Manchester (New Hampshire) Tram
| Manchester (New Hampshire) Tram | |
|---|---|
 Manchester and Nashua Street Railway
Tram Car 38 in the Seashore Trolley Museum , 2006 | |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
The city of Manchester in the US state of New Hampshire had a tram service from 1877 to 1940 . The approximately 50 km long network consisted of city and intercity lines and had rail connections and transfer options to four other tram companies.
history
prehistory
On July 16, 1864, the Manchester Horse Railroad Company's supervisory authority granted a concession to build and operate horse-drawn railroad lines in the city. The railway company was formally set up on May 27, 1871. Railroad shareholders included several former and later New Hampshire governors, namely Frederick Smyth (Railroad Treasurer), James A. Weston (Railroad Accountant), Ezekiel A. Straw (Railroad President) and Moody Currier . Currier was also active in the railroad business, as was Congressman Samuel N. Bell , who was also a partner. All shareholders came from Manchester. Weston was mayor of the city several times in the 1860s and had campaigned for the construction of a streetcar. Nevertheless, it took several years before construction began. On July 20, 1876, the company received an extension of the concession and on March 27, 1877, the resolution was passed to issue shares in order to finance the construction. By April 20, all 250 shares were sold at $ 100 each.
The first horse train years
The first 3.9 kilometer route was built from June 27, 1877. The first test run took place on September 5th of that year and the railway went into operation on September 15th. It began in the North End district on Elm Street / Webster Street and led through Elm Street, Traction Street (north of Granite Street, now overbuilt), Canal Street, Granite Street, Granite Square, South Main Street to West Manchester Station in District Piscataquog ("Squog"). It was single track at the ends, double track between Elm Street / Lowell Street and Granite Square. The tracks were three feet (914 mm) wide. The railroad depot was on Traction Street. The following year the line in West Manchester was extended by 150 meters to Milford Square (South Main Street / Milford Street).
The railway company opened a second line on June 27, 1882 from Bridge Street / Maple Street through Bridge Street and over the existing tracks to the Concord Railroad station on Canal Street. The cars on this line were painted red while the cars on the North End line were white. A third line with blue cars followed on November 23, 1885. It shuttled from City Hall (Elm Street / Manchester Street) through Manchester Street to the corner of Hall Street and was in early 1886 through Hall Street to Gilman's Corner (Lake Avenue / Massabesic Street ) extended. Around June 16, 1887, a line was opened to the Bakersville neighborhood, running from City Hall along Elm Street to Baker Street. At the end of July 1887, another line went into operation, running from the Concord Railroad station through Traction Street, Lake Avenue and Massabesic Street to the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad station (later East Manchester). Around October 10, 1887, a line was opened that ran from City Hall via Elm Street, West Bridge Street, North Main Street to McGregorville (North Main Street / Sullivan Street), which was closed again in June 1889 after the Bridge over the Merrimack River on West Bridge Street had to be repaired. Due to the low utilization of the line, no more tracks were built into the new bridge. The tracks on North Main Street between Amory Street and Sullivan Street, however, remained in place.
Electrification and expansion of the city network
The railway company was renamed the Manchester Street Railway Company on July 19, 1889 , but electrification of the horse-drawn railway was initially discarded, unlike in other cities in the state. Instead, some adjustments to the route network took effect in September 1889. It then consisted of the following lines:
| line | Wagon sequence |
|---|---|
| North End - Town Hall - Lake Avenue - East Manchester Station | 20 min. |
| North End - City Hall - Traction Street - Granite Square - Milford Square | 15 minutes. |
| Bridge Street - City Hall - Traction Street - Granite Square - Milford Square | 20 min. |
| Gilman's Corner - Manchester Street - Town Hall - Traction Street - Granite Square - Milford Square | 20 min. |
| City Hall - Bakersville | 60 min. |
On January 20, 1890, the route was changed again and the Bakersville Line now ran to the North End, while the lines from Bridge Street and Gilman's Corner only ran to the stations on Canal Street. From February 14, 1890, a car drove to Bakersville every 30 minutes, but the line was taken back to City Hall in order not to need an additional vehicle. In July 1890, the tracks in North Main Street between Sullivan Street and Amory Street, which had been closed a year earlier, were reactivated and a new line was opened from Granite Square to Sullivan Street. The cars from Bridge Street now drove to McGregorville (Amory Street).
