Orange Line Past

Here are links about the past history of the existing Orange line, when it was on the old granite embankments that held the New Haven tracks. There are five stories.
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... art-i.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... racks.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... t-iii.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... rk-iv.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... art-v.html

Saying those articles are about the Orange Line's past is very misleading, as the only connection the Orange Line has to anything in them is that it was a major factor in the abandonment of most of those stations 20 years later.

Dude you may be right, it might not be the best title. But I know the original Orange el.I rode it to school , I drank under it in joints , and I worked under it. I thought there might be an interest in the articles I found to someone, as the present Orange line is somewhat proximate to the rails in the articles. What I get is a malcontent who wants to play Mother Superior, have a nice day!

Great articles.

In the fifth story it says, "As has already been published, the tracks to be devoted to suburban serivce will be fitted with a third rail, similar to that now used on the South Shore branch, and electricity will be utilized as the motive power. "

So, does that mean in 1896 that there was third-rail powered rail service to the South shore?

Yeah; it didn't last very long, but what's now the Greenbush Line I think as far as Cohasset (and possibly the Nantasket Beach Branch?) was powered with a third rail in the center of the tracks... from what I understand, however, this was before multiple-unit operation, so running across switches and such was considered too complicated and the experimental system was never expanded.

Yes. The Nastasket Beach Branch from Nantasket Junction to Hull was electrified with a center third rail after 1895. The Greenbush Line was was electrified from East Weymouth to Cohasset but it was discontinued due to safety reasons (likely grade crossings) after 1902.

Source: Thomas J. Humphrey's history: http://web.archive.org/web/200708261527 ... istory.asp

The Shore Line Trolley Museum has a nice article about them here - http://www.shorelinetrolley.com/stm/mod ... .php?id=15 (Scroll down inner panel of photos.)
They were big, open cars with a third rail right in the middle of the gauge - just like Lionel ! The live third rail went right along with the outside rails, through crossings, etc., and if my memory is correct, I believe that I recall reading about accounts of persons being electrocuted fairly often.

Teamdriver wrote:Here are links about the past history of the existing Orange line, when it was on the old granite embankments that held the New Haven tracks. There are five stories.
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... art-i.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... racks.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... t-iii.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... rk-iv.html

http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... art-v.html

That's my blog. Definitely not the Orange Line, but it was the precursor of the Orange Line, with local service and stations through Jamaica Plain matching the later Forest Hills elevated stops.

MBTA3247 wrote:Saying those articles are about the Orange Line's past is very misleading, as the only connection the Orange Line has to anything in them is that it was a major factor in the abandonment of most of those stations 20 years later.

MarkB wrote:That's my blog. Definitely not the Orange Line, but it was the precursor of the Orange Line, with local service and stations through Jamaica Plain matching the later Forest Hills elevated stops.

Exactly, Mark. And why I do not believe that Teamdriver's title was in any way misleading as the "Orange Line Past", meaning pre-existing in close proximity and obviously having a strong influence on the El. My photo shows just how close they were at some locations.


Mark - Do you still have questions re: Galvin's Field, Muskrat Village, Franklin Place or Brookway Terrace ? Send me your blog or personal email address with your question(s). Cudos to a great blog !
Paul Joyce - formerly of 3882 Washington St. next to the Tollgate Bridge aka Muskrat Village.

MarkB wrote:

Teamdriver wrote:Here are links about the past history of the existing Orange line, when it was on the old granite embankments that held the New Haven tracks. There are five stories.
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... art-i.html
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... racks.html
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... t-iii.html
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... rk-iv.html
http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.co ... art-v.html

That's my blog. Definitely not the Orange Line, but it was the precursor of the Orange Line, with local service and stations through Jamaica Plain matching the later Forest Hills elevated stops.

What happened to those stations? Did any of the buildings last until the Southwest Corridor trench was built in the 1980s?

Remnants did. When the elevated New Haven RR tracks were in place, traces could be found. The Forest Hills Taxi stand stood and backed up on the Forest Hills New Haven inbound granite entrance and stairs. Both inbound and outbound platforms remained until the end also. Green Street had Woolsey Square, an obvious railroad inspired street and square made up of Belgium Block. The Crossing had remnants of it's past as well with stairways, etc. When the trench got dug, most were removed. A large chunk of granite block wall still sits at Roxbury Crossing's Mindoro/Station Sts. I believe that it may have been part of Roxbury Crossing Station. I have a photo of it that I took. If anyone is interested, remind me after today and I'll put it up for you. (RRN only takes small sized photos and my photo sizer takes @ 24 hours to make the smaller correction.)

Roxbury Stonehenge

I walked the line, camera in hand, just before the end of service. But though I found the pickle factory near Roxbury Crossing interesting, I didn't photograph it. Did anyone else reading this thread do so? When the weather gets colder I'll get back to scanning my old slides and may have something worth putting on the net.

I don't have the pickle factory (I just eat one occasionally). I have the El and NH line in and around Forest Hills and an extensive photo library which I shot of the El from the end of the Forest Hills Yard to Downtown X before the end, including all the stations, the Shop, and Tower "H". If there's anything that anyone would like to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do. (I was ejected from Dover (of all stops !) by a T station attendant ! I had more right to be there than he but I didn't tell him that ! hahaha!!!)

That was the R&S Pickle company.They were in the old Croft brewery building that was at Heath and Terrace streets.There was an archway on Heath street to the inside of it.You could smell the brine for miles............