Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad

Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad

A BRB&L train at Pleasant Street station
Locale	North Shore, Massachusetts
Dates of operation	1875–1940
Track gauge	3 ft (914 mm)

The Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge passenger-carrying short line railroad between East Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts from 1875 to 1940.

History

Crescent Beach station around 1910

It was chartered May 5, 1874 and opened July 29, 1875. A ferry connection from the railroad's southern terminus at East Boston connected to Rowes Wharf in the city of Boston proper, with a connection to the Atlantic Avenue Elevated (from 1901 to 1938). The railroad followed the coastline north-eastward through the resort of Revere Beach to the far terminus at Lynn. A branch split at Orient Heights to a loop through Winthrop.

The rail laid was light, 30-pound per yard (15 kg/m) rail being installed at first, increased to 50 lb/yd (25 kg/m) in 1885 and 60 lb/yd (30 kg/m) in 1904. It was, however, laid from the beginning on standard gauge-sized ties. Given the lightweight rail, the locomotives were small and of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge dimensions. The vast majority of them were Mason Bogies, 11 from the Mason Machine Works and a further 21 from other builders after Mason closed. Cars were of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge dimensions, seating four across.

Between 1896 and 1900, the section from Revere Beach to Point of Pines, formerly running along the beach, was relocated inland to lie next to the Eastern Railroad's abandoned Chelsea Beach Branch.^[1] The stations were moved and a new one (Bath House) was built. Revere Beach Boulevard was built later along the former route.

The railroad was highly successful, carrying commuters into Boston and the Boston urban population to the seaside resorts. By 1914 over seven million passengers were carried annually, making it one of the most heavily traveled stretches of railroad in North America. With such a traffic density, the expense of electrification could be easily recouped. By 1928, all existing cars were fitted with electric motors, trolley poles, and control stands and the steam locomotives were disposed of. However, the Great Depression and increased use of the automobile ultimately caused ridership to decline.

After attempts to find a buyer fell through, the BRB&L filed for bankruptcy in 1937. Further losses of ridership followed, and in 1939 the management petitioned for abandonment. This was granted, and the railroad ceased operations on January 27, 1940.

The right-of-way from East Boston to Revere, a length of 4.3 miles, was used in 1952–1954 to build part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Blue Line rapid transit line. The remainder of the right-of-way is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and may be used for further expansion of the Blue Line. South of the Blue Line's section, the line passed through where Logan Airport is now and a now-abandoned tunnel under a hill.

A number of the passenger cars were purchased by the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania, where two or three survive. The line's Orient Heights Car shop also survives, having been converted to a casket factory after the closure of the line.

Winthrop sections

On July 1, 1891, the BRB&L merged with the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Boston, Winthrop and Shore Railroad. The BW&S was itself a consolidation on December 11, 1883 of the Boston, Winthrop and Point Shirley Railroad and Eastern Junction, Broad Sound Pier and Point Shirley Railroad.

Boston, Winthrop and Point Shirley Railroad

The BW&PS was organized in 1874 and opened a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line on June 7, 1877. This line split from the BRB&L at Winthrop Junction and headed east and south for 2.55 miles (4.10 km) to Winthrop Center. In 1881, the part heading south was closed and a new line was built east to Ocean Spray and south to Point Shirley

Eastern Junction, Broad Sound Pier and Point Shirley Railroad

The EJBSP&PS was chartered 1880 and built a standard gauge railway line from the Eastern Railroad near Crescent Beach southeast via Beachmont and Winthrop Beach to Point Shirley. South of Ocean Spray, this was just east of the BW&PS. Much of this shared section of right-of-way used a three-rail, dual gauge track. A branch of the EJBSP&PS was also constructed in Revere, from the junction with the Eastern Railroad north to Point of Pines, parallel with the Eastern's Chelsea Beach line. The EJBSP&PS was not operated until 1884, by which time it had been absorbed into the Boston, Winthrop & Shore RR. It operated for only two summers before being abandoned due to damage from storms.

Post-merger

The BW&PS and the EJBSP&PS, along with the Boston & Winthrop (a "paper railroad" proposed but never built) were merged late in 1883 and operated thereafter as the Boston, Winthrop & Shore RR. In 1885, after a storm, sections of line were abandoned, and the management of the BRB&L stepped in. A circuit or loop line was constructed in 1888 and existed until the 1940 demise of the BRB&L. It used parts of the original alignment of the BW&PS. Most of the line, however, was built brand new, serving Winthrop Highlands, Winthrop Center and Winthrop Beach. The loop was double-tracked in 1903.

