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Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad |
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The Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad was an 8.8 mile (14.2 km) 3 ft (914 mm) gauge narrow gauge passenger-carrying railroad that ran from Lynn, Massachusetts through Revere, Massachusetts to the East Boston, Massachusetts area. It was chartered May 5, 1874, opened July 29, 1875, and abandoned January 27, 1940. A ferry connection from the railroad's southern terminus at East Boston connected to Rowe's 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-eastwards through the resort of Revere Beach to the far terminus at Lynn. A branch split to a loop through Winthrop. The rail laid was light, 30-pound (per yard) rail being installed at first, increased to 50-pound in 1885 and 60-pound in 1904. It was, however, laid from the beginning on standard gauge-sized ties. Given the lightweight rail, the locomotives were small and of standard narrow-gauge dimensions. The vast majority of them were Mason Bogies, 11 from the Mason Machine Works and 21 from other builders after Mason closed. Cars were of standard gauge dimensions, however, seating four across. Between 1896 and 1900, the part along Revere Beach, formerly running right along the beach, was relocated inland to lie next to the Eastern Railroad's Chelsea Beach Branch. The stations were relocated and a new one (Bath House) was built. Revere Street was built later. 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 travelled stretches of railroad in North America. With such a traffic density, the expense of electrification could be recouped easily by savings, and in 1928 this happened, the existing cars being fitted with electric motors, trolley poles and control stands and the steam locomotives disposed of. However, the Great Depression, contracting local industry, and increasing automobile use soon saw ridership declining. 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 utilised 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 in future. South of the Blue Line's section, the line passed through where Logan Airport is now, and through a now-abandoned tunnel under a hill. A number of the passenger cars were purchased by the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania, where they survive today.
References: Hilton, George W. (1990) American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9 Ronald Dale Karr (1994) The Rail Lines of Southern New England: A Handbook of Railroad History. Branch Line Press. ISBN 0-942147-02-2 Railroad History Database |
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