The last new line of the horse-drawn tram began at Elm Street / Valley Street and ran through Valley Street and Wilson Street to the Queen City Manufacturing Company (corner of Wilson Street / Clay Street), which had requested the construction of this line. It was opened on December 5, 1892. The Valley Street Line cars began their journey at City Hall.
It was not until 1894 that the management took the decision to electrify the entire network, relocate it to standard gauge and expand it extensively. The construction work began on April 22nd, 1895 and was carried out with the horse tram running. The first test drive of an electric railcar from the depot in Traction Street through Elm Street to the North End took place on June 8 of that year, and regular electric operation began on this route the following day. In detail, the network was electrified and re-tracked as follows:
| Date (1895) | route | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| June 9th | North End - Elm Street - Traction Street - Railway Stations | |
| June 12 | Bridge Street / Belmont Street - Bridge Street / Elm Street | simultaneously extended to Belmont Street |
| June 19th | Elm Street / Lake Avenue - Lake Avenue - East Manchester Station | |
| end of June | Elm Street / Manchester Street - Gilman's Corner | |
| 17th July | Elm Street / Traction Street - Elm Street / Baker Street (Bakersville) | |
| 17th July | Elm Street / Valley Street - Valley Street - Wilson Street / Clay Street | |
| July 23 | Train Stations - Granite Square - Milford Square - A Street | at the same time extended to A Street |
| July 23 | Granite Square - McGregorville |
A new line went into operation on August 4, 1895. It led from Gilman's Corner through Lake Avenue, Hanover Street and Candia Road to the turning loop on Massabesic Lake near what is now Londonderry Turnpike. The cars drove straight through Lake Avenue from the Transfer Station (Elm Street / Lake Avenue). A small depot with six hall tracks was built near the lake. The route was initially only operated from May to September, but after a few years all year round. Due to the high utilization, the line was expanded to two tracks until 1901.
In 1896, the line to North End was extended a short distance to Elm Street / Clarke Street. At the end of the year, however, brisk construction work began and several new lines went into operation. First, on November 14th of that year, the Bakersville Line was extended via Baker Street and Calef Road to Pine Grove Cemetery. On November 29, the route followed from Beech Street / Amherst Street through Beech Street to Sagamore Street. This route crossed Bridge Street, into which a connecting curve was built. The line from East Manchester Station now ran over Bridge and Beech Street to Sagamore Street instead of the North End. The line to Amherst Street was only served irregularly. It was supposed to be extended south to Nutt's Pond, but this was never carried out. Instead, the section from Bridge Street to Amherst Street was closed again on April 27, 1903. At the turn of the year 1896/97, a line was opened from Milford Square through Milford Street and Donald Street to St. Joseph's Cemetery, which was served by the Manchester Street line extended there from the stations.
Construction of the overland routes
On April 30, 1898 the management of the railway company changed. The Boston company Tucker, Anthony and Co., which already owned the city's electricity company, took over the majority of the company's shares and appointed a new board of directors. On February 13, 1901, she founded the Manchester Traction, Light and Power Company as the parent company and incorporated power plants and trams into these as subsidiaries.
