What a rare opportunity for a rail fan with a camera! Thanks. I rode this line often as a kid, and never saw anything like that. In fact, for a time, they had two-ended ex-Dallas cars.
When the 2nd batch of PCC'S were delivered,they were MU equipped,and were run from Arborway,and Reservoir,on the Commonwealth,and Boylston lines! They did run in 3 car trains! See BSRA bulletins 23 & 25 for further information( that also includes track maps)! Thank you for the semi-current operations! BTW,the Mattapan- Ashmont line,was original a New Haven branch,as like the Riverside line,which was ex- New York Central/ Boston &Albany! Complicated histories,but interesting! Thank you! Thank you 😇 😊 !
I have seen an old map of the Boston Elevated Railway, the predecessor of today's MBTA. Before the High Speed Line was built, there was an older streetcar line between Ashmont and Mattapan that ran on the street on the other side of the river. So when they opened the new line, they called it the High Speed Line to distinguish it from the older streetcar line. Originally, there were no stops on the High Speed Line--it ran nonstop between Ashmont and Mattapan. It was high speed indeed!
I remember these "Buses with train wheels" when living in Boston. They are styled like the GM "Old Look Transit Buses from the early 1940s through 1958
A few years ago myself and a few other railfans were able to get a tour of the Brookville Facility in Pennsylvania. There was a MBTA PCC undergoing restoration at their shop. They didn't want us taking any photos, probably fearing that we would post them on Facebook. According to Brookville, the biggest problem was caused by salt getting into the gears of the trucks during the winter months. They were trying to come up with a sealed system to avoid this. Who knows, maybe they are doing things in house now like SEPTA in Philadelphia. If nothing else, it gives MBTA staff experience in the rebuilding process and they can keep control. In any event, I'm glad that they are keeping the cars running. I'd like to return during the fall and photograph these cars with colorful foliage in the background.
The high pitched squeaking noise is the brake travel. The smoking brakes from 3263 kinda formed a glue from the shoes to the wheels, preventing the car from moving.
Cool! Glad to see them still running. I like how they still have the art deco ceiling lights. Those first generation PCCs are cool (called A1, A2, A3s in Toronto). In 1968, the TTC sent one to Halton Railway Museum and most of the rest of to Alexandria Egypt in 1968. Kept the subsequent generation PCCs in use until 1995. Just two left for tours--some are in San Fran, some in Wisconsin, some sprinkled across museums. I miss them in regular service.
awwww! I miss incandescent lighting riding transit SO MUCH 🕯🕯🕯 50 years ago I spent time growing up beside a robustly busy and comprehensive Iberian inter-urban that linked the coast with the interior .. lots of models in singles or combined in deuces or even trios together 🍸🍷🍺
All that and Cannonball and Nat Adderley, too! I'd forgotten what a great drummer Louis Hayes was! Not forgotten, though, the literal years of my life spent riding these same PCCs -- not so much on the High Speed Line (though I did have friends in Dorchester who lived along the right-of-way) but more the Huntington Ave branch of the Green Line. I attended no fewer than three high schools along it, as well as two universities and held several jobs in the Back Bay afterwards and at one point probably could have identified each car by its individual characteristics. I was also a big fan of the run out to Watertown and back -- that final series of loops and whirls leading into the Watertown terminus was awesome!
Excellent series. However, the three-car array that you showed were all really modern build; not as they were some 80 years ago. I wrote all those cars in the 1960s, when for example all side windows had frames which unabled passengers to open the windows, and that included the one in the back, although not the two rear windows. PCC cars where were the very front windows the drivers used, could be opened out from the bottoms as vents for cool, fresh air. But again, your series is excellent and I thank you!
In my mind, I keep seeing that a more reasonable solution would be to gradually relegate the heavy rail to run only between Braintree and JFK/UMass and devote the entire JFK/UMass to Mattapan line to a complete light rail system. I admit it would be a daunting and costly task but on the more sensible side of things, Codman Yard could be completely repurposed for Light Rail operations thus relieving the issue of needing to expand operations in Mattapan. The bridges over Neponset River would probably need to be redone in time anyway so it would be better to nip that in the bud anyway. With a proper light rail system on that line, the need for loop tracks would be eradicated and trains could terminate at intermediate stations rather than a substitute bus service from start to finish. An added bonus would be that the transfer at Ashmont would be made obsolete and that it's a one seat ride to JFK/UMass. The likelihood of this ever coming to fruition is non-existent but it still seems to make more sense trying to patch and keep aging equipment going at a constant pace.
I rode these trolleys in the early 60's when I attended Roslindale High. I lived in the Fields Corner area of Dorchester. Sometimes I would return home via the Orange and Red lines. Back then the equipment wasn't very old and breakdowns were very rare. I can't recall a single one. I went back to visit in 2018, my first time in Boston since the mid-1980s. On my first T ride, the red line train went exactly one stop and broken down. Sad to see the city in such decay. Boston and Dorchester used to be a great place in the 1950's. Before the trackless trolleys, wooden streetcars used to run the length of Dot Ave.
