I currently live in Mattapan for the past 50 years and rode the trolley into Boston for work for years. Love it. As a child I rode the trolley to Mattapan to get the bus to Houghtons Pond. At that time the trolleys were green and had windows you could open when it was hot and you could also change the seats from 2 to 4.
This was cool. Thanks for sharing. I’m from New Hampshire - but grew up in JP and rode the Green Line from Arborway down South Street and Center Street as a kid. That ended in 1985. This past spring, I took a trip down to Mattapan and rode the high speed line for the first time as a 43 year old. It definitely nurtured my inner child. Definitely do another video - and maybe talk to one of the operators. I’m sure it’s different for them than driving the modern trains of other lines. Well done!
It's been over 50 years since I've ridden the Mattapan-Ashmont line as a kid. I grew to love PCCs so much so that they are alive on my model railroad! I hope Boston keeps them going. Nice video - thanks for the memories.
It's funny you mention the 28 bus. If we ever get the Blue Hill Ave center-median BRT, then maybe they could throw down some rails and merge routes with the Mattapan Line.
Woah, 3087 is the oldest continuously operating PCC in the US? That's so cool!!! When I rode the Mattapan Line, I was lucky enough to get that car, and now I'm really glad I did! :) This video is really well done, by the way!!
I'm delighted that the MBTA has decided to rebuild the PCCs :) And you should totally make a second episode - I'd love to see more about the history of the cars and the stops!
I found one of your videos last night - - and this this morning. Retired senior old fart. You are making me want to ride the rails AGAIN from end to end, like I did when I FIRST came to Boston (by motor canoe from Mississippi) in 1980 for Tall Ships. Thanks - - you do excellent work. My OTHER favorite train-guy is called DISTANT SIGNALS - - he gives excellent, interesting, informative videos of trains mostly in Florida and S. Georgia. May GOD bless you and your family. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much! Im so glad you enjoy my videos! I look up to distant signal alot, so im glad I can provide similar content! Happy 4th, and have a wonderful day!
Great video. I like streetcars and trolleys and trams. Are you going to make more videos like this? Do you see freight trains in these towns Mattapan and Ashmont? If yes Do the freight trains have cabooses? I like to see the cabooses.
EXCELLENT!! I thought I knew the history but was not correct. So thank you. And also thank you for using music reminiscent of the great Foster Palmer. That added a lot to the documentary. Only criticism: No closed captioning.
I grew up ridi g the PCC cars on the Riverside line(before there were colors or letters!) My favorite actually was 3019, one of the few to try out the grey with yellow doors livery. 3019 is currently living in retirement at the Seashore Tolley Museum in Maine
I'm not sure if things have changed but the PCC rebuild is a temporary option. On the MBTA projects website they say they want to rebuild the Mattapan line to modern standards and use the type 9 LRVs once the supercars arrive. The cars are literally crumbling and the rebuild is just to get them to last for their final decade of service
1:59 Not much smooth sailing indeed especially with that nasty collision from awhile back. Riding into Mattapan, I saw the cut off rear of one of them just sitting alone at the edge of the yard.
I grew up on those Trolleys. I lived right by Central Ave and any time I would go into Boston I would take the Trolley into Ashmont. I would honestly hate to see them go.
You have earned the highest honor I can give. A like and a subscription. Your videos are very informative. I plan on applying for a job with the MBTA. Not as a bus or train car driver but as an associate or cleaning associate. I really like public transportation(despite its many flaws) and hope to use it more in the future.
Once the Green Line's fleet of type 7 & type 8 get replaced by the new Type 9 (which are already in service) & Type 10 (which are currently in the planning/design phase), my theory is that the Type 7 & Type 8 cars will be transferred to the Mattapan Line to increase it's fleet of old & unique trolleys, and extend their life span serving the MBTA. Though, the tracks themselves will have to be reinforced or replaced to accommodate the weight of the type 7 & type 8 since they were claimed to be heavier than the trolleys used for the Mattapan line.
The type 10s will replace the type 7s and type 8s. The type 9s were for fleet expansion for GLX. What will actually happen is that the Type 9s will transfer to Mattapan to replace the PCCs once the type 10s come.
So what ur saying is that the Type 7s & Type 8s are just FUCKED once the Type 10 enters service? No send-off ceremony? no donations to Trolley museums? Just retire & straight to the scrapyard? Just fan-FREAKING-tastic.
@@captainfordo3978 Maybe they will be some Type 7s donated, I don't know about type 8s because they (in my perspective) are not as nostagic. Otherwise yes.
I wonder if MBTA can just do the SEPTA Philly Eagles Treatment on the PCC is by sending them to Brookville Corporation then rebuilding them to Modern Standards with AC units on the roof like a Type 8 Trolley seen on E Branch March 2022-September 2022 Union Square to Heath St via Northeastern University
I'm from Philadelphia, remember the PCCs REAL well, id say keep them, maybe augment them w/P9s...OR get new cars, just keep the rails & electrical the same, i see its welded rail, so it's all good there, as far as the electrical, would it be THAT much of a hassle to stay with the same specs as the PPCs???
