Driving up to Philadelphia to railfan SEPTA - parking?

[SchuminWeb]

I am potentially driving up to Philadelphia to railfan SEPTA with a friend, and the big question in my mind right now is parking.  I know that when I used to come to DC to visit before I lived here, I would always drive to Vienna and then take Metro in from there.

So what I'm looking to know is, is there a good "Vienna"-type station to park at for someone driving up from DC?

[WayneNYC]

Many times we've driven to Wilmington and caught SEPTA's R2 (or whatever they're calling it now) which is about a 1 hour ride.

[Scrabbleship]

Many times we've driven to Wilmington and caught SEPTA's R2 (or whatever they're calling it now) which is about a 1 hour ride.

Claymont, the next station up from Wilmington, is literally right off of I-495.

If you go on a Sunday when the R2 doesn't enter Delaware, Chester and Crum Lynne aren't that far off of I-95. Closer off I-95 than Marcus Hook.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Claymont is off 495, not 95. 

[WMAveteran]

A couple of years ago a group of us from DCATZ drove up to Elwyn at the southern end of the R3 line and departed from there.  It is a picturesque, leafy suburban station and you can also return to it by taking a bus from 69th Street Terminal if you are doing a circle tour (there is a short walk involved from the bus stop as I recall).  It has a small parking lot but if you are travelling on a weekend there shouldn't be a problem.

[Scrabbleship]

Claymont is off 495, not 95. 

Fixed that for everyone.

[SchuminWeb]

Not particularly wanting to deal with commuter rail, and not being afraid of Philadelphia traffic on a Saturday, I'm thinking of driving to Frankford Transportation Center and then taking SEPTA from there.  SEPTA's Web site indicates that there's lots of parking available.  Has anyone had any experience with parking there?

Also, $11 one-day pass - ouch!  And we thought WMATA's day pass was pricey, but I think this pass also covers more services...

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Frankford is northeast of Center City and you'll be coming from the southwest.  I'd go for the 69th Street area to find parking, or maybe there are good options in Center City on the weekend (i.e. street parking with no meters).  You could also park at 30th Street or in the University City area.

[Scrabbleship]

One warning regarding passes: The $11 Independence Pass, I think, can only be bought at regional rail stations. If you go to Frankford, odds are it won't be available and they'll give you the [In]Convenience pass. Better to get on at Frankford, buy a so-called token, and take the MFL to Market East and get the pass there.

[btconet]

The handful of times I drove up to Philly and did "Park and Ride," I usually parked at Penrose Plaza and caught the #36 car into town.

[RailBus63]

On my recent trip to Philly, I parked at the Woodcrest PATCO station.  $2.70 fare to Center City and only $1 parking if you arrive before 10;00 a.m. (and parking is free after 10).