Orange Line/NEC

Hey there, i just have a few questions about the orange line. When was the Orange put down near the NEC? How long did it take to complete this project? Are there any websites i can look at for more info?

The Southwest Corridor Orange Line open on May 4, 1987. Construction took 8 years starting in 1979. The path around the New Haven track had been well cleared by then. Demolition for the proposed highway started in the 60s.

http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/southwest/
is a thorough history of the highway project/Southwest Corridor.

If your interested, I have a several links to images of the Elevated and the New Haven Embankment, I can post. I think I last put them up on the old board.

yea sure, thanks nightowl, i would love to see some of the pictures

Go to the "MBTA Related Links" thread - you should find some stuff there. The history of the OL is very interesting, one of the most interesting in my opinion.

The Orange Line, or, "Hey, Let's Tear Down The El and Put it in a New Tunnel and a Trench!"

I think its interesting that the entire Orange Line was rebuilt/relocated in a period of about ten years... I can't imagine doing something like that in New York! My favorite part of the old Orange Line- Sullivan Square.
(Not that I ever saw it in person- but the pictures I've seen sure make it look cool)

-otto-

I hated to see the el go


But we had fun smashing all the glass windows out of the old station from Washington Street after it was closed. lol


I remember riding our bikes down into part of the new CR bed, it was probably right about where the east end of Forest Interlocking is. There were a few ramps for small construction vehicles to gain access to the area and they were not secured during the weekends, so naturally we had to check it out

I also liked the EL too, I wasn't happy when I found out it was shuttered. And CSX Conductour, you said that you guys even got to hang out at the station in the few weeks after the EL closed? That must have been fun

I put all the links I know here:
http://www.nightowlcity.org/mbta/orange_links.html

Rather then recreate the original thread.

The old station was ssoo much better in many ways. The biggest advantage, in my opinion, was the fact that there was such little room in the bus area that there were never huge crowds gathering in the station, which has always been a huge problem with the newer Forest Hills Station.

I must admit that the Southwest Corridor Park is pretty nice, except for the fact that all the streets get to be a challeng sometimes wile bicycling along the bike path.

Nightowl thanks for the excellent links. One of the articles mentions a stone arch bridge at Forest Hills, does anyone know if this was located just east or west of the present station? I shall have to seek out a picture of that structure.

I like the current Forest Hills station, with its large spaces, clock tower, and vendors. And why shouldn't there be large crowds in a transit station?

TPR37777 wrote: One of the articles mentions a stone arch bridge at Forest Hills, does anyone know if this was located just east or west of the present station? .

It was actually east of the current station, proabably about where the stairs come from the 39 bus way to the lower bus level on Washington Street. I cannot re-call how many arches it had, but I know that it definately had 2, maybe 3. One was dedicated for the E Line trolleys to come down from South Street, and after going under the bridge the trolley would turn left to cross over Washington Street into the Arborway Yard.

I will try to get some old pictures scanned and posted in the near future.

Ron Newman wrote:I like the current Forest Hills station, with its large spaces, clock tower, and vendors. And why shouldn't there be large crowds in a transit station?

I mean the large gangs of rowdy youths who are just hanging around, loitering.

Another thing I don't like about the newer station is that people frequently urinate in the elevator to the CR platform.........it stinks.

Photo taken at the old Arborway Yard. Forest Hills Station would be to the left on the other side of the Rte.203 overpass.

Wow, that must have been taken around 1979 or something....