Ashmont-Mattapan Trolley Line Discussion

[typesix]

The wings will be added later, according to the 2nd link.

[Leo Sullivan]

The actual car is similar to our All-Electrics. They never had wings and had a color scheme that
included orange above

3221 Ship Yard -.jpg

the windows. Here is a picture of 3221 at the Quincy shipyard in original
paint.

[Disney Guy]

Color scheme dilemma for MUNI. Do you make the car look like the majority of the Boston PCC cars (and all those still in service) without the orange standee window panel, or do you duplicate the Boston all electric color scheme (7% of the fleet) because the car is an all electric or at least best resembles Boston's all electrics.

The general public would probably consider MUNI's present Boston color scheme, without the orange upper panel, to be more correct.

[CRail]

Picture Window cars also have standee windows and never had that upper orange stripe.

[Disney Guy]

Not sure whether the orange standee window stripe on Boston's all electrics was an experimental color scheme but it was maintained through several repaintings until the green color scheme was used with white for both the regular window section and the standee window panel.

Not sure whether this made any difference but for the picture window cars, the regular windows and standee windows were on the same sheet metal panel whereas the all electrics and standard air cars (wartime fleet) there were separate body panels for these sections.

I didn't ride one there but I was told that for some years most of the all electrics did the Mattapan Ashmont service.

[MBTA3247]

There was a period where all service on the High Speed Line was handled by all-electrics, but that only used a portion of the all-electric fleet.

IIRC, the transfer of those cars from Arborway to Mattapan was the last move made before the tracks between those two terminals were ripped out.

[dieciduej]

Not sure whether the orange standee window stripe on Boston's all electrics was an experimental color scheme but it was maintained through several repaintings until the green color scheme was used with white for both the regular window section and the standee window panel.

The orange standee window was to denote that the cars were all-electrics, instead of air-electrics.

JoeD

[Arborwayfan]

Was the last move from Arborway to Mattappan via Roslindale and Cummins Highway? Or down to Egleston and out Seaver St. and Blue Hill Ave? When was it?

[Leo Sullivan]

The last move was via Blue hill Ave. It was a couple of years too late for Cummins Hwy.
I think it was on Memorial day. The last car out was either 5800 or 5803 and our
return was 3201. Foster Palmer and Alan Pommer were there and Foster took movies.
I've never seen them though.
LS

[Arborwayfan]

Thanks, Leo. Wouldn't it be great of those movies turned up some day?
Sam

[Leo Sullivan]

I gave the wrong date, it was April 30 1956. Memory is not a good enough archive
Brad says that Foster's films of the event are included in the published video.
LS

[StefanW]

Breaking news! The MBTA real-time data now includes the Mattapan trolleys. It's the final rapid transit line in the MBTA to get real-time predictions and locations.

According to the MBTA, GPS transceivers have been installed in all the PCC cars. They went live for tracking just a few hours ago. (They didn't say whether GPS units were installed in all PCCs or just the operable ones.)

Scroll the map to the south and enjoy!
https://sites.harvard.edu/~wuensch/T/subway-map.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jonnhrr]

I hear that they have also activated countdown clocks at Milton station. Odd that they picked there rather than more heavily used Central Ave but I imagine they will get around to filing in more stations shortly.

Jon

[StefanW]

A friend of mine says the countdown clocks are active along the entire line. I'll ask him to double-check if it's indeed every station and both directions at each (unless someone else here has already seen them).

[bgl]

As of last night they were not active in either direction at Cedar Grove (not that the outbound is truly needed there). Also, I wonder if they are going to put up a countdown clock at Ashmont - that would be pretty useful after having waited there for 10-20+ minutes before. Either way, I will check it out on my way home tonight (forgot to look as I was running this morning to catch the trolley).