Pardon, Your Steel Is Showing: Visible Trolley Lines

Not a visible example, per say, but I recently encountered extant buried trolley rails in Central Square, Cambridge when doing design work for a road reconstruction project. We weren't expecting them and had to amend the design to accommodate their removal.

It's amazing how much of that infrastructure was just paved over.

Tracer wrote:I noticed some rail in the parking lot of the spring street cafe in West Roxbury.

And it's visible on Google maps sat view!
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2713809 ... a=!3m1!1e3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

deathtopumpkins wrote:Not a visible example, per say, but I recently encountered extant buried trolley rails in Central Square, Cambridge when doing design work for a road reconstruction project. We weren't expecting them and had to amend the design to accommodate their removal.

It's amazing how much of that infrastructure was just paved over.

Do the towns/cities usually keep any records of the rails, or is it just a surprise discovery? Or somewhere in-between, which is what I reckon is the case.

YamaOfParadise wrote:

deathtopumpkins wrote:Not a visible example, per say, but I recently encountered extant buried trolley rails in Central Square, Cambridge when doing design work for a road reconstruction project. We weren't expecting them and had to amend the design to accommodate their removal.

It's amazing how much of that infrastructure was just paved over.

Do the towns/cities usually keep any records of the rails, or is it just a surprise discovery? Or somewhere in-between, which is what I reckon is the case.

The city "didn't know" if they were still there or not, and paid for what amounts to an ultrasound to determine the extent of them. I'd imagine that records of something like that easily get lost over the years.

When they were doing some utility work on Essex street in Salem MA a couple years back I saw what appeared to be rail crossing over the the hole they dug. This was in the area of Essex Street just before The Y's parking lot.

Would there have been Trolly lines in Salem on Essex Street in this area at one point in time?

yes there were multiple lines, including Essex street. I have seen trolley lines buried on Essex Street further down toward the Willows end...by Ziggys. I have also seen track going from Essex Street curving over toward the common. There was a trolley barn on Mason Street, which was later used for buses. The building is still there...about across from the park on the left. It is a brick building. It was expanded after the buses left.

Great info

Is any of that steel still visible down towards willows end? Will have to look for it when I'm out and a bout when it's warmer.

Also found this write up with a couple pictures that shows street cars on Essex Street

http://lostnewengland.com/2019/01/essex ... alem-mass/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Until recently a portion of the Portsmouth Electric RY Deer street spur was visible in Portsmouth NH if you knew where to look. Construction of the new parking garage obliterated it.

During some street work in 2017 trolley tracks were exposed at the intersection of Stevens Avenue and Hartley Street in Portland almost directly in front of Roy's Shoe Shop. At least one of the rails had to be cut through in order for the work to be completed.

According to a recent Facebook post on a local group, this is the remaining chimney of the Great Woods streetcar stop in Lynn.

It appears to be the right spot, so I have no reason to doubt the claim.

Interesting.

Was there a building there at one point in time. Odd that only the Çhimney remains. Was there a fire?

Also noticed there are power lines running through there. Do they have any relationship to the ROW?

Intersection of Oxford Street and Pearl Street in Portland has several feet of tracks showing. Pretty sure this was trolley but not 100%. Any chance this is old Maine Central?

gokeefe wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 2:09 pm Intersection of Oxford Street and Pearl Street in Portland has several feet of tracks showing. Pretty sure this was trolley but not 100%. Any chance this is old Maine Central?

That's trolley, for sure. The old topo maps don't show the Grand Trunk or Maine Central/Portland Terminal anywhere near there.

Ridgefielder wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 3:49 pm

gokeefe wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2019 2:09 pm Intersection of Oxford Street and Pearl Street in Portland has several feet of tracks showing. Pretty sure this was trolley but not 100%. Any chance this is old Maine Central?

That's trolley, for sure. The old topo maps don't show the Grand Trunk or Maine Central/Portland Terminal anywhere near there.

Aaaaaactually, I'm pretty sure that's an old industrial spur off of the old Union Branch.
Pretty sure I remember it being either active or recently abandoned when I lived there in '88-'90.

Here are the tracks in question, which run along Oxford. There was a streetcar track on Oxford - mostly non-revenue.

I believe the sput that Cosmo is think of is on Kennebec Street and is also still visible.