SEPTA K-car

K-car is a nickname for two different series of trolley cars used by SEPTA that were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The Series 9000 is a streetcar that has been used on the SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines since 1980. The similar Series 100, which was manufactured at the same time, was also built for SEPTA Routes 101 and 102. The K-cars were Kawasaki's first railroad cars for the American market.

Background
Since the days of privately-owned streetcars before the establishment of the publicly-owned SEPTA, high-performance PCC streetcars built by J. G. Brill Company were used on Philadelphia's streetcars. A similar vehicle manufactured by the same company, the Brilliner, was also active. In 1975, a decade after SEPTA was established, 60 PCC cars were destroyed by a fire in the garage. SEPTA soon leased streetcars from the Toronto streetcar system. However, since the 1970s, the aging streetcars began to break down, and SEPTA sought to replace them with modern streetcars. The US Standard Light Rail Vehicle (USSLRV) was considered for possible use on SEPTA, but it was rejected due to the many mechanical difficulties experienced by USSLRVs used on the Boston MBTA's Green Line and on Muni Metro in San Francisco. In 1980, the first Series 9000 car, SEPTA 9000, was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries according to SEPTA specifications.

Structure
The Series 9000 for the subway-surface trolleys and the Series 100 for the suburban system have differences in body structure, bogies, current collectors, etc. However, both types can be operated with one car, though multiple-unit train control is also possible. The design was based on a request from SEPTA, and although the interior layout and driving equipment were based on the PCCs and Brilliners, a number of new technologies were introduced.

Body
The car body is made of weathering steel, and the underframe other than the pillow frame and the area near the passenger door are stainless steel to prevent corrosion because snow melting agent is sprayed in winter. The width of the car is wider than conventional cars, sitting at 8.5 ft for Series 9000 cars and 8.83 ft for Series 100 cars. The ends of each car are narrowed toward the front to accommodate route conditions with many sharp curves. In the design phase, the finite element method was used to reduce weight, improve safety, and increase ease of maintenance.

Interior
The interior is designed by Yashiro Composites of Japan, and the seats of the Series 9000 are made of fiber-reinforced plastic, while the Series 100 has upholstered seats using rubber cushions. High-density glass wool is used for the floor, sides, and ceiling, and polycarbonate sheets with a thickness of 0.5 in are used for the window glass to improve soundproofing and heat insulation inside the car. The inside of the car is fully equipped with air conditioning for both heating and cooling, but only the upper part of the window glass can be opened inward.

Because they were manufactured before the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, all K-cars are inaccessible to wheelchair users. The cars are not equipped with a wheelchair lift and have a high floor height of 3 ft, requiring steps to get on and off platforms. The boarding door uses a pneumatic inner folding door, and is equipped with a re-opening and closing function that automatically opens when a foreign object is caught.

The speed control in the driver's cab is the same as that of the PCC cars. A pedal that plays the role of acceleration, braking, and a dead man's switch is installed at the foot of the driver's cab. In addition to the speedometer and air compression meter, the cab is equipped with various toggle switches and indicator lights indicating the status of the equipment.

Equipment
The bogie uses a hollow shaft, with chevron rubber for the axle spring and an air spring for the pillow spring is used, of which the pressure on the air spring is detected by the load bearing device. The bogie frame has a structure that is easy to twist so that the wheels can follow and run stably even on a track in poor condition. The wheels vary depending on the type: the Series 9000 cars have the same elastic wheels as the PCC car, while the Series 100 cars have integrally rolled wheels for high-speed operation. In addition to installing two electric motors in both types, disc brakes and electromagnetic brakes (emergency) are equipped as braking devices.

The electric motor is a direct current motor (61 kw, 300 V, 230 A, 2,000 rpm) and is controlled by a two-phase double armature chopper control scheme. When driving, the alternating current is generated by the pedal angle, and the main circuit is continuously and smoothly controlled using a microprocessor. In addition to regenerative braking, electric braking can also be used in case of unusability. In addition, an alternator (AC230 V, 3-phase 40 kVA) is also installed as an auxiliary power supply, and the current through the low-voltage power supply is used to charge lighting and storage batteries, lighting, and information broadcasting.

On the roof, in addition to the current collector and various resistors, an air conditioning unit that keeps the temperature inside the car between 65 °F and 76 °F is installed. In the summer, cold air is sent to the car through the ceiling duct, while in the winter, the heater of the air conditioning unit and the heater with a floor type fan are heated. The heat generated from the floor heater is also used for snow melting in the boarding and alighting steps.

Differences between Series 9000 and Series 100
The Series 9000 for the city system and the Series 100 for the suburban system have the following differences in the body and bogie in addition to dimensions, maximum speed, and weight.

Operation
The prototype completed in 1980, and entered service that June. However, the drawings on the SEPTA structure gauge and signaling system, which were used as a reference during the design, were outdated. As a result, the trolleys touched the platforms, and there were signal problems. To resolve this, SEPTA responded by modifying the trolley lines' infrastructure to match the vehicles made by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. By 1981, 141 cars (112 Series 9000 cars and 29 Series 100 cars) had been delivered, including prototypes, and all of them were put into commercial operation in 1982. The final assembly of the vehicle was done by Boeing, which was working on the USSLRV. These achievements laid the groundwork for many orders of Kawasaki's electric trains for the New York City Subway over the years.

As of 2018, the 112 Series 9000 cars (numbered 9000-9111) run on the SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines, while the 29 Series 100 cars are used on the suburban Routes 101 and 102.

With the introduction of the K-cars, all Brilliner cars and most of the PCC cars owned by SEPTA were retired, scrapped, preserved, or transferred to other cities. The remaining PCC cars owned by SEPTA were modified into the SEPTA PCC II series, which are now used on SEPTA Route 15.

Heritage unit
In March 2024, the first K-car, SEPTA 9000, was repainted in a special heritage livery, recreating the livery that it used when it was first built.

Future
With the K-cars being over 40 years old, SEPTA is working on modernizing its trolley network. In 2023, SEPTA awarded Alstom Transportation a $714.2 million contract to furbish 130 new low-floor trolleys, with an option for 30 more. The trolleys will be of Alstom's Citadis family and will be 80 feet in length and fully ADA-compliant, which the current K-cars are not. The first trolley is expected to be delivered from Alstom in the Spring of 2027, with the last trolley to be delivered some time in 2030.