940.
• Simons, V. "A sunny future in Philadelphia" Tramways & Urban Transit, Jan. 2023 (86: 1021), p.10-15.
• Skelsey, G. "A street car named Endure: Rail transit in Philadelphia - Part 1: The city and its character" Tramways & Urban Transit, Jan. 2006 (69: 817), p.10-15.
• Skelsey, G. "A street car named Endure: Rail transit in Philadelphia - Part 2: Heavy rail and SEPTA" Tramways & Urban Transit, Feb. 2006 (69: 818), p.53-55.
• Skelsey, G. "A street car named Endure: Rail transit in Philadelphia - Part 3: Rail transit in Philadelphia" Tramways & Urban Transit, March 2006 (69: 819), p.94-97.
• Szilagyi, M. Montgomery County trolleys. Mount Pleasant (SC): Arcadia Publishing, 2018
• Taplin, M.R. Tramways of North America, including rapid transit [Tramway Handbooks No.4] Hassocks (West Sussex, England): Light Rail Transit Association, 1981.

WIKIS

• Broad Street Line
• Market–Frankford Line
• Norristown High Speed Line
• PATCO Speedline
• Philadelphia and Western Railroad
• River Line (NJ Transit)
• SEPTA
• SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes
• SEPTA Route 15
• SEPTA Route 23
• SEPTA Route 56
• SEPTA Route 103
• SEPTA Routes 101 and 102
• SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines

WEB SITES

• Fairmount Park Trolley Trail (history and maps) [by David Shaver]
• PATCO (Port Authority Transit Corporation)
• Philadelphia (on UrbanRail.Net)
• Philadelphia trolley tracks
• SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)

Special thanks to Russell Powers from Denver CO for information on the history of the Philadelphia system and to Jerry Silverman for pointing out that it is Strafford, not Stafford.

Copyright Gabor Sandi 1998-2024

Disclaimer: Everything on this site was written and/or prepared at the author's discretion. The author has tried to be accurate where facts are presented, but this does not mean that these facts are necessarily accurate. People needing more reliable information should refer to appropriate sources presented, on the Internet or elsewhere, by authoritative professional or academic bodies.

To get in touch with the webmaster, send an e-mail to g_sandi at hotmail.com.

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