In the late autumn of 1898, the North End route was extended again to Elm Street / Carpenter Street. Now the planning began for a connection of the district Pinardville and the places west of Manchester located Grasmere and Goffstown to the tram network. For this purpose, an overland route was built, which branched off from the existing network at Milford Street / Donald Street and led via Sylvester Street, Rockland Avenue, Mast Road (now South Mast Street), South Mast Street to Main Street in Goffstown, where the terminus is initially on the corner of Union Street. Between the two level crossings in the course of Mast Road, a separate track was laid south of the Manchester – Henniker railway line in order to save the two railway crossings. The line went into operation on July 24, 1900. The cars drove from City Hall via Granite Square to Goffstown. In April 1901 the line in Goffstown was extended through Main Street to North Mast Road. In Goffstown the tram had a connection and a track connection to the Uncanoonuc Incline Railway from 1905 . A small depot with a four-track hall and an outside siding was built in Pinardville.
On November 1, 1900, the McGregorville Line was extended via Coolidge Avenue and Kelley Street to Joliette Street. The line to Pine Grove Cemetery became the second overland line on June 10, 1901, when it was extended through Calef Road and Brown Avenue to Goffs Falls . The terminus was at the northern bridgehead of the Cohas Brook Bridge, just south of Pine Island Park. From August 15, 1901, the line went to Beech Street via the previous terminal Sagamore Street to Beech Street / Webster Street and from August 11, 1902 through Hooksett Road to the city limits. In 1901, the Valley Street Line was also extended, first through Wilson Street and Somerville Street to the corner of Jewett Street and then in 1902 through Jewett Street and Hayward Street to the corner of Mammoth Road. Also in 1902, the single-track route through Lake Avenue, which was completely overloaded in summer, was expanded to double-track. Since this was not possible in the narrow street, the land railways now went through Central Street, Pine Street, Spruce Street and Cypress Street instead of directly through Lake Avenue. They continued to drive towards town on the old route. The Lake Avenue turnouts were removed at the same time. Another short extension was put into operation in October 1903 when the Bridge Street Line was led to Derryfield Park (Bridge Street / Highland Street). Since February 9, 1903, the Concord tram , operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad , used the tram tracks from the Hooksett city limits to Transfer Station (Elm Street / Lake Avenue).
Now the planning for further overland routes began. Unlike the Goffstown route, separate railway companies were founded for each of these. The Goffs Falls, Litchfield and Hudson Street Railway Company received a concession on March 7, 1903 to build a line between their namesake locations. It was formally set up on April 23, 1903 and opened its route on January 1, 1907. It represented the extension of the line to Goffs Falls, which was simultaneously withdrawn to Pine Island Park. The short stretch from there to the terminus at Goffs Falls was leased to the new company. The company was renamed the Manchester and Nashua Street Railway Company on February 27, 1907 . Since June 2, 1906, like the rest of the tram, it belonged to the Manchester Traction, Light and Power Company. The vehicles provided the Manchester tram. They drove from City Hall via Goffs Falls and Litchfield to Nashua . Between Hudson and Nashua they used the route of the Nashua tram . In Nashua, the route led through Bridge Street, Hollis Street, Temple Street and East Pearl Street to Tremont Square. In Hudson there was a track connection to other overland tram routes from other companies. On certain occasions, passing special cars from Boston were driven over tram tracks to Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown, which ran on the tracks of the Manchester tram between Hudson and Goffstown. To replace the narrow, single-track route in South Manchester, a new line was built in 1907 from Elm Street through South Elm Street and over a separate railway body to Calef Road, and the line through Baker Street and northern Calef Road was shut down. At the same time, the line to Pine Island Park was double-tracked.
From December 7, 1907, from the route to Nashua, an overland route to Derry branched off at the Cohas Junction junction south of Goffs Falls , which ran along Little Cohas Brook eastward to Mammoth Road. Next to this it went a short distance before the route turned east again and led along today's Trolley Car Path, which is reminiscent of the train, to the corner of West Broadway and Wyman Street in West Derry. In West Derry the trains went through West Broadway to the station. On the other side of the station, the Chester – Derry tram began , but no track connection was built to it. The Derry line was initially built by the Derry and Goffe's Falls Street Railway Company , founded September 19, 1906 and established February 2, 1907. However, this was renamed the Manchester and Derry Street Railway Company on February 16, 1907 . On April 6, 1907, the Manchester Traction, Light and Power Company had also taken over this company. As with the route to Nashua, the Manchester tram provided the vehicles for operation. In 1908 the line between Pine Island Park and Cohas Junction was expanded to two tracks.
