Quiz...

Answers to questions 3&5.

3. The era is the 60's
5. I want to say 90 pound stick rail.

Is there bonus points if you can name what elevated line this was?

This is looking southbound from Tower D, at the intersection between the Atlantic Avenue El on the left, the Washington Street El ahead, and the downtown tunnels on the right. The train will stop next at Essex station. I believe this is an early photo from when the El still ran into the Tremont Street Subway, so 1901-1908.

As for Wanda, does she work at Dudley? Forest Hills is still a few years away.

(1) I agree with Eggy that it is Tower D (Castle Sq).

(2) I think the next stop will be Dover St.

(3) Again I agree with Eggy since the Washington St Subway opened in 1908, so that puts in 1901 to 1908.

(4) Dudley is the last stop and they should make it there.

(5) I am going to say it was 100 pound rail.

JoeD

Good answers to a not that easy Quiz- and fast too ! Joe you're the winner ! Yay !!! This one was a little trickey in that you had to know the time span of BERy developments (Forest Hills Extension, Tremont St. Subway running, Atlantic Ave. Division, etc.) to figure out certain questions. I would have accepted all the answers to #5 as I'm using 85 lb. rail as a watermark in my head only because that's what I found as a small kid under the El by the Forest Hills Shops (Wash/Walk Hill) a cast off from some ancient job. I'm sure that various sized rail was used and who's to say that due to their proximity, that the 8" of rail couldn't have been from the New Haven's Main Line...or another section of transit ROW ? Excellent ! Makes me feel good that something educational is going on Huntington Ave. and not just the college weekend frat parties that I was forced to attend and participate in beer analyzing and coed panty softness and sanitation standards inspection !

3rdrail wrote:sanitation standards inspection !

Oh, crap is that scheduled this weekend!

JoeD

(Personal Rant!) Hey, you young kids, age not a requirement, get out there and take a shot at the quizzes. Everyone needs to get more involved!

dieciduej wrote:

3rdrail wrote:sanitation standards inspection !

Oh, crap is that scheduled this weekend!

JoeD

(Personal Rant!) Hey, you young kids, age not a requirement, get out there and take a shot at the quizzes. Everyone needs to get more involved!

Yes. Northeastern is forcing me in order to pay off my student loans ! By the way, the sentence above is an excellent suggestion and one that I wholeheartedly agree on kids - get involved, take a guess on a Quiz. If you know nothing about anything, you can still win with a little back-up documentation. If you know some stuff, you may be able to figure it out. You have probably seen my style long enough by now to know that I help you along with clues if I see that a group is struggling. Leo S, Gerry O, and Joe D don't get the clues that you might get if you're a newbie ! C'mon, it's fun and designed to get you learning about a fascinating aspect of Boston's history at the same time. You'll see, take a few Quizzes and before you know it, you'll be swearing at us with a stogey in your mouth telling us that Charlie got on at Kendall Station not Scollay !

I'm only 17, is that young enough to guess on these quizzes? Of course my two guesses were way off.

Mbta fan wrote:I'm only 17, is that young enough to guess on these quizzes?

MBTA Fan - Some of us here were at your level of understanding...and never moved on. Some of us did. Just keep truckin' my friend. Keep truckin', readin', and Quizn', in other words participatn' because that's how you learn. Some of it is learned and some just picked up by osmosis. For example, your answers regarding the 60's would immediately send off bells and sirens in many here only because something is different in the photo than what we would expect to see in a photo from the 60's. On your own, can you see the three items that stick right out at you that tell you that this is definitely not the 60's ? Well, it's the double junction which didn't exist on the Main Line then, early cars which were way extinct by then (they were running 01100's !), and the lack of vacant lots on the street (In the 60's, the B.R.A. was knocking anything they could down like a drunken sailor in a china shop !) Carry on, buddy, you're doing a great job, and you're already half way there. (You already know more about the El than most of the male population of Boston !)

Rest in peace Paul. You are missed by all in the mbta forum.

This thread is now retired and will be here for reference. This was Paul's baby and it will not be the same without him. In the future we can start a new Quiz thread.