Boston and Worcester Street Railway

Boston and Worcester Electric Companies (B&W) was a holding company for several streetcar companies between Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts. The main line, built by the Boston and Worcester Street Railway, was an interurban streetcar line partly on the old Boston and Worcester Turnpike (now Route 9) and partly on private right-of-way. Long after the line was converted to buses, Boston and Worcester Lines took over operations, and sold the franchises to various other bus companies.

In Newton, the B&W was granted a franchise in exchange for constructing a 90-foot (27 m) wide boulevard, of which it ran down the median.

The B&W also carried freight.

History

The B&W Street Railway was chartered November 16, 1901, and the first section, from the Newton/Brookline line at Chestnut Hill to Framingham Junction, opened May 12, 1903. The remainder to Worcester opened June 30, 1903. The Framingham Union Street Railway, providing service within Framingham and intersecting the B&W at Framingham Junction and Framingham Center, was bought December 21, 1903. On February 1, 1904, the B&W bought the Framingham, Southboro and Marlborough Street Railway, which the B&W used between Framingham Center and Fayville.

Boston and Worcester Electric Companies was incorporated December 29, 1902 to serve as a holding company for these railroads.

Streetcars last operated on June 10, 1932, after which buses ran, due to reconstruction of Route 9 as a major route, a predecessor to today's freeways.

Lines

Map

The main line ran along the old Boston and Worcester Turnpike (Route 9) except in the following places:

The section in Worcester was on trackage rights from the Worcester Consolidated Street Railway (on their "City Hall and Lake" line ), and in Boston it used the tracks of the Boston Elevated Railway.

At Framingham Junction, the crossing with current Route 126 in Framingham, many cars from Boston turned south to end at downtown Framingham ("South Framingham"). This junction was at the crossing of the older Framingham Union Street Railway line to Saxonville.

The other lines were as follows:

Other local routes may have existed.

The following interchange points with other companies were provided:

References

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