On the route to Goffstown in 1909, the own railway body was extended from the western level crossing on South Mast Street (Dan Little Crossing) to Shirley Avenue (now Shirley Park Road) and instead the route on the country road in this section was closed. In 1910, line numbers were introduced for the city lines, which were affixed to colored discs on the front of the cars. The following lines were in operation at this time:
| line | Color of the signpost | Routing | Wagon sequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | green | North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - A Street | 15 minutes. |
| 2 | yellow | Hooksett, City Limits - Beech Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Lake Avenue - East Manchester Station | 15 minutes. |
| 3 | red | Derryfield Park - Bridge Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - McGregorville, Kelley Street | 15 minutes. |
| 4th | blue | Gilman's Corner - Manchester Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - St. Joseph's Cemetery | 20 min. |
| 5 | red / gray | City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Valley Street - Hayward Street / Mammoth Road | 20 min. |
| 6th | blue yellow | City Hall - Transfer Station - Lake Avenue - Massabesic Lake | Summer 15 min. Winter 30 min. |
| - | - | City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Goffs Falls - Litchville - Hudson - Nashua | 60 min. |
| - | - | City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Goffs Falls - West Derry | 60 min. |
| - | - | City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Pine Island Park | 20 min. |
| - | - | Town Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - Pinardville - Grasmere - Goffstown | Summer 30 min. Winter 45 min. |
| - | - | Transfer Station - City Hall - Elm Street - Beech Street - Hooksett - Concord (operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad ) |
60 min. |
The line numbers were no longer used consistently from the 1920s, but were still to be found on the vehicles at least on line 3 until the shutdown of operations. In 1912 there was a short extension of line 3 through Kelley Street to Morgan Street. With this, the Manchester tram network had reached its greatest extent with a route length of approx. 50 kilometers.
Decline and shutdown
In the winter of 1919, the Goffstown line was extended through Lake Avenue to East Manchester Station, but line 2 was simultaneously withdrawn to Gilman's Corner. From the fall of 1920, every second car on the Goffstown line ended in Pinardville, so that there was only an hourly drive to Goffstown, but now every 30 minutes to Pinardville in winter too. The strong growth in individual traffic and the need to expand the country roads, whereby the tram routes were often in the way, led to the first closure plans from the mid-1920s. Initially, from September 1, 1926, there were no longer any trams to Derry. The entire line from Cohas Junction to Derry has been closed. From November 14, 1927, the route between Beech Street / Webster Street and Hooksett, city limits, was initially only served by the Boston & Maine car to Concord. On this day, the lines were changed and the following lines now operated:
| line | Wagon sequence |
|---|---|
| North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - St. Joseph's Cemetery | 60 min. |
| North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - Pinardville - Grasmere - Goffstown | 60 min. |
| North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - Pinardville | 60 min. |
| Milford Square - A Street (Shuttle) | 20 min. |
| Beech Street / Webster Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Lake Avenue - Massabesic Lake | 30 min. |
| Beech Street / Webster Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Lake Avenue - Gilman's Corner | 30 min. |
| Derryfield Park - Bridge Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Notre Dame (formerly McGregorville) | 15 minutes. |
| East Manchester - Gilman's Corner - Manchester Street - Town Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Valley Street - Hayward Street / Mammoth Road | 20 min. |
| City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Goffs Falls - Litchville - Hudson - Nashua | 60 min. |
| City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Pine Island Park | 60 min. |
| Transfer Station - City Hall - Elm Street - Beech Street - Hooksett - Concord (operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad) |
60 min. |
