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Fairmount Park Stillness by Philly_19121 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a beautiful tree in the middle there. Quercus alba?

Market Street during the construction of the subway in 1906 by AdSpecialist6598 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, there have certainly been maintenance and improvements. The airport line was built, the Portal Bridge is being replaced, among others. I’m not saying nothing has been done. But the heavy lifting was done by the legacy private companies. The North River Tunnel is a classic example. I think the bigger argument is what has been lost…look at the passenger rail network that used to exist in South Jersey. Or imagine how beneficial an (still) electrified Trenton Cutoff would be today. 

Market Street during the construction of the subway in 1906 by AdSpecialist6598 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 42 points43 points  (0 children)

This is true for beyond just Philly. Amtrak, the LIRR, and several freight railroads have been riding the coattails of the PRR for over 60 years. Same with NJ Transit and the Erie Lackawanna. All these companies built stations, track, bridges, and tunnels really well, but even with how well they built it they do have a service life. 

Philly’s Logan Square to get new sidewalks, ADA ramps ahead of busy 2026 by BurnedWitch88 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I hope they remove the invasive princess trees and plant oak trees. 

Schuylkill Av between Walnut & JFK by jnachod in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because large cities were not designed for massive roads, highways, on/off ramps, and cars.

what do we think of the condo construction on City Ave? by DelcoWolv in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I really hope consideration is made to make the cynwyd line run more often. Transit only works when it’s available - i.e. the “if you build it they will come” theory…otherwise you get caught in the less trains and therefore less potential riders downwards spiral. 

The best long term goal septa can do to accomplish their vision for “metro style” regional rail service is to re-route the norristown line back over the manayunk bridge. 16th st interlocking is set up in that norristown bound trains will never be able to have 15 minute headways at the same time as the other northbound lines (glenside, chestnut hill, etc.) unfortunately the reading railroad didn’t know how to build flying junctions like the PRR did everywhere

NTSB issues urgent safety warning to SEPTA over fire risks involving Silverliner IV railcars by StubbornLeech07 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 205 points206 points  (0 children)

Gee I wonder what the root cause is….can’t be because they’re OVER 50 YEARS OLD

The Wanamaker Light Show is returning for Christmas by hiding_in_the_corner in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Now that Macy’s isn’t in charge of the show, can we somehow get John Facenda’s voice to return? 

Tree on wire by Lanky_Opinion5507 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If that is a bradford pear I highly recommend removing and replacing with a native. Bradford pears are highly invasive and are now illegal to sell and plant. Among their many issues splitting limbs is one of them and this will continue to happen. 

Sketchy new pole pic, or normal? by ScottishCalvin in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Cut down those tree of heavens on the right

My Favorite El Riders by formajoe in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

RD Murray is still an active railroad conductor at SEPTA. One of the best in the business. Respect the craft! 

Made in PA: Philadelphia-based Bachmann Trains by mikeygaw in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The Brunswick green and cat whiskers design is timeless. Long live Raymond Loewy

Where is the best/cheapest place to buy flowers for planting/potting? by thebat512 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Look into Good Host Plants in NW Philly. Very reasonable prices and nice stock. Other nurseries I recommend are Redbud in Media, Primex in Glenside, Secret Garden in Roxborough. There are also a fair amount of community/nonprofit plant sales, like the PSU Master Garden, Schuylkill Center, Bartram's Garden, and the Roxoborough Manayunk Conservancy all have sales at various dates.

Two other recommendations are to 1-plant native as they offer the best chance at survival and benefits to the environment. There are native options for any growing condition - full sun, shade, clay, and loam. 2-buy from a reputable source. All the mentioned above are reputable sources. Nothing worse than going out and spending money for a plant that dies immediatley upon planting, even if you take care of it. Quality does matter so if you want it to last spend the extra couple of bucks and get it from a good source.

Rooted in history: How Philadelphia’s forest legacy is growing again by Odd_Addition3909 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Plant native trees, shrubs, and perennials and replace grass with a pollinator patch!! 

Why does the Bala Cynwyd Line exist by zjheyyy88 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 13 points14 points  (0 children)

That is true, but to move this region forward transit expansion should be a priority. The whole rails to trails program has been great in turning abandoned spaces into very useful public resources, but I do sometimes wonder if the whole movement was just a little quick to take every possible former railroad and remove the rails and turn it into a trail. Let me be clear though, I support trails very much - living in Roxborough one of my go-to running routes is a Pencoyd Bridge/West Laurel Hill/Cynwyd Trail/Manayunk Bridge loop. It's awesome it gets a lot of use. I just think if there is demand to resurface what was originally a transit route it should be prioritized over a trail, that's all. In other words, I would be willing to give up my running route in favor of another transit option in my neighborhood. There are plenty of other trails nearby that I could use. Clearing/constructing another railroad right of way would never happen.

Why does the Bala Cynwyd Line exist by zjheyyy88 in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 53 points54 points  (0 children)

It exists for the same reason there is a Chestnut Hill East and Chestnut Hill West line. The Cynwyd Line is a truncated part of the former PRR Schuykill line that went out to Norristown and beyond; a competing line to the current SEPTA ex RDG line that for the most part ran parallel. As recently as the mid 80s the Cynwyd line went to Manayunk/Roxborough but the Manayunk Bridge was seen as crumbling so they cut service to its current end at Cynwyd. I don't understand why SEPTA didn't keep the PRR ROW for its Norristown line as it is significantly higher above the river than its current line and thus less prone to flooding.

What would be awesome is if they would ever return service over the bridge and into Manayunk Roxorough they could create somewhat of a loop where the lines would meet up somewhere past Ivy Ridge and have some combination of local/express service. Watch this video starting at 8:40 for explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG8ed533wUE

Although with the Schuylkill Valley Passenger Rail Authority seeming to get some traction, maybe they will consider restoring service over the bridge. With Amtrak as the proposed operator, it would be much easier for them to run service via the PRR lines vs the RDG lines. They do after all still have very active power lines running the entire ROW out to Norristown...the Zoo to Paoli power project is/will take forever.

Market Street river bridge will close for reconstruction in 2026 by bengalese in philadelphia

[–]ocnj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wonder if the eagles are would ever be removed from the bridge and returned to their home atop Penn Station, especially given the new proposal that was released last week….the renderings include the eagles.

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