Station Review #43: Noble (SEPTA)


Noble is a station on SEPTA's West Trenton line, located in the small village of Noble, Pennsylvania, itself located in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. 

History

Photo of Noble immediately after being built

Noble was built by the North Penn Railroad in 1889. Immediately after being built, the station was inaugurated by US President Benjamin Harrison. 

In 1901, the Reading Railroad took over the West Trenton Line and tore down many of North Penn's stations, building new ones based on the standard Reading Railroad station template. 

The main station house was used as a waiting room until 2001 or so, and now is abandoned.

Tour

Silverliner IV at the northbound platform of Noble Station

Despite the fact that Noble station seems the type of station to have a lot going on, that could not be further from the truth. 

Silverliner V at Noble Station

On the southbound end of the station is the station house, which currently sits disused. 

The door to the station house

Close up on the weathered map on the door

A much newer map that is nearby

Inside the old station house

Behind the station house

Another angle of the station house 

Bench

The station house is similar in design to other former Reading Railroad stations, like Somerton or the old Olney station. 

And much like both of those stations, there is very little on the other side of the tracks (though in Olney's case, there has been no second platform ever since the Fox Chase line became single-tracked). All that can be seen here is a single bus shelter with a bench inside of it. This northbound platform is pretty standard for a lot of SEPTA Regional Rail stations, or so one would think. 

Old freight station? 

Next to the main two platforms is this shack, used to store equipment. I have no idea what this is, or when it was built. I imagine that this was an old freight station, as it looks different than the passenger station built by North Penn or the replacement built by Reading. Whichever it is, that shack is not in good condition.
 
The weirdest part about the old freight station is that it has a high platform, but the actual station itself does not. 


And to make this station seem even more odd, it's also surrounded on all sides by a small pond's worth of parking lots. 

Transit Connections


Noble station only has one real bus connection, and that's the 55. The 55 goes between Olney Transportation Center and Doylestown via PA-611 (Old York Road and Easton Road), with many trips ending at Willow Grove instead of going all the way to Doylestown. 

Things to do in Noble

There is very little near Noble station. You do still get some stores like a Whole Foods though, and a Wawa. A few years ago, there used to be a very good Frozen Yogurt place very close to the station, but this has since closed. 

Statistics:


Name: Noble
Agency: SEPTA
Line(s): West Trenton Line
Locality: Noble
City/Township: Abington Township 
County: Montgomery 
State: PA
Ridership: 197 Boardings, 229 Alightings, 426 total per average weekday 


Amenities Checklist


Accessible: ×
Bathrooms: ×
Clean Station: ×
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Easy passage for each side: × (in order to get to the other side you have to go up over to the Old York Road bridge and go down the other staircase that you did not go up)
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Good Wayfinding: ✓
Indoor Shelters: × (constantly closed)
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ×
Adequate Parking: ×
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ×
Ticket Kiosks (if applicable): ×
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ×
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ×
Updated/Useful Signage: ×

Final Verdict: 3.5/10. 

It's not good but it's certainly better than a very specific station nearby 

Station Directory

--------Philadephia County--------
''''''''Center City Zone''''''''
Penn Medicine
30th Street
Suburban
Jefferson (Market East)
Temple University
''''''''Zone 1''''''''
Fern Rock Transportation Center
--------Montgomery County--------
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
Melrose Park
Elkins Park
''''''''Zone 3''''''''
Jenkintown/Wyncote
Noble
Rydal
Meadowbrook
Bethayres
Philmont
--------Philadephia County--------
Forest Hills
Somerton
--------Bucks County--------
Trevose
Neshaminy Falls
''''''''Zone 4''''''''
Langhorne
Woodbourne
Yardley
--------New Jersey--------
--------Mercer County--------
''''''''NJ Zone''''''''
West Trenton

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