It’s nice to know they plan to keep them running for some more years. I am from Philadelphia and SEPTA our transit agency is rehabbing some old PCC trolleys to run on the Rt 15 line now operated with busses. They plan to restart trolley service this fall. By the way our suburban trolleys do also have horns but are not PCC cars.
Great footage of this rare move! I think I remember seeing a select few photos of some transit agencies running two PCCs back to back, but never three! The background music in this video is a nice touch too. Also, do you happen to know if that MBTA tracker you showed includes work movements too, or if there's a version of it that does?
you've inspired me to take the Mattapan line... another Train I've chased by bike on the neponsit river trail. living in. hyde park has really peaked my interests in rails.. with all the close comuter rail lines and subway lines and that bridge dangling by a thread on river st potentially affecting the whole north east corridor it really makes you wonder
I took this line most days in high school for all 4 years, and I was on the trolley one day when the one in front of us broke down, but there was major confusion so most of us ended up walking to ashmont from cedar grove (in view of ashmont) which only took about 10 minutes
Three car trains were standard at rush hour on the Riverside line back in the 60s and 70s. Nice to see one again! Minor quibble: The condition of the cars before the current rebuild isn't the same as 80 years ago. As late as the early 70s the earlier cars had the original thickly padded seats (the picture window cars bought for the Riverside line had plastic seats). Not sure when the A/C unit was added to the roof; perhaps quite recently. Unfortunately, the authoritative book published by the BSRA, "PCC Cars of Boston, 1937-1967", is long out of print and quite rare.
When the T retires these PCCs , I hope they send them to museums that will appreciate their historic place in transit history. Please don't send them to Seashore. There are already about a dozen old Boston cars rusting away and none are in service
I keep hearing that when the Type 10s are delivered, the Type 9s would be moved to the Mattapan Trolley to replace the PCCs. Hopefully these can continue to run for longer until their end.
enchanting railways do make up much of the T there! we once had a charming railway ourselves right up until that effing plandemic, but it's since been shuttered and scheduled to come back as merely robo shuttles come next December.
Great film, thanks. What's the Tracker app you're using please, would be great to follow the traffic flow, from the other side of the Atlantic, on slow days at work
That eBell and eHorn are just BAD. And they are bad even by the standards of synthesized sound. Why did they have to replace the perfectly functional real bell?
Should the MBTA consider sending their cars to a place like Brookville Equipment Corporation? [BTW, I am NOT shilling for them]. I have heard that there is a bridge on the line which possibly could not support the T's LRVs. Where is it?
The 2 PCC’s that were involved in the rearend crash are being strip for parts to keep the other PCC cars going the rear end of the PCC that rear end the other PCC is going to be used to repair the PCC that was hit by the other PCC The MBTA is going to replace the PCC ‘s with the Type - 9 LRV’s before this happens the overhead wire has to be replace the Mattapan loop needs to be replace the loop at Ashmont will be replace with a crossover be going into the station there Brookville Car Company has a contract with the MBTA for parts for the PCC cars I have two pictures of PCC # 3262 this was one of the accident car that rear end the other PCC I have one picture of it in the red white and blue colors in 1975 and another picture of it at Ashmont Station after it was transfer from the Arborway to Mattapan when the Arborway was shut down it was in it’s rebuilt colors with wings around it’s head light the MBTA will have two Type - 10 LRV’s from CAF Inc in the early 2024 for testing on the Green Line
What a rare opportunity for a rail fan with a camera! Thanks. I rode this line often as a kid, and never saw anything like that. In fact, for a time, they had two-ended ex-Dallas cars.
When the 2nd batch of PCC'S were delivered,they were MU equipped,and were run from Arborway,and Reservoir,on the Commonwealth,and Boylston lines! They did run in 3 car trains! See BSRA bulletins 23 & 25 for further information( that also includes track maps)! Thank you for the semi-current operations! BTW,the Mattapan- Ashmont line,was original a New Haven branch,as like the Riverside line,which was ex- New York Central/ Boston &Albany! Complicated histories,but interesting! Thank you! Thank you 😇 😊 !
I have seen an old map of the Boston Elevated Railway, the predecessor of today's MBTA. Before the High Speed Line was built, there was an older streetcar line between Ashmont and Mattapan that ran on the street on the other side of the river. So when they opened the new line, they called it the High Speed Line to distinguish it from the older streetcar line. Originally, there were no stops on the High Speed Line--it ran nonstop between Ashmont and Mattapan. It was high speed indeed!
