Remembering the Boeings

As suggested by F-Line, I'm interested in starting.

I was a student at Wentworth Institute about 40 years ago. I have never forgotten the afternoon I was descending the stairs at Kenmore Station, and heard what sounded like a truck horn in the tunnel. Wow, could it be? I hustled down the stairs in time to watch a Boeing roll into the station, with destination X INSTRUCTION CAR! Yowzah!

After that, I became a Boeing snob, letting PCC's pass by, waiting for the new thing!

I had already once gone out to Riverside, wading in snow to get photographs of the new cars for the NATTA's Trolley Coach News. (Whatever happened to the NATTA?)

John, if you approve, please add in anything re: Boeing that you think appropriate.

And thank you, F-Line, for getting me off my butt!

Riding PCCs in hot weather, I either stood under a ceiling fan or walked back to the rear where I could slide one of the side windows open and catch a breeze. The LRV A/C was a change (when it was working right); I'd either ride in the articulation joint or up front where I could look over the motorman's shoulder. But the original factory doors...

I liked them too. They sure were beat at the end though. Real rough.

I posted this in the other thread, but will add it here too. Its a vintage ad for the Boeings.

jbvb wrote:Riding PCCs in hot weather, I either stood under a ceiling fan or walked back to the rear where I could slide one of the side windows open and catch a breeze. The LRV A/C was a change (when it was working right); I'd either ride in the articulation joint or up front where I could look over the motorman's shoulder. But the original factory doors...

I made a habit for quite some time of riding in the articulation joint (I believe I recall there were hand rails there).

Yeah, those original doors. An insane number of parts, and frequent problems. The LRV's were new back then, and shiny, but, oh dear.....

I didn't move to Boston until '96 when the rebuild program was almost complete, so I never rode a plug-door set until I visited San Fran. Usually avoided them like the plague EXCEPT on the D. Back when the speed limit was still 50 MPH I'd seek out the Boeings because they rode smooth as silk at full throttle while the top-heavy Type 7's had that notorious issue with lateral sway. I've seen standees get thrown around like ragdolls in Kinkis, and the effect was much more violent in the days before all the speed restrictions to 7-8 consists put an artificial damp on the problem. Boeings, right to the very end, rode like they were born to rocket along at that speed.

BigUglyCat wrote:...I was a student at Wentworth Institute about 40 years ago. I have never forgotten the afternoon I was descending the stairs at Kenmore Station, and heard what sounded like a truck horn in the tunnel. Wow, could it be? I hustled down the stairs in time to watch a Boeing roll into the station, with destination...

I used to go to Boston at least every year/every other year as a child from the early 90's through the early 00's and I remember seeing and riding the Boeings from Kenmore (I think?) to Gov't Center and other destinations. We used to stay at the Howard Johnson's behind Fenway and walk to Kenmore to catch the Green Line. The last time I rode the T was on a Type 7 from Lechmere when the viaduct was still in operation. We stayed at a hotel right on the river where I could look out and see Red Line trains cross the bridge and Green Line trains on the viaduct.

What I don't remember is the Boeings having a horn. I remember Green Line trains using a bell, but I could be mixing that up with a memory of a Type 7.

NaugyRR wrote:

BigUglyCat wrote:...I was a student at Wentworth Institute about 40 years ago. I have never forgotten the afternoon I was descending the stairs at Kenmore Station, and heard what sounded like a truck horn in the tunnel. Wow, could it be? I hustled down the stairs in time to watch a Boeing roll into the station, with destination...

I used to go to Boston at least every year/every other year as a child from the early 90's through the early 00's and I remember seeing and riding the Boeings from Kenmore (I think?) to Gov't Center and other destinations. We used to stay at the Howard Johnson's behind Fenway and walk to Kenmore to catch the Green Line. The last time I rode the T was on a Type 7 from Lechmere when the viaduct was still in operation. We stayed at a hotel right on the river where I could look out and see Red Line trains cross the bridge and Green Line trains on the viaduct.

What I don't remember is the Boeings having a horn. I remember Green Line trains using a bell, but I could be mixing that up with a memory of a Type 7.

They had a horn...no noticeable difference from the Type 7 horn to the untrained ear.

I didn't know they had a horn either, haha. Like I said, I remember the bells, but this is all over ten years ago and I haven't been to Boston since, so my memory's a little fuzzy.

The bells get used constantly, every time they pull into or out of a station, pass through a crossing, etc.

The horns only get used when somebody's on the tracks, etc.

You may well have never heard a horn used.

When to Boston Latin; heard Boeing horns often when the school windows were open -- or when a thousand high school kids tried to cross the tracks against the light.

Boeing's 7s and 8s all have horns. I grew up right near Comm Ave and Harvard Ave on the B line and would hear them constantly...

I found a couple YouTube videos demonstrating the horns. In my opinion they sound somewhat similar to the horns on the NYC subway.

Anyways, to make up for dragging this thread off-topic, I found this YouTube video filmed in 1999 with lots of Boeing action...
https://youtu.be/hkx6xNLLxc0

Horn switch for Boeings is on the floor, along with sander.

Is the one in Maine operable or just a static display?

NaugyRR wrote:Is the one in Maine operable or just a static display?

I was there in August. I was told it is static.