East Boston – Beachmont – Lynn railway line
| East Boston MA-Lynn MA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Route length: | 14 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 914 mm ( English 3-foot track ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power system : | 600 = | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dual track : | entire route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The railway line East Boston Beach Mont-Lynn is a railway line in Massachusetts ( United States ). It is 8.8 miles (14.2 kilometers) long and connects the cities of Boston , Revere and Lynn . The originally narrow-gauge line has been closed, but part of the route is now used by the standard-gauge Boston subway .
history
In the 1860s, the city of Lynn grew more and more, so that the existing railway line of the Eastern Railroad was insufficient to cope with the transport volume. In addition, more and more people settled near the beach, who also asked for a local transport connection. In 1874 the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad was founded to build a railway line from East Boston along the coast to Lynn. A ferry service was established from East Boston to Boston, which had a connection to the elevated railway on Atlantic Avenue in Boston .
In May 1875, construction began on the line, which was initially laid out with a three-foot (914 mm) gauge for cost reasons, but directly on a subgrade that could accommodate a standard-gauge line and also on wide sleepers that could also carry standard-gauge tracks. The wagon material was also suitable for normal-gauge operation. Regular operation with steam trains began as early as July 29, 1875. However, the final work took a few weeks longer. The route was initially single track with a turnout in Crescent Beach.
Only passenger traffic took place on the route. The trains ran in quick succession and around the clock, and the entire line was double-tracked by 1888. In order to increase the cruising speed significantly, the line was electrified on October 11, 1928. Steam trains still ran until December 2, 1928, until the conversion of the cars into electric multiple units was completed. Shortly afterwards, however, the number of transports began to drop dramatically. In addition to the global economic crisis, the reason was the increasing number of private automobiles, which from 1934 onwards were able to reach Boston through a road tunnel much faster than rail passengers who switched to the ferry. On January 27, 1940 the electric narrow-gauge railway ran for the last time and was then shut down and dismantled. The track lot was sold to the state.
On January 5, 1952, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (now MBTA ) extended the Maverick Line (now the blue line) of their underground service to Orient Heights, where a depot was built. Operations were expanded to Suffolk Downs on April 21, 1952 and to Wonderland on January 19, 1954. An extension on the former route to Lynn is planned.
Route description
The route begins at East Boston Harbor on Marginal Street. It runs in a straight line in a north-northeast direction and passes under the settlement around Sumner Street in a short tunnel. The first stop was in Wood Island. In this area, the railway line through Boston Airport is built over. The subway station of the same name is in a different location. Shortly thereafter, the subway line running above ground here turns onto the route of Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn and the Harbor View stop is reached. No subway station was built here. In Orient Heights, the next station, a route once turned off towards Wintrop . This junction is now used by the underground as an entrance to the depot. Through Beachmont, the railway reaches the Atlantic coast, where the Ocean View station, which is no longer served, was located. Shortly thereafter, the Revere Beach underground station is reached, which was called Crescent Beach at the time of the narrow-gauge railway. In the 1880s there was a transition to the standard-gauge line to Point Shirley.
Only a few hundred meters further north is the current terminus of the subway at Wonderland. From here to Point of Pines, the Revere – Point of Pines – Saugus Junction railway line, which is also closed, is right next to the narrow-gauge railway line. After the Point of Pines station, the railway line crossed the Saugus River . Part of the wooden yoke bridge is still standing, only the middle part has been removed. The route now runs through West Lynn to the terminus at Lynn, which was on the corner of Broad Street and Market Street.
Sources and further information
- Individual evidence
- ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2010.
- literature
- George W. Hilton: American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA 1990. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9 . Pages 416-8.
- Ronald D. Karr: The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 1995. ISBN 0-942147-02-2 .