On November 19, 1928, after popular protests, the shuttle service to A Street was abandoned and a car drove from the North End to A Street every hour. On September 14, 1931, the tram service to Nashua ended and the line was closed. A short stretch of the route from Goffs Falls to Little Cohas Brook Trestle on what is now Hazelton Avenue remained and the Goffs Falls Line was extended there. On June 6, 1932, the route network was changed again and the train schedules were reduced. The following lines ran now:
| line | Wagon sequence |
|---|---|
| North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - A Street - Milford Square - St. Joseph's Cemetery | 60 min. |
| North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - Pinardville - Grasmere - Goffstown | 60 min. |
| North End - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Milford Square - Pinardville | 60 min. |
| Beech Street / Webster Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Lake Avenue - Massabesic Lake | 30 min. |
| Beech Street / Webster Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Pine Island Park - Goffs Falls | 30 min. |
| Derryfield Park - Bridge Street - Elm Street - City Hall - Transfer Station - Union Station - Notre Dame (formerly McGregorville) | 20 min. |
| East Manchester - Gilman's Corner - Manchester Street - Town Hall - Transfer Station - Elm Street - Valley Street - Hayward Street / Mammoth Road | 20 min. |
| Transfer Station - City Hall - Elm Street - Beech Street - Hooksett - Concord (operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad) |
60 min. |
Interurban traffic to Concord ended on April 29, 1933 when the Boston and Maine Railroad closed the line from the city limits to Concord. Every second car on the Goffs Falls Line was now leaving the Hooksett city limits. This line was withdrawn in 1937 in Goffs Falls to the corner of Brown Avenue / Hazelton Avenue and from there to Little Cohas Brook Trestle the line was closed. The line from Pinardville to Goffstown was also closed on January 9, 1938, which meant that all overland routes were out of service. The entire rest of the route network with the remaining seven lines was converted to bus operation on May 26, 1940, as were the previously closed routes.
vehicles
Nothing is known about the horse-drawn tram vehicles in the early years due to the lack of surviving records. In 1889, 13 closed and nine open horse-drawn tram cars were available to the railway, bearing the numbers 1 to 22. In the remaining years of horse-drawn tram operation, a further eight closed and nine open wagons were procured. Some of these newer cars were converted into electric railcars and switched to standard gauge. Seven of the open cars were also re-tracked, but received no engines and were attached as sidecars on the Massabesic Lake line until 1901 in the summer if the volume of transport required this. This was the only sidecar traffic on the Manchester tram. With the two-track expansion of the line in 1901, the number of trains could be increased and the sidecars became superfluous.
With the electrification of the railway in 1895 and the expansion of the route network in the following years, numerous new railcars were procured, initially two-axle cars, from 1899 four-axle ones. From 1900 the cars were also equipped with air brakes.
On the morning of March 4, 1905, a fire broke out in one of the wagons of the depot on Traction Street, killing 21 closed, five open railcars, five snow plows and three snow removal vehicles. The railway company was well insured and was able to buy new cars in the same year without any problems. At the same time, all wagons were repainted and given new wagon numbers so that open wagons got odd numbers and closed wagons got even numbers. With the opening of the overland routes to Nashua and Derry, larger interurban cars were procured for use on these routes. The last new vehicles were partly built in the company's own workshops in 1915 and 1916. From 1919, the railway took over used cars from other companies to supplement the vehicle fleet.
In 1926, the scheduled use of open cars ended, all 54 existing cars were initially parked in the Pinardville and Massabesic Lake depots. One car was sold to the Uncanoonuc Incline Railway . The open wagons were still used for special trips until they were scrapped in 1936 or sold to private users. After the shutdown of operations in 1940, the remaining vehicles as well as the track and contact line systems were scrapped.
literature
- OR Cummings: The Manchester Street Railway Electric Railway Historical Society, 1960.
- OR Cummings, Manchester Historic Association: Manchester Streetcars Arcadia Publishing, 2000, ISBN 978-0-7385-0412-4 .