Charlestown Elevated

Charlestown Elevated
City Square station
Overview
System	BERy Main Line / MBTA Orange Line
Termini	Canal Street Incline Everett station
Stations	5
Operation
Opening	1901
Closed	1975
Technical
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Charlestown Elevated Everettopened 1919 Mystic River Sullivan Square Thompson Square City Square Charles River Atlantic Avenue Elevated (r) North Station Canal Street Incline | Battery Street Washington Street Subway (l) Friend-Union Milk-State | State Street(East Boston Tunnel) Rowes Wharf(BRB&L ferry) Summer | South Station(Dorchester Tunnel) Boylston-Essex Beach Street Washington Street Elevated Dover Northampton Dudley Square Egleston Green Street(opened 1912) Forest Hills

The Charlestown Elevated was a former segment of Boston's Orange Line rapid transit line that ran from the Canal Street Incline in parallel with the Causeway Street Elevated (near the old Boston Garden), splitting from the Causeway Elevated's right-of-way by running to the northeast around the Boston Garden, and then resuming its northwards run to the city of Everett through Charlestown. Building of the elevated began in 1899 and the first trains ran in June 1901,^[1] with the Atlantic Avenue Elevated tracks splitting off to the east between North Station and City Square from the northwards turn towards Everett until the Atlantic Avenue El's own closure in 1938.

The Orange Line was rerouted to Malden via an underground route and surface-level route - the Haymarket North Extension - in 1975, the first of two major realignments of the Orange Line in the 20th century. The second realignment into metropolitan Boston's Southwest Corridor occurred in 1987, following the closure and subsequent demolition of the Washington Street Elevated that extended south of the city center. The Charlestown Elevated closed on April 4, 1975, and the new extension opened on April 7.

The Charlestown Elevated's infrastructure was demolished shortly after its closure; Sullivan Square was demolished in July 1975.^[2] Remains of the bridge over the Mystic River still exist just west of the Route 99 (Alford Street) bridge, and a line of angled stone remains of the Canal Street Incline. The elevated supports can also be seen in the center span of the Charlestown Bridge. Tower C, which was located at the split between the Charlestown Elevated and the Atlantic Avenue Elevated at the southern end of the Charlestown Bridge, was moved to the Seashore Trolley Museum.^[2]

Station listing

Gallery

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  Under construction, 1899

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  Elevated train on Canal Street Incline

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  North Station elevated stop in 1922, with parallel Causeway Street Elevated streetcar tracks at left

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  Sullivan Square, 1905

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  Charlestown Bridge, 1929

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  1967-69 MBTA map showing the Charlestown Elevated route

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  Remains of the Canal Street Incline

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  Elevated supports on Charlestown Bridge

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  Supports at Sullivan Square

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  Abutment of Mystic River bridge

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charlestown Elevated.

External links

• Remains visible from Route 99 on Google Maps Street View
• Historic Charlestown photos

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Subway lines (List of stations) Heavy rail      Blue      Orange      Red Light rail      Green "B" Branch "C" Branch "D" Branch "E" Branch      Ashmont–Mattapan      Commuter Rail lines (List of stations) North Station lines Fitchburg Haverhill (Wildcat Branch) Lowell Newburyport/Rockport South Station lines Fairmount Framingham/Worcester Franklin Greenbush Needham Old Colony (Kingston/Plymouth Middleborough/Lakeville      CapeFLYER) Providence/Stoughton Bus routes (List of routes)      Silver Crosstown routes Key routes Trackless trolleys Routes East Boston, Chelsea, Revere Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield South Boston Other services      Boat The Ride Component parts of system lines      Boylston Street Subway      Haymarket North Extension      Lechmere Viaduct      Tremont Street Subway      Washington Street Subway Under construction           Government Center closure      Green Line Extension      South Coast Rail      Wachusett extension Proposed      Lynn extension           Red Line—Blue Line Connector Urban Ring Project      North–South Rail Link      Plaistow extension      Nashua extension      Westerly extension      Indigo Line (Fairmount Grand Junction Track 61) History Predecessor companies Boston Elevated Railway Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Newton and Boston Street Railway Former lines      Atlantic Avenue Elevated      Causeway Street Elevated      Charlestown Elevated      Green Line "A" Branch      Lexington Branch Streetcar lines      Washington Street Elevated      Woburn Loop      History of the Green Line Other Accessibility Arts on the Line "Charlie on the M.T.A." CharlieCard Police Nomenclature Yards and maintenance facilities