B&M Eastern Route Quad Tracking & Harbor Tunnel

I’ve heard of plans to quad track the Eastern Route from Boston-Beverly. I’ve found only really a couple articles but recently found this (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... Boston.png), which seems to show it running along the Chelsea Beach Branch and having a station in East Boston. Is there any first hand information or more documents that mention the plans for electrification and the tunnel, possibly with additional pictures?

That map is more than 100 years old and not relevant to any current plans with the Eastern Route. And the part of the ROW proposed in the map for an East Boston service is already taken by the East Boston Greenway.

I should’ve clarified, I do know that it’s old, I was just curious if there is more information available.

Around the turn of the last century (i.e., 1900-1910 or so) there was a lot of discussion about possibly electrifying the various commuter rail lines of the New Haven, B&M, & B&A lines into Boston and connecting the lines on the south side of the city with the ones on the north side. (Not a lot has changed in 100+ years...)

Probably the most in-depth coverage of both the advantages/disadvantages and costs involved can be found in a writeup of a discussion held by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers on March 15, 1911. Here's a link to the paper: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jo ... frontcover

When South Station was built, wasn't the lower-level loop designed with the idea that the suburban lines would be electrified, and when that didn't happen the ("future-proof") loop tracks were unusable?

Correct.

With regard to the tunnel, it was proposed by the New Haven, on condition that the state let them purchase the B&M. (State railroad law at the time prohibited ownership of MA-based rail lines by companies not based in Massachusetts.) There was actually legislation introduced by the Governor at the time to allow this, but it failed to pass in the statehouse.

A related question just occurred to me: was it contemplated that the B&A would also be electrified and have access to the lower level?

The elevated Lynn station (built 1909-1913) is a remnant of the proposed expansion.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 9:44 pm A related question just occurred to me: was it contemplated that the B&A would also be electrified and have access to the lower level?

That was part of the discussion, and the tracks were connected to allow for it, although the New Haven was more aggressive along those lines - they had tested an early third-rail setup on the Nantasket Beach branch using what looked like overgrown open streetcars with a center third rail (think 1:1 scale Lionel) in the 1890's.

Complete with streetcar-type gong -- thanks for the info. Had they gotten as far as considering how far the B&A electrification would go?

The B&A completed their grade separation, station replacement construction, purchase of the Highland Branch & connection with their main line, purchase of the Grand Junction, balked on requirement to grade separate the Grand Junction. They did in fact electrify their short Lower Falls Branch. In 1899 they leased the railroad to the New York Central so I assume decision making shifted after that point.

Another document you might find interesting (in terms of both what was planned/suggested and how long many of the same issues have been coming up) would be the 1909 report issued by the Massachusetts Metropolitan Improvements Commission (https://archive.org/details/publicimprovemen00mass), which recommended (among other things) connecting an extension of the BRB&L (today's Blue Line) with the Boston Elevated Railway's route to Cambridge (today's Red Line) as well as connecting North & South stations... In addition to the discussions about how the projects would be funded and estimated costs, there are also some good maps of both the existing systems at the time as well as what was being proposed.

People keep talking and planning, but it never seems to actually get done.

Very interesting, thank you.

BandA wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 12:40 am The B&A completed their grade separation, station replacement construction, purchase of the Highland Branch & connection with their main line, purchase of the Grand Junction, balked on requirement to grade separate the Grand Junction. They did in fact electrify their short Lower Falls Branch. In 1899 they leased the railroad to the New York Central so I assume decision making shifted after that point.

My late mother, who grew up in Wellesley, told me that when she was a child in the 1930s, the Lower Falls Branch was steam-operated, and she could hear the chug! chug! chug! of the engines. She was born in 1924, so I'm guessing the electrification couldn't have lasted much past 1930.