I remember these "Buses with train wheels" when living in Boston. They are styled like the GM "Old Look Transit Buses from the early 1940s through 1958
Buses are styled after the.m PCCs started in 1936
A few years ago myself and a few other railfans were able to get a tour of the Brookville Facility in Pennsylvania. There was a MBTA PCC undergoing restoration at their shop. They didn't want us taking any photos, probably fearing that we would post them on Facebook. According to Brookville, the biggest problem was caused by salt getting into the gears of the trucks during the winter months. They were trying to come up with a sealed system to avoid this. Who knows, maybe they are doing things in house now like SEPTA in Philadelphia. If nothing else, it gives MBTA staff experience in the rebuilding process and they can keep control. In any event, I'm glad that they are keeping the cars running. I'd like to return during the fall and photograph these cars with colorful foliage in the background.
The high pitched squeaking noise is the brake travel. The smoking brakes from 3263 kinda formed a glue from the shoes to the wheels, preventing the car from moving.
Wow! Fascinating!
Cool! Glad to see them still running. I like how they still have the art deco ceiling lights.
Those first generation PCCs are cool (called A1, A2, A3s in Toronto). In 1968, the TTC sent one to Halton Railway Museum and most of the rest of to Alexandria Egypt in 1968. Kept the subsequent generation PCCs in use until 1995. Just two left for tours--some are in San Fran, some in Wisconsin, some sprinkled across museums. I miss them in regular service.
awwww! I miss incandescent lighting riding transit SO MUCH 🕯🕯🕯 50 years ago I spent time growing up beside a robustly busy and comprehensive Iberian inter-urban that linked the coast with the interior .. lots of models in singles or combined in deuces or even trios together 🍸🍷🍺
Loved this! Looking forward to episode 3!
Thanks! Me too!
3:16 I like that trolley sound
All that and Cannonball and Nat Adderley, too! I'd forgotten what a great drummer Louis Hayes was! Not forgotten, though, the literal years of my life spent riding these same PCCs -- not so much on the High Speed Line (though I did have friends in Dorchester who lived along the right-of-way) but more the Huntington Ave branch of the Green Line. I attended no fewer than three high schools along it, as well as two universities and held several jobs in the Back Bay afterwards and at one point probably could have identified each car by its individual characteristics. I was also a big fan of the run out to Watertown and back -- that final series of loops and whirls leading into the Watertown terminus was awesome!
Im glad you liked the music! And yea, the mattapan line sure is cool
Excellent series. However, the three-car array that you showed were all really modern build; not as they were some 80 years ago.
I wrote all those cars in the 1960s, when for example all side windows had frames which unabled passengers to open the windows, and that included the one in the back, although not the two rear windows.
PCC cars where were the very front windows the drivers used, could be opened out from the bottoms as vents for cool, fresh air.
But again, your series is excellent and I thank you!
Once again a great video, as someone who isn't from Boston this explained the line in a really good way!
Thank you! Im so glad you enjoyed snd found it helpful!!
0:40-0:50 Pennsylvania SEPTA: Am I a joke to you?
6:48 u made a whoopsie there lol. Its 3260
In my mind, I keep seeing that a more reasonable solution would be to gradually relegate the heavy rail to run only between Braintree and JFK/UMass and devote the entire JFK/UMass to Mattapan line to a complete light rail system. I admit it would be a daunting and costly task but on the more sensible side of things, Codman Yard could be completely repurposed for Light Rail operations thus relieving the issue of needing to expand operations in Mattapan. The bridges over Neponset River would probably need to be redone in time anyway so it would be better to nip that in the bud anyway. With a proper light rail system on that line, the need for loop tracks would be eradicated and trains could terminate at intermediate stations rather than a substitute bus service from start to finish. An added bonus would be that the transfer at Ashmont would be made obsolete and that it's a one seat ride to JFK/UMass.
The likelihood of this ever coming to fruition is non-existent but it still seems to make more sense trying to patch and keep aging equipment going at a constant pace.
I rode these trolleys in the early 60's when I attended Roslindale High. I lived in the Fields Corner area of Dorchester. Sometimes I would return home via the Orange and Red lines. Back then the equipment wasn't very old and breakdowns were very rare. I can't recall a single one. I went back to visit in 2018, my first time in Boston since the mid-1980s. On my first T ride, the red line train went exactly one stop and broken down. Sad to see the city in such decay. Boston and Dorchester used to be a great place in the 1950's. Before the trackless trolleys, wooden streetcars used to run the length of Dot Ave.
It’s nice to know they plan to keep them running for some more years. I am from Philadelphia and SEPTA our transit agency is rehabbing some old PCC trolleys to run on the Rt 15 line now operated with busses. They plan to restart trolley service this fall. By the way our suburban trolleys do also have horns but are not PCC cars.
Thats cool! Sucks that they were taken away at some point tho
3087 is my favorite Pcc to drive
Nice!
