Ashmont-Mattapan "High Speed" line history

The concrete ties and welded rail date to at least 1993, and perhaps 1981 (the last two times track work was done on the line).

After planning a trip to shoot this forever today I finally got the chance to shoot the Mattapan to Ashmont operation. Here is a shot from Milton Street taken this afternoon - http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=25074 - Thurs. is looking to be sunny so I'll hopefully be back overthere then.

Justin Franz

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 729&nseq=0 - My bad, here is the direct link.

Justin

Excellent photo! The caption should be fixed, since Milton is a seperate town while South Boston is a district within the city and far from Milton. A minor point is that the Elevated and MTA did not have local rights in Milton. The High Speed Line was the only service offered until the Eastern Mass was bought out in 1968. A similar situation existed in Newton, where the Watertown Line was the only service offered until the Riverside Line opened in 1959. In that city the Middlesex and Boston owned the rights but had allowed the Watertown Line to operate because of the connections offered at Newton Corner.

Thanks, correction has been made.
Justin

Here is another one from Tues on the Ashmont-Mattpan High Speed. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 807&nseq=2

Quick question, what's the deal with the PCC along the Green Line, belive it's near Boylston Sta.

Justin Franz

Well set up shot from "Beyond the Graves".

PCC 3295 was built in 1951 by Pullman Standard and led the opening trip on the Riverside line on July 4, 1959. It was restored by members of the Carmen's Union Local 589 during 1979 in honor of the 20th Anniversary of that opening. Car 5734 was brought back at the same time for the 20th Anniversary of its retirement. It was built in 1924 by J. G. Brill and is owned by the Seashore Trolley Museum. Both cars were operated on fantrips until 1985 and were kept at Watertown Carhouse until the tracks leading there were legislated out of existence in 1994. Since then they have been "Stuffed and Mounted" at Boylston Station. Seashore accepts this storage as it is better than the best of its carbarns in Maine could offer, and prevents the car from deteriorating.

Could these cars operate on Mattapan-Ashmont?

Yes, but the 3295 would be subject to vandalism and the 5734 would require about $300k worth of steelwork, so for now they are better off where they are.

By the way:

Triple Golden Anniversary coming 1n 2009!

50th Anniversary of the Last Type 5 operation.
50th Anniversary of the opening of the Riverside Line
50th Anniversary of the founding of the BSRA

and

70th Anniversary of the Founding of the Seashore Trolley Museum
80th Anniversary of the completion of the Mattapan-Ashmont Line