Streetcar Service in Melrose, MA

[barking]

I'm curious about historical streetcar routes through Melrose. There are metal poles along Lebanon Street between where the Trackless Trolleys used to turn around ( current end of the 106 Bus route) and where Lebanon Joins again with Main Street that make me thingk that at some point Lebanon street had streetcar or trackless trolley service. I've never been able to come up with any streetcar maps that show service beyond Malden. I've read text maybe just indicating that there was a route from Malden center down Main street to Melrose and beyond and was wondering if anybody had a pointer to the information.

I'd love a pointer to a map of the various Streetcar routes that existed in the period of say 1900 to 1929 before the streetcar routes started to contract and routes beyond those run by the BER.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

[MBTA3247]

The Eastern Mass had a couple of streetcar routes through Melrose, operated as part of the Chelsea Division. There were two major routes. One went up Main St from Malden Square to Wakefield, while the other went from Stoneham to Saugus, crossing the first at Franklin Square. There were also a few branches in Melrose. This section of the 1910 track chart for the Chelsea Division shows where everything went. (warning: 3MB TIF file)

Boston Elevated's Route 99 came up Lebanon St from Malden Square via Salem St, but it ended at the Melrose town line. By July 1940 it had been converted to trackless trolley operation. By 1942 Route 99 had been renumbered 106. Sometime between 1961 and 1964 it was converted to a regular bus line. That's all I can tell about it from looking at the system maps I have.

[Gerry6309]

The easterly route in Melrose was known as the Melrose East Side Line. Just for information's sake , route numbers on the map varied in each edition until the 1941(7th) edition where they were locked in except for the few changes made in 1966. For that reason we try to use those numbers to avoid confusion. When the Chelsea Division was sold to the Elevated in 1936, the Melrose East Side line (long bustituted) was rerouted to Lynn and became part of that division.The EM often bought power from the El and the steel poles along Lebanon may have been used for feeders only, as a backup to the more direct line on Main St.

[BOS-T-time]

The Eastern Mass had a couple of streetcar routes through Melrose, operated as part of the Chelsea Division. There were two major routes. One went up Main St from Malden Square to Wakefield, while the other went from Stoneham to Saugus, crossing the first at Franklin Square. There were also a few branches in Melrose. This section of the 1910 track chart for the Chelsea Division shows where everything went. (warning: 3MB TIF file)

Boston Elevated's Route 99 came up Lebanon St from Malden Square via Salem St, but it ended at the Melrose town line. By July 1940 it had been converted to trackless trolley operation. By 1942 Route 99 had been renumbered 106. Sometime between 1961 and 1964 it was converted to a regular bus line. That's all I can tell about it from looking at the system maps I have.

Where did you get that track chart? That is a very good map, do you have more?

thanks!