You know they could set 3087 aside as a Heritage car since it is the oldest continually operating one of its kind or they could at least donate it when it's retired, bear in mind these are just ideas but I hope someone sees them and takes them seriously
Supposedly (as reported at Boston Street Railway Association Current Events) the front end of PCC #3260 will be spliced onto the rear end of PCC #3262 (the other ends of each being wrecked beyond repair) to get one good car. Not sure what this is going to mean in terms of number of rebuild kits (supplied by Brookville Equipment Company). Another problem with using Type 9s to replace the PCCs is that the Type 9s are really unreliable, and might eat more maintenance cost than the PCCs.
So, at the moment, i have lots of other railroad related projects that are taking priority, but an episode 2 has definatly been on my mind, im just not sure what it would be about!
@@BostonByRails Ok, you mentioned at the end of part 1 that part 2 would be about the history of the stations on the trolley line. So, I thought that I would bring it up. Either way, I'm looking forward to it!
Rebuilding the PCC cars is the only good decision the MBTA has ever made. I’m horrified every time I see old reliable equipment replaced by new junk. I’m frankly shocked to hear this decision as it seems to actually make sense!
IMO, if the MBTA would have to strength the bridges & replace the electrification of the line for new LRVs anyway, I think it would make more sense to install a third rail and extend the Ashmont branch of the Red Line and make it a proper part of that branch. That way, riders wouldn’t have to transfer and would have a one-seat trip into downtown.
@@BostonByRails It might not be strictly necessary to eliminate these road crossings. IIRC, there are level crossings on parts of the Chicago 'L' so a Rapid Transit line can be run even if there are grade crossings as long as the trains get 100% priority over the road traffic. Just looking at GMaps, Capen St & Central Ave don't look like major throughfares so the MBTA could likely get away with using gates to create a temporary ROW across the roadway, using the trains length and momentum to bridge the gap in the third rail power
I want this line to be a modern light rail, with modern standards. The only problem with that is if they lose the relic of the PCC streetcars. (I get there are other problems) I hope that doesn’t make too many people unhappy. On the plus side though, it wouldn’t be converted to a bus
Then look into the Tig-M. They are made in LA. They are electric trolleys that run themselves, no need for overhead wires or a third rail. Santa Cruz County, California, demo-ed one last fall. A few thousand took it. Unlike this line, we have a single track, and plans are to have a rail and trail together, which is what the Mattapan line is, a rail and trail that is parallel to it. I took this trolley a few weeks back when I visited the Boston area. I loved it!
When the High Speed line open up in 1927 the cars were used for it was the Type - 4 cars then the Type - 4 cars with the Center Entrance trailer cars then the Type - 5 cars then in 1946 some of the All Electric PCC cars were used to replace some of the Type- 5 cars in 1959 the MTA rebuild the Dallas double end PCC cars and send them to the High Speed line to replace the All Electric PCC cars to be rebuild to mu cars for the Arborway line the Dallas cars were rebuild as single end cars in the 1980’s when the Boeing LRV cars started running between Northeast University the best of the Dallas cars were ship to the High Speed line to help out the other Dallas cars when the Arborway line shut down to be rebuild the MBTA send over the Picture Window PCC cars to replace the Dallas cars when I was working for the MBTA there were talks about send LRV # 3400 and # 3402 to be tested on the High Speed Line these were the only LRV ‘s with trolley poles on them the people from the Mattapan area did not wanted the Boeing LRV cars on the High Speed line so the MBTA voted to send the rebuild PCC cars to the High Speed line to replace the Picture Window cars that move did not happen until the first 50 Type - 7 LRV were tested on the Green Line now what you see is what you get the MBTA got a contract with Brookville Car Company for parts for the PCC cars on the High Speed line this is why the PCC cars have lasted so long now M of W cars for the M - Line there was 2 Type - 3 snow plows to keep the line clear of snow I remember that the MBTA lease a snow brush car from the Seashoe Trolley Museum it was an X - Eastern Mass Street Railway snow brush car which in the 1940’s it was sold to TTC of Canada the MBTA Blue Line work train # 0575 and # 0579 would be use on the High Speed line for rail work this work train had trolley poles on it when the SOAC train came to be tested on the Red Line it was delivered by PC RR on to a spur track that was connected to the M - Line from there the Type - 3 snow plow push it the the spur track that was connected at the Red Line where a four car of the # 01400 series towed it to the Harvard shops the PCC cars were towed by a four car train from Ashmont to the Harvard shops at night time when the Cabot shops were open the PCC cars were towed there to be work on
I love the PCCs as much as any other train foamer, but the Mattapan Line should be upgraded to an LRT. It's not ADA friendly nor accessible and they are wicked old and as equipment ages, the ability to obtain spare parts gets harder and more costly. It may be better to retrofit the Mattapan carhouse to fit Type 7s and 8s as we expect the Type 10s. And what of the streetcars? This may sound a bit silly and stupid, but perhaps do the reverse of Option One to comvert the streetcars to use pantographs to match the Type 7s and 8s and be used for special weekend services rather than weekday services.
It was called the "Hi-Speed" line because it has less stops by a street car not being on the street. The MBTA should not get rid of these trolleys and invest money in ensuring proper maintenance is never missed or compromised. One of the reasons the current fleet has struggled with reliability is because the MBTA put down concrete ties on this line instead of wood ties which has resulted in numerous mechanic failures. The MBTA had known about this for over 20 years and has done very little to resolve this problem. More people need to address this issue to the MBTA to fix this problem as soon as possible.