Those things used to run to Arborway they used to run them coupled
Great footage of this rare move! I think I remember seeing a select few photos of some transit agencies running two PCCs back to back, but never three! The background music in this video is a nice touch too. Also, do you happen to know if that MBTA tracker you showed includes work movements too, or if there's a version of it that does?
Thanks! About the tracker, there are no trackers open to the public that track work movements, unfortunatly
you've inspired me to take the Mattapan line... another Train I've chased by bike on the neponsit river trail. living in. hyde park has really peaked my interests in rails.. with all the close comuter rail lines and subway lines and that bridge dangling by a thread on river st potentially affecting the whole north east corridor it really makes you wonder
Im glad ive inspired you! Also, that bridge is CRAZY, gald theyre working on it
Amazon work!👍 PCC cars are a favorite of mine. I just discovered your channel and subscribed!😀
Im glad you enjoy!!
I took this line most days in high school for all 4 years, and I was on the trolley one day when the one in front of us broke down, but there was major confusion so most of us ended up walking to ashmont from cedar grove (in view of ashmont) which only took about 10 minutes
Three car trains were standard at rush hour on the Riverside line back in the 60s and 70s. Nice to see one again!
Minor quibble: The condition of the cars before the current rebuild isn't the same as 80 years ago. As late as the early 70s the earlier cars had the original thickly padded seats (the picture window cars bought for the Riverside line had plastic seats). Not sure when the A/C unit was added to the roof; perhaps quite recently.
Unfortunately, the authoritative book published by the BSRA, "PCC Cars of Boston, 1937-1967", is long out of print and quite rare.
Ive heard the PCCs will be replaced by the Type 9s when the Type 10s are delivered to the green line. Will be sad if that happens! : (
When the T retires these PCCs , I hope they send them to museums that will appreciate their historic place in transit history. Please don't send them to Seashore. There are already about a dozen old Boston cars rusting away and none are in service
I keep hearing that when the Type 10s are delivered, the Type 9s would be moved to the Mattapan Trolley to replace the PCCs. Hopefully these can continue to run for longer until their end.
Ive heard that too! Interesting, tight?
I feel like the Type 7 or Type 8 would be more suitable given they are shorter, and in the case of the Type 8, they aren't that old
They should upgrade the line to have a fleet of the Kawasaki K-Cars (double ended).
Old school at work
2:51 why does it look like a brand new trolley type though
enchanting railways do make up much of the T there! we once had a charming railway ourselves right up until that effing plandemic, but it's since been shuttered and scheduled to come back as merely robo shuttles come next December.
Bat Bus ❤🎉 & does the trolley have a tow truck
Great film, thanks. What's the Tracker app you're using please, would be great to follow the traffic flow, from the other side of the Atlantic, on slow days at work
I use the pantograph app and the transit app! Great apps!
@BostonByRails thanks, I'll check those out
Like 10 beautiful video, greetings 🚋👍👋
That eBell and eHorn are just BAD. And they are bad even by the standards of synthesized sound. Why did they have to replace the perfectly functional real bell?
I agree! I have no clue, im sure it sounds much easier than it actually is (keeping the old bell)
Awesome!
What is that train tracker you used at the beginning
The pantograph app and the transit app (2 different apps)
What's the stop sign there for? 5:41
Should the MBTA consider sending their cars to a place like Brookville Equipment Corporation? [BTW, I am NOT shilling for them]. I have heard that there is a bridge on the line which possibly could not support the T's LRVs. Where is it?
Do you think in 1 or 2 decades later that the red line will go to mattapan
Not sure, i think that wouldnt be the replacement they do, cus of all the grade differences
they are about to replace it with goofy ass green line type 8s :(
You broke your promise you’re not making episode3
What app are you using at 1:46
Pantograph
Front of German DUWAG Trams during the 1960s looked very similar: ua-cam.com/video/ky61PWAx_9g/v-deo.html
The 2 PCC’s that were involved in the rearend crash are being strip for parts to keep the other PCC cars going the rear end of the PCC that rear end the other PCC is going to be used to repair the PCC that was hit by the other PCC The MBTA is going to replace the PCC ‘s with the Type - 9 LRV’s before this happens the overhead wire has to be replace the Mattapan loop needs to be replace the loop at Ashmont will be replace with a crossover be going into the station there Brookville Car Company has a contract with the MBTA for parts for the PCC cars I have two pictures of PCC # 3262 this was one of the accident car that rear end the other PCC I have one picture of it in the red white and blue colors in 1975 and another picture of it at Ashmont Station after it was transfer from the Arborway to Mattapan when the Arborway was shut down it was in it’s rebuilt colors with wings around it’s head light the MBTA will have two Type - 10 LRV’s from CAF Inc in the early 2024 for testing on the Green Line
Very interesting!
Hopefully, the PCCs will be retired to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine.