Boston-area streetcar lines

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Boston-area streetcar lines remaining in 1940 (in green), plotted against a map of the BERy's subway and elevated lines (in purple). The shade of green for each line denotes how long the line lasted after this; the lightest-green lines were abandoned in 1945 or earlier, the second-lightest lines were abandoned from 1946 to 1950, the second-darkest lines were abandoned from 1951 to 1969, and the darkest-green lines still existed in 1969.

As with many large cities, a large number of Boston-area streetcar lines once existed, and many continued operating into the 1950s. However, only a few now remain, namely the four branches of the Green Line and the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, with only one (the Green Line E branch) running regular service on an undivided street.

History

The first streetcar line in the Boston area was a horse-drawn line from Central Square, Cambridge to Bowdoin Square, Boston opened by the Cambridge Railroad on March 26, 1856.[1] Over the following decade a large number of horsecar lines were built by different companies, including the Metropolitan Railroad, Middlesex Railroad, and South Boston Railroad; these companies competed with each other while also sharing tracks in many locations. By the mid-1860s horsecar lines reached to Lynn, Arlington, Watertown, Newton, West Roxbury, and Milton.[2] In 1887 the various Boston-area horsecar companies (except for the Lynn and Boston Railroad) were all consolidated into the West End Street Railway.

In 1889 the West End Street Railway experimented with electric power for its streetcars; the results were so promising that it abandoned a cable car project already under construction.[3] Several lines were electrified in 1889 and by 1895 almost the entire system had been electrified. The last horsecar line was abandoned in 1900.[4]

In 1897 the recently-formed

Tremont Street Subway opened and many streetcar routes that had previously used surface tracks in downtown Boston were rerouted into the subway. Over the following decades the opening elevated and underground rapid transit lines (which became today's Orange Line and Red Line), as well as extensions of the Tremont Street subway (which became the Green Line), allowed progressively more streetcar lines to be removed from the congested streets downtown and rerouted to rapid transit stations further out. Passengers could transfer for free between streetcars and rapid transit lines to complete their journeys to or from downtown.[5]: 127  In 1904 the East Boston Tunnel opened and was initially used to allow streetcars from East Boston to reach downtown, but in 1924 it was converted into another rapid transit line (part of today's Blue Line) operated with free transfers to and from streetcars at Maverick station
.

In the 1920s as competition from cars increased and bus technology improved, the BERy began replacing some of its streetcar lines with buses. These conversions accelerated in the 1930s, with some routes also converted to trolleybuses (locally referred to as 'trackless trolleys'). Bus conversions paused during World War II when gasoline and rubber were in limited supply, but resumed in the late 1940s.

In 1947 the

Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) was formed to take over the streetcar, bus, and rapid transit operations of the Boston Elevated Railway. It continued to convert lines from streetcar (and trackless trolley) to bus. In 1964 the MTA's operations were in turn taken over by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which also took over other bus systems running to suburban towns outside the MTA area. By this point the only remaining streetcar lines were five routes running into the Tremont Street Subway and one route on private right-of-way between Mattapan and Ashmont
at the end of the Red Line. These were respectively designated as the Green Line branches A thru E and as part of the Red Line. The Green Line "A" branch was subsequently abandoned in 1969 and the "E" branch south of Heath Street abandoned in 1985.

Route numbering

In 1936, the BERy assigned numbers to its routes for map use, but route numbers were not used on buses until the late 1960s (when the colors were assigned to the remaining rail lines).

East Boston
.

Timeline of streetcar abandonments

This is a table of when each streetcar line was converted to trackless trolley or bus. Only information post-1940 is complete.

