Concrete Vs. Steel *

My 3+1/2 year old grandson has been mesmerized by trains (and anything else that runs on tracks) ever since he was old enough to pay attention to the TV and began watching stories about Thomas The Tank Engine. Over the years, my daughter and I have made various contributions to his Thomas & Friends train collection and he has enjoyed countless hours playing with them. In addition to his train collection, he has numerous Thomas DVDs, videos, books, puzzles, flash cards, things to wear, things to eat and drink out of, and just about anything else you could name. We recently found out that a life-size Thomas The Tank Engine train will be pulling into the Strasburg Railroad Station at various times during the weekend of December 4th-6th. If all goes well and we decide to take him there, my grandson will have the opportunity to actually ride on his favorite tank engine. Can you imagine the look on his face when Thomas pulls into the station? But, in the meantime, there's always the Market-Frankford El train.



So, this past Saturday, my husband and I decided to take my grandson on a simple (but fascinating for him) ride on the El. We rode in the front car and made sure that he was in the front seat so he could see "everything" as the train made its way across the city, above ground and underground. First, we took off in the direction of Frankford. When we got there, we stopped for a quick lunch at McDonald's, which is across the street from the Frankford Transportation Center. After we ate, we got back on the train and took off in the direction of 69th Street. During the course of our travels, my grandson was excited to see how the train "rode the tracks" from the inside of a train car. He also got a kick out of seeing the traffic signals, subway stations, people on the platforms, bridges, and passing trains on the opposite side of the tracks. All of these things might not sound like much, but we knew that simplistic ride on the El was something very special to him so, it made our day. Then, shortly after we got home, I was catching up with the local news on the internet and found the following report from the Associated Press...



PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Market-Frankford elevated train line in Philadelphia was rebuilt in the late 1980s and into the new millennium to last for 75 years, but that's not the case. The elevated line needs major repairs because of a basic flaw in its reconstruction design. SEPTA says the repairs could cost $20 million or more. SEPTA engineers say the elevated line was rebuilt in a way that does not allow its deck to adequately expand and contract with temperature changes and the result is crumbling concrete. SEPTA crews have installed 8,000 metal mesh belts on the underbelly of the elevated to prevent concrete from falling onto cars and pedestrians. SEPTA is suing the two engineering companies who oversaw the reconstruction plans for the repair costs.

Although this report concerned me for obvious reasons (What? Crumbling concrete! OMG! We could have been killed!), I'm not at all surprised that SEPTA is having this problem and I knew that this was going to happen. When the renovations began and I heard that SEPTA was planning to use concrete on the supporting structure, my plain ol' common sense told me that was a mistake. Why? Because concrete cracks and crumbles. Engineering "goof" aside, if you live in Philly, you know that the El creates quite a rumble as it races from one end of the city to the other and the constant vibration alone would have eventually caused the concrete to deteriorate. I was so sure this would happen that I made myself a promise... as soon as the first "crack" appeared in the support structure (provided I found out about it), my El-riding days would be over.


But, for those who don't live in Philly and may not know it, the previous support structure for the El was completely made of steel. The original construction of the elevated train began in 1903 and it opened to the riding public in 1907, taking passengers to and from Center City in the comfort of wooden elevated train cars. The car's seats were made of woven rattan and the hanging straps were made of leather. It is even rumored that there was a "breakfast car" on the earliest elevated trains. The individual train cars were designed to seat 50 passengers and the plan was to move 9,000 riders per hour with six-car subway trains, operating at two-minute intervals between trains. Even though the supporting steel structure wasn't the most glamorous site to behold (and some would argue that it was down-right ugly), it got the job done for many, many years. I'm not an engineer but, I feel that with the proper maintenance and upkeep, it could have supported the elevated trains for another century. (Okay, maybe half-a-century.)

Over the years, SEPTA allowed the steel structure supporting the El to fall into disrepair. Just to name a few areas of neglect, they did not remove the rust that had accumulated on it before permanent damage set in and, although it was painted once in a while, it was not done frequently enough. As a result, they had to begin a massive renovation project to restore the support structure, which began in 1988. According to SEPTA, the project was finally completed this year but, some west-end areas around the Market-Frankford El still look like a "work in progress" to this day. The renovation was very expensive for SEPTA and us as patrons because there were several fare increases during this period. The $740 million project was also an absolute "nightmare" that seemed never-ending for local businesses and traffic in general. Many businesses did not survive the renovation years and were lost without so much as an apology from SEPTA.

As for the lawsuit against the two engineering companies who oversaw the reconstruction, I'm betting that SEPTA is going to wait out the conclusion of the legalities before spending any more money to rectify the problem. Of course, this could take years and what about our public safety in the meantime? If SEPTA's past history is any indication, it will be of no consequence. There is a small bridge not far from my home that serves as a crossover between West Philly and Wynnefield. It is also an overpass because some of SEPTA's regional rail trains run underneath it. Well, the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA have been arguing for years as to whose responsibility it is to repair the bridge. In the meantime, the bridge is deteriorating more and more with each passing day and the issue probably won't be resolved until it ultimately collapses, causing serious injury or possibly even death. So, you be the judge... but, from where I sit, the winner and still "would-be" standing champion is steel. I'm all for progress but, they just don't build things with this degree of quality and workmanship anymore.

* Footnote: This post was inspired by my grandson and his love of trains. The next morning, he wanted to know if we could ride on the El train again???