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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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"All in ONE weekend" (imagine this feat taking place today??!!??!!??).......
In 1904, the East Boston tunnel opened to streetcars (it was, at the time, the longest underwater tunnel in America)
In 1924, however, over the course of one weekend, the line was converted from a trolley route to a heavy-rail, high platform rapid transit line.
Three years of intense planning went into this massive conversion; commuters went home on Friday aboard their familiar trolley cars, but rode to work on Monday morning via new steel subway trains.
Thousands of feet of "Z-bar" guard rail had to be ripped out, and replaced with rails allowing for the M.C.B. wheel flanges of the new rapid transit trains.
New switches and crossovers were also installed; third rail had to be lifted into place, electrically connected, and tested.
New high-level platforms were built over the original low platforms, used by streetcar passengers since 1904......
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Sun Oct 25, 2020 11:21 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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New subway cars for the 1924 East Boston Tunnel conversion.......
These were the 0500 series cars, built by PULLMAN (all were coupled into two-car sets)
Like the IRT and H&M cars, the 0500's were short and narrow; due to the tight clearances of the tunnels that had been built for trolleys, they ran on small, 26-inch wheels, which saved a few inches on height.
It is no wonder that these new cars were as "compact" as they were; the grade in the tunnels was 5%, severe enough for streetcars, but even more so for multiple-unit rapid transit trains.........
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Sun Oct 25, 2020 1:24 am; edited 1 time in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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.........between 1952 and 1954, service beyond Maverick station was extended to Orient Heights and Revere Beach, using the old ROW of the defunct, narrow-gauge electric commuter line, the "BOSTON, REVERE BEACH, & LYNNE" (the trains on this former steam line were made up of wooden open-platform cars, equipped with trolley poles; they connected to sidewheel ferryboats from its terminal across the harbor to Boston, where direct connections could be made to both the Atlantic Avenue El line and surface streetcars)
Forty new St. Louis-built cars (with pantographs) were purchased for this new extension; replaced by new equipment, the aforementioned 1924-vintage East Boston Tunnel cars were transferred to this line, and re-equipped with pantographs and large headlights.
In more recent years, the cars on this line (the "Blue Line") bore a close resemblence to PATH's "PA"-series*.........
*(Also, on the ORANGE LINE, the older 01200 series cars were built by HAWKER-SIDDELEY; this company also built PATH's "PA-3" cars)
"NYO"
Last edited by NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 on Sun Oct 25, 2020 12:24 am; edited 2 times in total |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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Here's a rare photo of one of the old open-platform, narrow gauge, electric MU trains that served the old BRB&L; note (as mentioned previously) that these trains used trolley poles.......
www.newdavesrailpix.com/odds/ma/htm/brbl01.htm
(courtesy: davesrailpix) |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2020 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting to note......
That, although it served only streetcars, the Tremont Street Subway in Boston was the first subway to open in the United States (1897)
Also, Boston had the distinction of beating out New York when it came to operating rapid transit trains underground (these were the "Main Line" El trains, which ran underground between 1901 and 1908)
Too, Boston began operation of a BMT-type subway in 1912, a few years prior to the first BRT "Standards" entering service.
Like New York, Boston's rapid transit lines utilized "ticket choppers" for a number of years, before upgrading to modern turnstiles.......
"NYO" |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2020 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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A streetcar (#1752) of the "WEST END STREET Ry." had the proud distinction of being the very first car to enter to enter the new Tremont St. Subway on opening day (September 1, 1897)
The inclined ramp used by cars to enter and leave the subway was replaced by a new ramp nearby, in 1914.
The "WEST END" car in this photo is typical of the streetcars that used the Subway in its early years.......
https://www.newdavesrailpix.com/odds/ma/htm/bwe01.htm
(courtesy: davesrailpix) |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2020 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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Extensive, fascinating history of Boston's "Green Line", which, through the decades, evolved from the Tremont St. Subway of 1897 (there are some interesting historic and modern photos are on this page, as well as track plans and maps)
https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/MBTA_Green_Line |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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......49 semi-convertibles (LACONIA, 1917-1918) were purchased from the EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS STREET RAILWAY in 1936, by the BERy.
These second-hand deck roof cars were used on the lines serving Chelsea; by the end of 1947, these classic, double-ended streetcars would be retired, replaced by surplus "Type 5's".........
https://www.newdavesrailpix.com/odds/ma/htm/emsr09.htm
(courtesy: davesrailpix) |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 23132 Location: NEW JOISEY
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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Regarding the massive roller signbox on the BERy car seen in the previous post, this B&QT car (on the Norton's Point line) indeed makes for a sharp contrast........
https://www.newdavesrailpix.com/nyc/htm/bqt034.htm
(courtesy: davesrailpix) |
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