Routes: 4/Green Line "D" 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28/Red Line Mattapan 29 30 32 33 34 36 39/Green Line "E" (Arborway) 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 48 55 57/Green Line "E" (Heath) 58 60 61/Green Line "C" 62/Green Line "B" 65 66 69/Green Line "A" 70 71 72 73 76 77 79 80 81 82 87 88 89 90 92 93 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 123
Last day of streetcars Route Notes
Still operational 4 Riverside–subway Renamed Green Line D branch ca. 1967
28 Mattapan–Ashmont High Speed Line Number dropped and considered part of Red Line ca. 1967
Still runs 1940s-era PCC streetcars
57 Heath Street–subway Renamed
short-turn
) ca. 1967
61 Cleveland Circle–subway Renamed Green Line C branch ca. 1967
62 Boston College–subway Renamed Green Line B branch ca. 1967
December 27, 1985 39 Arborway–subway Renamed
39
when replaced by bus
June 20, 1969 69 Watertown–subway Renamed
57
when replaced by bus
October 28, 1963 New northbound subway routing from Government Center to Haymarket opens, ending service to Adams Square station
April 5, 1962 Shuttle Pleasant Street–Boylston Last service to the Pleasant Street incline
November 17, 1961 43 Lenox Street–subway Had been cut back from Egleston to Lenox Street June 14, 1956
July 4, 1959 4 Riverside–subway (Highland branch) opens
September 4, 1958
71
Watertown–Harvard 		Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022
73
Waverly–Harvard 		Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022
82 North Cambridge–Harvard Replacement trackless trolley route renumbered
77A ca. 1967
Trackless trolley until March 13, 2022 (after January 2005 ran only to move trackless trolleys between routes 71/72/73 and North Cambridge carhouse)[7]
June 14, 1956 43 Egleston–subway Cut back to Lenox Street
December 16, 1955 40 Arborway–Egleston
100
Elm Street–Sullivan
November 18, 1955 79 Arlington Heights–Harvard Replacement bus route renumbered
77
ca. 1967
September 9, 1955
29
Mattapan–Egleston
December 4, 1953
9 City Point–subway[8][9]
: 212 
10
City Point–Dudley
September 12, 1953 47 Massachusetts station–Dudley Replacement bus route renumbered
1
ca. 1967
June 19, 1953
7
City Point–South Station via Summer Street
April 24, 1953
30
Mattapan–Arborway
32
Cleary Square–Arborway 		Trackless trolley until September 30, 1958
November 21, 1952
34
Dedham Line–Arborway 		Trackless trolley until September 5, 1958
June 20, 1952 33 Roslindale–Arborway via Hyde Park Avenue[10][9]: 211 
January 4, 1952
114
Meridian Street–Maverick 		Turned around at the south end of the closed Meridian Street Bridge since June 12, 1950
Trackless trolley after the Meridian Street Bridge reopened ca. 1954 until March 30, 1961 (Woodlawn–Maverick)
115 Chelsea Square–Maverick[11]
Short-turn of 116/117
Trackless trolley until ca. 1954 (Woodlawn–Wood Island)[12]
116
Revere Beach Loop–Maverick via Revere Street 		Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934
Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Wonderland–Wood Island)
117
Revere Beach Loop–Maverick via Beach Street 		Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934
Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Wonderland–Wood Island)
118 Revere carhouse–Maverick via Ocean Avenue and Bennington Street Trackless trolley until June 18, 1955 (Wonderland–Orient Heights)[9]: 231 
120
Gladstone–Maverick
Short-turn
of 118
Trackless trolley until September 8, 1961 (Orient Heights–Maverick)
121
Eagle Street–Maverick via Lexington Street 		Trackless trolley until March 30, 1961 (Wood Island–Maverick)
September 28, 1951
36
Charles River Loop–Arborway 		Trackless trolley until September 5, 1958
June 16, 1950
70
Watertown–Central 		Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963
June 12, 1950 Meridian Street Bridge closes for construction; 114 cut back to south end of bridge, 116 and 117 rerouted via Chelsea Street Bridge[13]: 168 
December 9, 1949
16
Franklin Park–Andrew 		Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962
September 18, 1949 76 Harvard–Massachusetts station Route 76 ran only Harvard Square–MIT from September 12 to 18, after which route 70 was extended from Central Square to MIT[13]: 28  until November 9[9]: 209 
Trackless trolley from April 22, 1950 until March 30, 1961[14]
September 16, 1949
42
Egleston–Dudley
July 1, 1949
93
Sullivan–subway via Bunker Hill Street
June 7, 1949
41
Jamaica Plain–Dudley
April 22, 1949 123 Jefferies Point–Maverick[9]: 208 [10]
February 11, 1949
17 Fields Corner–Andrew via Meeting House Hill
 Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962
January 28, 1949
44
Seaver–Dudley 		Trackless trolley until March 30, 1961
January 7, 1949
19
Fields Corner–Dudley via Geneva Avenue 		Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962
22
Ashmont-Dudley via Talbot Avenue 		Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962
23
Ashmont-Dudley via Washington Street, Dorchester 		Trackless trolley until April 6, 1962
December 24, 1948
15
Uphams Corner–Dudley 		Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962 (Kane Square–Dudley)
45
Grove Hall–Dudley via Blue Hill Avenue 		Trackless trolley until April 5, 1962
Dudley–subway late night service[9]: 206  Daytime streetcar service had ended March 4, 1938
June 18, 1948 20 Fields Corner–Neponset Trackless trolley from December 10, 1949 until March 31, 1961[9]: 206 
May 1, 1948 Quincy Point–Fields Corner Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
April 2, 1948
92
Sullivan–subway via Main Street
April 18, 1947
101
Salem Street–Sullivan via Winter Hill 		Trackless trolley until March 13, 1959
April 3, 1947 8 City Point–South Station via Dorchester Avenue Had been split into two segments since the Dorchester Avenue Bridge closed for reconstruction on December 2, 1946[13]: 53 
December 6, 1946
89
Clarendon Hill–Sullivan 		Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963
