Official Trackless Trolley Thread/Tracker

[sery2831]

The sign I got out of 4005 has both Waverley stops spelled WAVERLEY.

[octr202]

I'm not sure even the people in Belmont have a consistent spelling for that place name.

Nope.

To be more helpful, both the MBTA and the USPS use Waverley. Waverley seems to be the more common spelling around Belmont/Waltham/Watertown.

[RailBus63]

In the Flyer days, many operators on the 71 and 73 would roll the front sign to the 'VIA HARVARD' reading and just leave it there both ways.

[Nawth Shaw]

With that terminus, you lose the OL transfer, but you also gain the Longwood Medical Area and the Kenmore hub. . . .

Ordinarily, I, too, subscribe to the Theory of Mass-Transit Relativity: rail>TT>b*$. In this instance, however, my osteo-arthritic "hockey" knees and hips must creakily protest. (Yes, 52 is the new 90, . . . and I'm NOT talking b*$ routes, either! )


As it happens, I find that the Back Bay end of the #39, makes for a godsend shuttle from the back of the Prudential - near the street-level entrance to Sovereign Bank (through which I cut, via elevator, to get to/from the Post Office) - up hilly Dalton St., 'round the corner and down a good length of Boylston (for assorted copying/faxing [Gloucester St. stop] and banking [BPL stop] chores), before depositing me at Back Bay Station, where I catch the OL (for physical therapy and/or doctors' appointments at Tufts-NEMC). Given my physical impairments, there simply is no way I could manage, while wielding a cane, to cover that ground on foot (even were I to attempt shortcutting it, through one or both malls); you might as well urge me to take on the Marathon.


Granted, the de facto BB loop I have described is, by no means, the sole - or even primary - function of the #39, but, should the T ever reconfigure this route, for whatever purpose, I hope it would occur to them that a Pru/BB shuttle-loop needs to be incorporated into some other nearby rubber-tire route , especially with Copley yet in noncompliant disarray.

[pdx_etb]

I just discovered, on the website of the Seashore Trolley Museum, that the two Flyer E800 trackless trolleys set aside for Seashore last year (4013 and 4028) have finally now been moved there from MBTA's Everett Shops. Apparently, the move took place sometime last month, but the very brief news item posted on the museum's website (on 8/26) gives no details. Anyone have any more info.?

[CRail]

Photo's:
http://crail.smugmug.com/gallery/2875038
(photo's of the move towards the end)

TransitHistory Discussion:
http://www.boardzero.com/mbtaforum/mbta ... ut588.html

They were moved August 21st. I followed 4028 to take pictures, 4013 went unphotographed. 4028 has run at the museum but it's having battery problems. 4013 has yet to have it's poles put back on.

[pdx_etb]

Did anyone in this forum go on the Flyer trackless trolley fan trip that took place on Saturday, May 2? It was not practical for me to go, since I live on the west coast, but I'm interested in hearing about it, considering how rare trolleybus/trackless trolley fan trips on the MBTA system are.

How did it go? Was No. 4037 the only trackless trolley used?

What non-revenue wire was used?

Does anyone have photos they'd like to post?

[sixflagscoasters]

I went on the trip, and it was GREAT!

I did not take any pictures, but many others did, and a few took video. I am not sure if or where they might post them. Hopefully some do post them online.

I heard that some pictures of the trip will be in the BSRA Roll Sign Magazine.

Here is a link to the itinerary that was posted on the BSRA web site:

http://www.transithistory.org/bsra/pdf/ ... nerary.pdf

I do not know the area, so I don't know if the trip followed the list exactly. I am sure someone on here who also went on the trip might know.

---------

There was only 1 Flyer used this trip no other trackless trolleys were used.

One of the rarely used wire we went to was the Watertown Yard. We lost power going into the Yard, and we needed to be pushed around the yard loop onto the live wires on the street. So that as fun to watch. You can still see old trolley tracks in the yard.

There were other mentions of Rare Wire that we went around, but I forget the name of it. I think it was the loop in front of the Oakley Country Club.

We also stopped on the only surface stop with the left side door is used.

It was a great trip around the Trackless system.

[sjd0356]

I was on the trip as well. It was my first time on a fantrip and it was quite the experience. We covered every inch of wire in the Cambridge, Watertown and Belmont including the Watertown Yard, Benton Loop and Bennett Alley.

[RailBus63]

It's too bad they didn't fire up one of the RTS work buses and at least pull it out to allow trip attendees to get pictures of it with the poles up.

[sixflagscoasters]

I saw the RTS work buses in the back of the yard. But like you said above they were not turned on or have their poles up.

Do the poles on the RTS's just work as ice scrapping, and not for powering the bus, or do they also power any tools that are needed when work is being done on the line?

[GP40MC 1116]

Dummy Poles, the busses are powered by their diesel engine's just as when those 2 RTS"s were in passenger service.

[tristanh1]

So does that trip represent the end of the flyer tt's or are they offically still in service, if so when if ever do they run?

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

So does that trip represent the end of the flyer tt's or are they offically still in service, if so when if ever do they run?

I think this fantrip does represent the end. There were 3 active at North Cambridge for the last couple years used for rush-hour service whenever the in-service Neoplans dipped below a certain number. Few times a month I'd see one out there in revenue service. They were also used as ice scrapers until I think they got another dummy-pole diesel. But they've since been taken to Everett shops for storage and disposition. Makes sense as that's a very small yard with very limited onsite maintenance for supporting two makes, and the contingency fleet hasn't been needed much because the Neoplans have proven reliable.

33 years. They were the longest-lasting TT's ever used in Boston since the first lines opened in 1936, and they were fairly trouble-free right to the end. Very good vehicles.

[3rdrail]

Yes, the Flyers held up excellently. TT's as a rule have a terrific track record. You couldn't kill the old Pullman-Standards that the Flyers replaced. I found this video on Youtube of a Vancouver Flyer. Check out how it takes this switch at speed. Think we could do that in Boston ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1hRQrL- ... re=related