Where were you on December 22nd 1985?

[aline1969]

Continuing the theme of the Washington St El thread, where were you on December 22nd 1987 when the MBTA E line through Jamaica Plain was closed?

I'll kick things off -- I was a tiny child, living in England... completely unaware of Boston or the T, and possibly even trains.

Do you mean Dec 22nd 1985 or Dec 22nd 1987? lol.

I only rode the El once, grew up in Roslindale.. but we drove most of the time and shopped in West Roxbury/Needham and really never went into Boston, atleast not via Forest Hills. When we went to Red Sox games, we drove from Roslindale to Newton and took the D line, so I know I rode PCC cars.

[-Garrett]

There was no reason to suspect that the termination was perm. I was in Brighton when this happened... I should have known, since I lived just a few feet from the A-Line, which the MBTA was also claiming to re-open at some point.

[MTD]

I was a freshman at Brookline High School on 12/22/1985, so I was within the area of Huntington Avenue. However, I was unaware back that the E Branch would stop going all the way to the Arborway. Even if I knew, I couldn't have rode that branch anyways because [1] I didn't have much money for T fare and [2] was also concerned that the Arborway/Forest Hills area was not a safe place to be. Before thinking of criticizing me here, remember that I was a teen and had other problems to deal with than riding a Green Line route that the T used to go to!

[CircusFreakGRITZ]

I was not yet conceived, and thus completely unaware of anything at all.

I wish I could have seen the A line, the full E line, and the Main Line El! And everything else from Railroad Past.

Neither was I, and I wish I could have seen those three things as well also. I tried going back in time on Google Earth but 1) it's grainy and 2) it's not the same.

[3rdrail]

I was into my third year as a Boston Police Officer and I had previously practically lived on the Arborway trolley all while growing up. My second and third year of high school (1967-69) was in town, so I regularly commuted from the Arborway to Copley and back again once per day. My favorite variety of car to get was a Dallas double-ended "Texas Ranger". Back then, the motorman would let you sit in the opposite motorman's seat on the rear of the car. With the exception of the direction that you were going, it felt like operation and was a real thrill to be there while street or subway running. Entering the Huntington Ave. Subway on the wooden trestle of the Northeastern Portal was like being on a carnival thrill ride ! After I graduated high school, I entered Northeastern University, majoring in Criminal Justice (1969), where I went to school days, and became a Police Cadet, working nights full-time, with the Boston Police Department (1970), working the emergency telephones up in the "Turrett". As Police Headquarters was then at 154 Berkeley St. Back Bay, it meant that there were days that I would be on the Arborway trolley four times when there was a break between school and work. My shift got over at midnight and down into Arlington Station I would go for the ride home. Arlington was a lonely place. As I didn't get a car until relatively late (age 19 in 1971), the Arborway trolley was my primary transportation during those years from age 16 through 19. As I commuted to school, it even got me home after my attendance at "frat parties" (I was surprised when my son entered NU that I guess that they don't have those anymore.) Even after I got my '66 Bel Air, I would still use the Arborway line to get into town occasionally, although it was then more common for me to be on the El. The last period for the line was run with All-Electrics, a dependable PCC, and I have always thought that they were Boston's most attractive PCCs with their orange stripes above the side passenger windows and rakishly curved and angled windshields. I'll always remember those rides, I think especially the post-midnight ones in the wee hours after a long day and night of school and work, as it was almost like "my" streetcar. After around Heath St., the car emptied out pretty much at that time of night, as you had exited the hospital and college area and were entering a largely residential area. There were many nights that I had the whole car to myself.

[3rdrail]

I think that this is your "yellow PCC car", Rob. Arborway, 1976, gearing up for a storm.

[Adams_Umass_Boston]

Thanks Paul,
Yep that's the one.

Bumble Bee.
Do you know how long it lasted with the T?

[3rdrail]

No, I don't. I think that the only time that I ever saw that was that day. If that was kept at the Arborway, it was well hidden. I wonder if it might have been at Mattapan primarily ? The Pan ran with Texas Rangers exclusively for quite a while.

[ck4049]

Ive seen lots of photos of it stored at Watertown Carhouse, and a few at Reservoir!

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

There's a ton of photos of 3326 at Arborway Yard dating from the mid-70's to 1983-ish, so it was probably permanently assigned out there. It was then moved to Watertown where it lived out its remaining years. I believe it went out-of-service at some point since 3332 (green-painted with yellow stripe) was the last active sand car. Here's a 1992 photo of 3326 next to LRV 3536 in the Watertown scrap line. 3536 was officially scrapped out there that year; I don't know when 3326 met its maker. Some of the derelict PCC's and work cars remained on the Watertown property after the line was cut in 1994; took them a few years to dispose of them all.

http://imagestorage.nerail.org/photos/2 ... 810201.jpg

[3rdrail]

NE Transit has it going to "Vintage Electric" at an unknown date. I've never heard of Vintage Electric. A Google finds an electrical contractor in Florida by that name. (???) Here's another Arborway Streetcar Line on their private ROW at Forest Hills. 1977.

[Adams_Umass_Boston]

Does anyone remember a thread quite a while back where Sery had a picture of a Yellow PCC that was with a bunch of other PCC's in the woods. I think it was in PA. I tried using my reference skills to search for that old thread but no luck.

[Adams_Umass_Boston]

Answering my own question.

I found the original thread about another Yellow PCC.
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 65&t=66392

But the interesting thing is that we did find out who Vintage Electric was.

Here is their roster and # 3326 is still listed with them. So it may still be with us after all an not scrapped.
http://www.bera.org/cgi-bin/pnaerc-quer ... %20Company

[danib62]

As I commuted to school, it even got me home after my attendance at "frat parties" (I was surprised when my son entered NU that I guess that they don't have those anymore.)

That's only what he wants you to think!

[3rdrail]

Yeah. I'm smarter than that. I asked the Dean in charge of fraternities myself at Open House. All that I'll say is thank God for the Arborway trolley and the fact that I didn't have my car back then. Now the Arbeiter Club at the site of the Amory St. Carhouse was post wheels...and I have different memories for that one.