July 27, 1946 99 Stoneham–Sullivan[10][9]: 243  Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway north of Spot Pond
June 29, 1946 Houghs Neck–Fields Corner Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
November 7, 1941
87
Clarendon Hill–Lechmere via Somerville Avenue 		Had run into the subway via
Lechmere
until July 9, 1922
Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963
88
Clarendon Hill–Lechmere via Highland Avenue 		Had run into the subway via
Lechmere
until July 9, 1922
Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963
February 16, 1941
Huntington Avenue subway opens and routes 39 and 57
are rerouted to use it, ending surface-running via eastern Huntington Avenue, Boylston Street and the Public Gardens incline
September 8, 1939
90
Davis Square–Sullivan via Highland Avenue 		Trackless trolley from September 13, 1947 until December 14, 1956[9]: 205 
December 30, 1938 103 Malden Square–Everett via Main Street Short-turn of 106
Trackless trolley until April 1962[7]
106
Lebanon Street–Everett via Malden Square 		Trackless trolley until March 29, 1963
September 9, 1938
66 Allston–Dudley[8]
Brookline Village–subway via Huntington Ave[8] Rush-hour only since ca. 1932
March 4, 1938 48 Dudley–subway[15] Remained in use for late night service until December 24, 1948[9]: 206 
December 10, 1937
112 Everett Square–Chelsea Square[9]
: 203  		Trackless trolley until June 23, 1961 (Malden Square–Chelsea Square via Everett Square)
113 Malden Square–Chelsea Square via Ferry Street[9]: 203  Trackless trolley until June 23, 1961
October 1937
72 Aberdeen Avenue–Harvard via Huron Avenue[9]
: 203  		Trackless trolley from April 2, 1938 until March 2013[7]
September 10, 1937
104 Malden–Everett via Ferry Street and Broadway[9]
: 203  		Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963
June 18, 1937
110
Woodlawn–Everett 		Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (Revere–Everett after September 8, 1940)[9]: 203 
May 7, 1937
111 Woodlawn–Chelsea Square[16][8]
 Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934
March 1937 Local lines in Lynn[9]: 230  Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
February 1937 Lynn–Chelsea Square Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934
January 8, 1937
109
Everett carhouse–Everett via Broadway 		Had been cut back from Linden to Everett carhouse (at Broadway and Cameron Street) September 16, 1933[9]: 202 
Trackless trolley until March 30, 1963 (Linden–Everett)
October 9, 1936
119 Beachmont–Day Square via Broadway and Chelsea Street Bridge[8][17]
 Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934
June 10, 1936 EMSR Chelsea division routes (111–113 and 116–119) acquired by BERy with several rerouted to East Boston; some of these had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934[8]
April 10, 1936 77 Harvard–Lechmere via Cambridge Street[8] Had run into the subway via
69
ca. 1967
October 1935 Salem–Chelsea Square[9]: 229  Operated by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
Had run into the subway via the Mystic River Bridge and North Station until 1934
July 13, 1934
55
Brookline Avenue–Massachusetts station 		Had been cut back from Brookline Village to Brookline Avenue & Boylston Street 1933
Had run into the subway via the Public Gardens incline before the 1920s[5]: 206 
January 13, 1934 Mystic River Bridge (between Chelsea and Charlestown) closes for construction;[18] EMSR routes from Woodlawn, Beachmont, Revere, Lynn and Salem cut back from the subway to Chelsea
December 1933 58 Cypress Street–subway via Huntington Avenue[8][9]: 201 
September 16, 1933
109
Linden–Everett via Broadway 		Cut back to Everett carhouse (at Broadway and Cameron Street)[9]: 202 
Trackless trolley from November 28, 1936 until March 30, 1963
May 24, 1933
27 Pierce Square–Ashmont[9]
: 202 
November 4, 1932
60 Chestnut Hill–subway via Huntington Avenue[8][9]
: 201 
October 23, 1932
Kenmore station opens, extending the Boylston Street subway to a new portal on Beacon Street used by route 61 and a new portal on Commonwealth Avenue used by routes 62 and 69
July 8, 1932
80 Arlington Center–Sullivan via Medford Hillside[8]
 Trackless trolley from September 12, 1953 until March 30, 1963 (Arlington Center–Lechmere)[9]: 201 
June 10, 1932 Framingham Center–Boston Park Square[9]: 156  Operated by Boston and Worcester Street Railway
Had been cut back from Worcester to Framingham January 15, 1931
April 1930 Norumbega Park–Boston College via Commonwealth Avenue[9]: 252  Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway
1930 Dorchester Avenue[19]
December 21, 1929 28 (
Mattapan
August 26, 1929 28 (
Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line) opens to Milton
January 18 1929
11 Broadway?–Bay View[20]
November 22, 1929
26 Norfolk Street–Dudley[19][9]
: 199 
September 1929 Framingham–Newton Corner via Natick and Wellesley[9]: 252  Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway
late 1928 25 Andrew–Washington & Fairmount Streets Dorchester[19]
1926-1928 Local lines in Newton and Waltham[9]: 251  Operated by Middlesex and Boston Street Railway
April 23, 1926
65 Boston College–Brookline Village[21][9]
: 197  		Had run into the subway via the Public Gardens incline before the 1920s[5]: 214 
July 18, 1925 81 Arlington Center–Clarendon Hill[9]: 197  Trackless trolley from September 12, 1953 to March 30, 1963
May 9, 1925
21 Fields Corner–Adams Street[9]
: 196 
December 20, 1924 102 Faulkner–Malden[9]: 196  Trackless trolley from June 17, 1939 until March 30, 1963
105 Faulkner–Everett[9]
: 196  		Trackless trolley from June 17, 1939 until March 30, 1963
April 17, 1924 Last day of streetcars through the East Boston Tunnel, which had included routes to Chelsea (114), Orient Heights (120), Lexington Street (121), Jeffries Point (123), and Kendall Square[5]: 236 
July 9, 1922 Last day of surface lines (
Lechmere

