(C) Alewife

What's the C for on the Red line car LED terminus signs?

A= Ashmont
B= Braintree
C= Alewife
--the direction the cars are going in. This is only on the 01800's, the older trains do not have this designation.

Actually on all previous equipment (1400s, 015-1600s, 01700s), they once had the older pre-1987 signs saying "C HARVARD" or "C ASHMONT" and "B BRAINTREE" and "A HARVARD", I recall seeing those when I ride the 014-01700 cars.

The original red rollsigns on the 01500's and 01600's had the following destinations:

A HARVARD (rarely seen in service)
A QUINCY
A SO. BRAINTREE
C HARVARD (usually seen for both South Shore and Ashmont trains)
C ASHMONT

These were replaced with new red rollsigns that omitted the letter codes and had 'BRAINTREE' instead of South Braintree as the destination shortly after the extension from Quincy Center to Braintree opened in March 1980.

The 01400's had their original black rollsigns replaced by new red rollsigns in the early 1970's. These had 'A QUINCY', 'A. SO. BRAINTREE' and 'C ASHMONT', but had a 'HARVARD' destination with no letter code. The 01400's did not receive new destination signs until the Davis extension opened in 1984, so for a few years it was possible to see trains signed up for South Braintree. A few cars did get new 'BRAINTREE' destinations spliced in.

The 1970's rollsigns on these cars also featured various intermediate destinations such as 'KENDALL', 'PARK' and 'ANDREW', and the Andrew sign was typically used for the 'Columbia Shuttle' trains that were operated on weekdays when the Ashmont line was shut down for reconstruction in 1981.

Jim D.

OK, but why bother with the letter, if the full word is written out?

On the 1970's rollsigns, the letter was used to designate a route:

A Braintree or Quincy Center to Harvard
C Ashmont to Harvard

I have no idea why letters are used on the 01800's. And in both the 1970's and today, the MBTA makes no attempt to publicize the Red Line branches with letters, the way they do with the Green Line.

JD

RailBus63 wrote:On the 1970's rollsigns, the letter was used to designate a route:

A Braintree or Quincy Center to Harvard
C Ashmont to Harvard

I have no idea why letters are used on the 01800's. And in both the 1970's and today, the MBTA makes no attempt to publicize the Red Line branches with letters, the way they do with the Green Line.

JD

I think it was a provision for an actual "C" branch of the Red Line to the South that was being kicked around...potentially branching somewhere off the Braintree line. That's why the rollsigns had "A" Harvard destination signs, too. I think they just started using "C" for all northbound traffic whenever it became clear that the actual "C" extension would never materialize...and then of course it was academic-enough to drop the letter designations altogether after that.

I was always assuming it was A,B,&C on the new signs because the three destinations were:

Ashmont (A)
Braintree (B)
Alewife (C) {C because Alewife is located in Cambridge}

CSX Conductor wrote:I was always assuming it was A,B,&C on the new signs because the three destinations were:

Ashmont (A)
Braintree (B)
Alewife (C) {C because Alewife is located in Cambridge}

That's what I thought it was too, at least that's what I think I've saw. I'll try to find some sources on this...

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

RailBus63 wrote:On the 1970's rollsigns, the letter was used to designate a route:

A Braintree or Quincy Center to Harvard
C Ashmont to Harvard

I have no idea why letters are used on the 01800's. And in both the 1970's and today, the MBTA makes no attempt to publicize the Red Line branches with letters, the way they do with the Green Line.

JD

I think it was a provision for an actual "C" branch of the Red Line to the South that was being kicked around...potentially branching somewhere off the Braintree line. That's why the rollsigns had "A" Harvard destination signs, too.

The story I've heard (never in writing) was that the MBTA was considering express service on the Red Line; thus 'A' and 'B' would be South Shore service (one express, the other local) and 'C' and 'D' would have been Ashmont branch service.

I think they just started using "C" for all northbound traffic whenever it became clear that the actual "C" extension would never materialize...and then of course it was academic-enough to drop the letter designations altogether after that.

Back when the Silverbirds had both 'A' and 'C' readings for Harvard, the crews typically used the 'C' reading because it easier to turn to. You'd see an occasional train signed up 'A HARVARD', but not very often.

JD

I agree with CS, I think. The 01800s ghave those same rollsigns as the NYCTA IND/BMT R44 and R46 cars, same manufacturer, same site for those signs, and yes, they carry route letters, it makes it easier for me.

I think the 015/1600s should use those pre-1986 destination signs and the 01700s ought to be fitted with them too from any scrapped 01400. they make more sense that BRAINTREE/ALEWIFE or ASHMONT/ALEWIFE.

Robert Paniagua wrote:I think the 015/1600s should use those pre-1986 destination signs and the 01700s ought to be fitted with them too from any scrapped 01400. they make more sense that BRAINTREE/ALEWIFE or ASHMONT/ALEWIFE.

The MBTA installed those types of signs in 1981 when the 'guard law' became history and 4-car trains began operating with a single door guard. Prior to that, the guards would change the side signs at the end of every trip in the two cars they were responsible for.

JD