SEPTA Route 50
Encyclopedia
SEPTA Trolley Route 50 is a former street car
line and current bus
route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
The route ran from the Northeastern Philadelphia neighborhood of Fox Chase
on Oxford Avenue and then through Lawndale
along Rising Sun Avenue, and for a brief period it also shared tracks with trolley route 47, which was abandoned by the SEPTA Board on June 16, 1969. The Route 50 line then ran southbound down 6th Street in North Philadelphia and then onto 4th Street & Northbound 5th Streets in South Philadelphia
to and from its southern terminus of 6th Street & Oregon Avenue. In 1976 this line saw and used the 1934 Blackpool England "Boat Car" trolley during the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence
. SEPTA stopped running trolleys on October 11, 1980, however the tracks & overhead wires remain in place. In 1992 despite denials by SEPTA management, SEPTA track crews tore up trolley track on 5th Street south of Girard Avenue.
Route 50 was stored at the former Luzerne Carhouse, which was located on the southwest corner of 10th and Luzerne Streets. Luzerne Carhouse was shared by the Route 53
and 56
trolleys, before it was converted into an all bus garage. Today it survives as a cardboard recycling
plant.
trolley line along Ogontz Avenue, which wasn't eliminated until January 11, 1986, and replaced with a bus line. Earlier in the year the Route 53
(Wayne Avenue) trolley was eliminated on May 16, 1985, and transformed into bus route 57.
Currently, Route 50 is a SEPTA bus line in Northeast Philadelphia, which runs from the Frankford Transportation Center
to Philadelphia Park Racetrack and PARX Casino
in Bensalem. All buses along this route are ADA
-compliant, and contain bicycle racks.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line and current bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
(SEPTA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The route ran from the Northeastern Philadelphia neighborhood of Fox Chase
Fox Chase, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fox Chase is a neighborhood in the Northeast Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The origin of the name comes from The "Fox Chase Inn" which opened in 1705...
on Oxford Avenue and then through Lawndale
Lawndale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lawndale is a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia. It is located near Rising Sun and Oxford avenues and is south of Cottman Avenue.Despite the city's notation on the link below, Lawndale originally was named back in the 1880s...
along Rising Sun Avenue, and for a brief period it also shared tracks with trolley route 47, which was abandoned by the SEPTA Board on June 16, 1969. The Route 50 line then ran southbound down 6th Street in North Philadelphia and then onto 4th Street & Northbound 5th Streets in South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
to and from its southern terminus of 6th Street & Oregon Avenue. In 1976 this line saw and used the 1934 Blackpool England "Boat Car" trolley during the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. SEPTA stopped running trolleys on October 11, 1980, however the tracks & overhead wires remain in place. In 1992 despite denials by SEPTA management, SEPTA track crews tore up trolley track on 5th Street south of Girard Avenue.
Route 50 was stored at the former Luzerne Carhouse, which was located on the southwest corner of 10th and Luzerne Streets. Luzerne Carhouse was shared by the Route 53
SEPTA Route 53
SEPTA Route 53 is a former street car line and current bus route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The line runs between the West Mount Airy and Hunting Park neighborhoods primarily along Wayne Avenue.-Route...
and 56
SEPTA Route 56
SEPTA's Trolley Route 56, the Erie & Torresdale Avenues Line is a streetcar line and is currently operated by bus, it is operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The line runs between the Tioga and Tacony neighborhoods...
trolleys, before it was converted into an all bus garage. Today it survives as a cardboard recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
plant.
Decline and revival in name only
Despite public criticism by community and transit advocates, SEPTA voted to close the Route 50 trolley line on October 23, 1985. Additionally, the plan involved the closing of the SEPTA Route 6SEPTA Route 6
SEPTA's Trolley Route 6 the Ogontz Avenue Line is a former streetcar line and current bus route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-Route description:...
trolley line along Ogontz Avenue, which wasn't eliminated until January 11, 1986, and replaced with a bus line. Earlier in the year the Route 53
SEPTA Route 53
SEPTA Route 53 is a former street car line and current bus route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The line runs between the West Mount Airy and Hunting Park neighborhoods primarily along Wayne Avenue.-Route...
(Wayne Avenue) trolley was eliminated on May 16, 1985, and transformed into bus route 57.
Currently, Route 50 is a SEPTA bus line in Northeast Philadelphia, which runs from the Frankford Transportation Center
Frankford Transportation Center
The Frankford Transportation Center is a transportation terminal in Frankford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was once known as the Bridge Street terminal before a complete reconstruction in 2003...
to Philadelphia Park Racetrack and PARX Casino
Philadelphia Park Racetrack
Parx Racing and Casino is a thoroughbred horse racetrack and racino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It currently houses 3,300 slot machines.-History:...
in Bensalem. All buses along this route are ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
-compliant, and contain bicycle racks.