MTA streetcar routes as of 1953

A map of the MTA's transit network in 1952, with streetcars indicated by route numbers in circles, buses by route numbers in rectangles, and trackless trolleys by route numbers in triangles

As of early 1953 the

Metropolitan Transit Authority operated the following streetcar routes. All lines were connected via trackage to the Tremont Street subway (Green Line
), but only the 9, 39, 43, 57, 61, 62 and 69 actually operated in the subway.

Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway routes

The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (EMSR) operated lines between Boston and towns north and south of the Boston area, including Lynn, Salem, Reading, Lowell, Lawrence, Quincy, Hingham, and Brockton. It also operated local streetcar service within those towns. The company was formed in 1919 to take over the lines of the bankrupt Bay State Street Railway, which advertised itself as "the world's largest street railway system" in the 1910s.[9]: 72  Between 1931 and 1937, EMSR replaced almost all of its streetcar routes with bus service. Only three streetcar lines were left by the end of 1937, all linking Boston to nearby towns.

Stoneham–Sullivan

This streetcar line ran between

Fellsway West. At a stop called "Sheepfold" near Spot Pond in Middlesex Fells, the operator was replaced by an EMSR employee who drove the streetcar the rest of the way into Stoneham and alongside Main Street to the terminal at Farm Hill Station of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Stoneham Branch.

The line was

Reading
–Sullivan via Main Street and Fellsway.

Quincy routes

Two Quincy routes left

222
.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Miscellaneous Items". New England Farmer. March 29, 1856. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ "Rail road map showing the street rail road routes in and leading from Boston". 1865.
  3. ^ Twentieth Report of the Boston Transit Commission. 1914. p. 102.
  4. ^ "Tracks To Go". Boston Globe. December 20, 1900. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b c d Beeler, John (1918). Report on the Methods and Practices of the Boston Elevated Railway Company.
  6. ^ Snowden, Dave (November 1, 1995). "Fw: Line Numbering". Newsgroup: misc.transport.urban-transit.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ron Newman, quoting messages from users 'RTSPCC' and 'Widecab' (January 28, 1997). "Re: MBTA Green Line - how many branches did it once have?". Newsgroup: misc.transport.urban-transit.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Humphrey, Thomas. "Origin and Development of the Fixed-Route Local Bus Transportation Network in the Cities and Towns of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority District" (PDF). Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "System Route Map". Boston Elevated Railway. 1942. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  11. ^ "System Route Map". Boston Metropolitan Transit Authority. 1950. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  12. ^ "System Route Map". Boston Metropolitan Transit Authority. 1952. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  13. ^
    ISBN 0938315056
    .
  14. ^ Barber, Richard (March–April 1984). "Pertinent Routes Relating to Trackless Trolley Operations". Rollsign. Vol. 21, no. 3/4. p. 15.
  15. ^ "New Dudley-Dover Sts Buses Start Tomorrow". Boston Globe. March 4, 1938. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ^ Belcher, Jonathan (December 26, 1995). "MBTA 111 Woodlawn bus". Newsgroup: misc.transport.urban-transit.
  17. ^ "System Route Map". Boston Elevated Railway. 1936. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  18. ^ "Tunnel Tolls Cut on Monday". Boston Globe. January 11, 1935. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b c "MBTA Red Line". nycsubway.org. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  20. ^ RTSPCC (August 12, 2003). ""Re: Bay View streetcar line in South Boston"". Newsgroup: ne.transportation.
  21. ^ Santiago, Rowell (August 4, 1994). "Re: MBTA Green Line Nomenclature". Newsgroup: misc.transport.urban-transit.
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