After years of disregarding the value of streetcar service to the quality of life in Philadelphia, SEPTA has made an abrupt about-face and is to be a 
leading partner in the 1993 Trolleyfest, a celebration of both old and new 
light rail transit.
   Dozens of activities are scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 2-3, including 
city and suburban trolley excursions, shop tours, live & video displays, and 
entertainment.  A monument commemorating the centennial of electric streetcar 
service will be unveiled, and one of SEPTA's remaining PCCs will be sold at 
auction.

*Excursions on Tap
   SEPTA has come up with an imaginative and comprehensive program of trolley 
excursions for the festival, to highlight the best things about rail travel.  
A special route will be operated over Route 15 and the Route 10 diversion 
route from Fairmount to the University of Pennsylvania via the Zoo.  It is 
expected that three generations of trolleys will be in service: the 1981 LRVs, 
PCC cars from the 40s, and even an old 'Peter Witt' car.  Elsewhere in the 
City, the Penn's Landing Trolley will be running its historic cars while SEPTA 
will extend its Chestnut Hill Trolley to Broad and Erie.  Self-guided subway-
surface tours will cover the 'streetcar suburbs' of West Philadelphia.
The new N-5 cars will be showcased on the Norristown High-Speed Line with the 
theme "Riding into the future," while expert narrators will accompany Media 
line excursions.  No word yet on whether any old suburban cars will be on 
static display.  A special weekend pass will be your ticket to these events, 
good on all SEPTA bus and rail routes and the Penn's Landing Trolley.  

*Go behind the scenes
   You will have a rare chance to see the shops that keep our trolley service 
rolling.  The artisans of the NHSL 'Bullet Shop' will be demonstrating their 
rare skills at an open house while Elmwood and Woodland Shops in the city will 
also have open days. These tours will be fascinating even to people who aren't 
transit enthusiasts!
   As we expected, Kim Heinle has given a jump-start to SEPTA's Light Rail 
Division since he was transferred to the post of Chief Officer-Light Rail last 
fall. (see October 92 DVRP)  He probably knows SEPTA must show a commitment to 
restoring the streetcar lines it abandoned in the past decade if it expects to 
regain support from communities used to broken SEPTA promises.  With a 
successful Festival, Heinle could go a long way towards healing those wounds.  
It will remain to be seen if Heinle can turn around an institutional culture 
within SEPTA which many experts say is biased against rail.
   An unprecedented team effort is joining SEPTA to put on this event: the 
Philadelphia Trolley Coalition, Buckingham Valley Trolley Association, City of 
Philadelphia, and the Convention and Visitors' Bureau are among the sponsors.


For more info, call DVARP at 215-222-3373,  Philadelphia Trolley Coalition
at 215-755-7717,  or SEPTA at 215-580-7800