Point Shirley Street Railway

Ceremonial driving of the first spike on the line in August 1910

The Point Shirley Street Railway was built from Winthrop Beach station to Point Shirley beginning in August 1910 and opened later than year.^[2] The 1.2-mile (1.9 km) single-track line ran along Shirley Street and Tafts Avenue.^[3][4] The BRB&L acquired the entire line with legislative approval in October 1912.^[5] By 1914, the line operated 30,594 car miles (an average of 35 daily round trips), carried 165,037 passengers (an average of 452 daily), and employed seven people.^[4]

Unusually, the Point Shirley Street Railway did not operate with electric power from overhead lines.^[2] It first used a gasoline-powered electric streetcar, then a battery-powered streetcar owned by the BRB&L, but these did not prove adequate for reliable service and by early 1919 buses were used instead. This prompted a public outcry with demands for conventional overhead-powered cars; instead, the BRB&L introduced two lighter battery-powered streetcars with better performance to the line in May 1919.^[5]

Even the 1919-built cars proved to be too expensive to operate on a marginal low-traffic line. In 1928, they were permanently replaced by buses.^[2]

After closure

Blue Line

The former Harbor View station, now a private residence, in 2012

Most former stations were demolished shortly after abandonment or during rapid transit conversion. Only Harbor View, closed earlier than the rest of the line and moved slightly, remains as a private residence.^[6]

A Blue Line train on the former BRB&L right of way at Suffolk Downs in 1967

In 1941, the Boston Elevated Railway bought the BRB&L right of way from Day Square to Revere Beach for use as a high-speed trolley line similar to the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line; these plans were delayed by the onset of World War II.^[6] However, the 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities and 1945–47 Coolidge Commission Report recommended that the East Boston Tunnel line, which had been converted to rapid transit from streetcars in 1924, be extended to Lynn via the BBRB&L route rather than using it for a trolley line.^[7][8]

In 1947, the newly formed Metropolitan Transit Authority (M.T.A.) decided to build to Lynn as a rapid transit line, and construction began in October 1948.^[6] The first part of the Revere Extension opened to Orient Heights on January 5, 1952, with intermediate stations at Airport Station and Day Square, and to Suffolk Downs on April 21, 1952.^[9] The second phase (cut short due to limited funds) opened to Wonderland on January 19, 1954 with intermediate stations at Beachmont and Revere Beach.^[6][9] All stations from Orient Heights to Wonderland were located at the sites of former BRB&L stations. The line was renamed as the Blue Line in 1965.^[9]

Despite over a dozen studies in the intervening years, further Blue Line extension to Lynn has not moved past the proposal stage. The extension would likely share the Newburyport/Rockport Line right of way, as buildings and parking lots have impinged on the BRB&L right of way through Point of Pines and in Lynn.

Winthrop

Remaining section of BRB&L track at Hagman Road in Winthrop.

A route 712 bus in Winthrop in July 2015

The Winthrop Loop was not preserved for transit use; some stations were destroyed within weeks. Many sections of the right of way were reused for roads, walking trails, and housing developments. A short section of track remains in Winthrop Center, and portions of the Winthrop Beach trestle are still extant.

Unlike the main line, the Winthrop Loop was not paralled by mainline railroads or Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) trolleybus lines. The town of Winthrop rejected plans for BERy to provide bus service.^[10] Instead, Rapid Transit, Inc. began operating Winthrop Beach - Maverick bus service as soon as the BRB&L was abandoned. The two routes split at Winthrop Beach and roughly paralleled the two halves of the Loop; some service also operated through to Point Shirley.^[9]

The inbound terminus was changed to Orient Heights when the first phase of the Revere Extension opened in 1952. The MBTA, formed in 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail operations, began funding bus services including the Winthop service in 1968.^[9]

In July 1991, Winthrop bus operations were transferred to Paul Revere Transportation. In September 1999, the two halves of the loop service were designated as 712 Winthrop - Orient Heights via Highlands and 713 Winthrop - Orient Heights via Center and added to MBTA maps and signage.^[9] Outbound route 712 trips are through-routed to inbound route 713 trips and vice versa; some service continues to operate to Point Shirley.

Station listing

1939 map of the BRB&L

Legend

MBTA Blue Line BRB&L ProposedLynn Lynn West Lynn Saugus River Point of Pines Oak Island Revere Street Wonderland Bath House Revere Beach Crescent Beach Beachmont Beachmont Suffolk Downs Belle Isle Winthrop Loop Winthrop Beach Playstead Thornton Ocean Spray Winthrop Center Winthrop Highlands Ingalls Battery Pleasant Street Orient Heights Yard Orient Heights Orient Heights Harbor View Inbound Wood Island East Boston Boston Harbor Rowes Wharf

Winthrop Branch

A 1903 map of Winthrop from Floyd and Tucker showing the route of the Winthrop Loop and station locations of the Boston Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad

This is going clockwise around the loop. The loop tracks split from the main line just north of Orient Heights, turned east and then split with one direction heading east and the other south. Much of the rail's path was converted to roads when the line was removed, but you can still see some of the existing railbed that curved out into Crystal Cove at Winthrop Beach Station, and the remnants of the rail bridges as it crossed Belle Isle March to connect at Orient Heights. Today, one can drive along Veteran's Road (current path of the old line) to experience the course of the commuter train as it ran parallel to Shirley Street. The location of the various railway stations in Winthrop had a tremendous influence on the pattern of Winthrop's suburban growth; business and commerce grew up naturally around these stations and ultimately into what would become today's neighborhoods.

Equipment

Steam locomotives

Pegasus at Winthrop Center in 1888

Jupiter at Lynn in 1876

2-4-4 Mason Bogie locomotive #6 as built in 1886

#18, #8, and #20 at Orient Heights car barn

Ferryboats

The Newtown, c. 1908-1915

Notes

References

• Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9. 
• Karr, Ronald Dale (1994). The Rail Lines of Southern New England: A Handbook of Railroad History. Branch Line Press. ISBN 0-942147-02-2. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad.

• Plan showing location of Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Rail Road, May 1875
• "The Coffee Roasters" of New England, about the BRB&L