Gloucester, Essex and Beverly Street Railway

Last updated
A GE&B streetcar in 1898 Gloucester, Essex and Beverly Street Railway car, 1898.jpg
A GE&B streetcar in 1898

The Gloucester, Essex & Beverly Street Railway was a former street railway operating in the Cape Ann region of Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1893 in Gloucester, [1] [2] the railway first opened for operation on August 21, 1895 and was completed in its entirety by September 30, 1896. [3] The railway was sold to the Gloucester Street Railway in 1900. [1]

Contents

Route

The Gloucester, Essex & Beverly operated a trunkline from Beverly to Essex along what is today Massachusetts Route 22 and from Essex to Gloucester along what is today Massachusetts Route 133. There was also a branch line to Ipswich, forking off near Chebacco Lake. In total, the GE&B operated 23 miles of track. The mainline and Ipswich branch both ran with 30-minute headways during the summer, and 60-minute headways during the winter. [3]

Fare Structure

Fares from Gloucester to West Gloucester and Essex were five cents and ten cents, respectively. The full mainline fare, from Gloucester to Beverly, was 30 cents. Travel along the Ipswich branch cost five cents. [3]

Related Research Articles

Essex County, Massachusetts County in Massachusetts

Essex County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the total population was 743,159, making it the third-most populous county in the state. It is part of the Greater Boston area. The largest city in Essex County is Lynn. The county was named after the English county of Essex.

Red Line (MBTA) Boston subway line

The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south and east underground from Alewife station in North Cambridge through Somerville and Cambridge, surfacing to cross the Longfellow Bridge then returning to tunnels under Downtown Boston. It continues underground through South Boston, splitting into two branches on the surface at JFK/UMass station. The Ashmont branch runs southwest through Dorchester to Ashmont station, where the connecting light rail Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line continues to Mattapan station. The Braintree branch runs southwest through Quincy and Braintree to Braintree station.

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 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.

Green Line E branch Boston Massachusetts subway line

The E branch is a light rail line in Boston, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. The line runs in mixed traffic on South Huntington Avenue and Huntington Avenue between Heath Street and Brigham Circle, in the median of Huntington Avenue to Northeastern University, then into the Huntington Avenue subway. The line merges into the Boylston Street subway just west of Copley, running to North Station via the Tremont Street subway.

Green Line C branch Boston Massachusetts subway line

The C branch, also called the Beacon Street Line or Cleveland Circle Line, is one of four branches of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line light rail system in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. The line begins at Cleveland Circle in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston and runs on the surface through Brookline along the median of Beacon Street. Reentering Boston, the line goes underground through the St. Marys Street incline and joins the B and D branches at Kenmore. Trains run through the Boylston Street subway to Copley where the E branch joins, then continue through the Tremont Street subway to downtown Boston. As of 2020, the C branch terminates at North Station.

Green Line D branch Boston Massachusetts subway line

The D branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line, also known as the Highland branch or the Riverside Line, is a light rail line in west Boston, Massachusetts, with stations also located in Brookline and Newton. It branches off near Kenmore Square from the Tremont Street and Boylston Street subways from downtown shared with the other light rail lines. It then continues west for about ten miles on a private surface right of way, formerly the Highland branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad. The right of way is double tracked throughout without express tracks. It is grade separated from roads and highways, though there are pedestrian crossings at stations and in Webster Conservation Area in Newton.

Green Line A branch Former streetcar line in Boston, Newton, and Watertown, Massachusetts

The A branch or Watertown Line was a streetcar line in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, operating as a branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line. The line ran from Watertown through Newton Corner, Brighton, and Allston to Kenmore Square, then used the Boylston Street subway and Tremont Street subway to reach Park Street station.

Baltimore Light RailLink

Light RailLink is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, as well as its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. In downtown Baltimore, it uses city streets. Outside the central portions of the city, the line is built on private rights-of-way, mostly from the defunct Northern Central Railway, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad and Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway.

Brookline Village station MBTA subway station

Brookline Village is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located in the Brookline Village neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, United States. It was originally a commuter rail station on the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch; it closed with the rest of the line in 1958 and reopened on July 4, 1959 as a light rail station. With 3,230 daily boardings, it is the third-busiest surface station on the D branch and the sixth-busiest surface station overall.

Newburyport/Rockport Line

The Newburyport/Rockport Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running northeast from downtown Boston, Massachusetts towards Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, serving the North Shore. The first leg, operating via the Eastern Route of the former Boston and Maine Railroad, serves Chelsea, Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, and Beverly. From there, a northern branch continues via the Eastern Route to serve Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley, and Newburyport, while other trains operate east from Beverly via the Gloucester Branch, serving Manchester, Gloucester, and Rockport. A bicycle coach is offered on the Rockport branch during the summer.

Q26 (New York City bus) Bus route in Queens, New York

The Q26 bus route constitutes a public transit line in Queens, New York City. It runs primarily along 46th Avenue and Hollis Court Boulevard, between a major bus-subway hub in Flushing and the intersection of Hollis Court and Francis Lewis Boulevards in Fresh Meadows. The route is now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit brand.

Salem station

Salem station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station served by the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station is located off Bridge Street near its interchange with North Street at the north end of downtown Salem, Massachusetts. The station has a single accessible full-length high-level platform serving the single track of the Eastern Route. Just south of the station is the Salem Tunnel, which carries the line under Washington Street. Salem is a major park and ride center, with a 700-space parking garage, as well as an MBTA bus terminal. It is the busiest commuter rail station in the MBTA system outside of the central Boston stations, with an average of 2,326 daily boardings in a 2018 count.

Beverly Depot

Beverly Depot is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Beverly, Massachusetts. Located in Downtown Beverly, it serves the Newburyport/Rockport Line. It is the junction of the line's two branches to Newburyport and Rockport and is served by every train on both branches.

Prides Crossing station

Prides Crossing is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Beverly, Massachusetts. Located in the village of Prides Crossing, it serves the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station sees limited service, with three to four trains stopping each direction on weekdays and none on weekends.

Gloucester station (MBTA)

Gloucester is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Located off Railroad Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Gloucester, it serves the Rockport branch of the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station consists of a single side platform serving the line's single track. The station has a mini-high platform, making it accessible.

Rockport station

Rockport station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Rockport, Massachusetts. It is the terminus of the Rockport branch of the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station complex consists of a single side platform with one revenue track plus 4 layover tracks for parked trains and a short stretch of auxiliary track.

Norwich and Westerly Railway

The Norwich and Westerly Railway was an interurban trolley system that operated in Southeastern Connecticut during the early part of the 20th century. It operated a 21-mile line through rural territory in Norwich, Preston, Ledyard, North Stonington, and Pawcatuck, Connecticut to Westerly, Rhode Island between 1906 and 1922. For most of its length, the route paralleled what is now Connecticut Route 2.

Ipswich Street line Former streetcar line in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts

The Ipswich Street line was a streetcar line in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. The line ran on Boylston Street and Ipswich Street in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood, and on Brookline Avenue through what is now the Longwood Medical Area to Brookline Village.

Boston and Northern Street Railway Former transportation company in Greater Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston & Northern Street Railway Company (B&N) was a horse-drawn and electric streetcar railroad operated on the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, and communities to the north. Founded in 1859 as the Lynn and Boston Railroad (L&B), via lease and merger it became a primary mass transit provider for northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Its immediate successor was the Bay State Street Railway , and its modern successor is the state-run Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

References

  1. 1 2 "EARLY STREET RAILWAY COMPANIES (NORTH SUBURBS)". Chicago Rail Fan. American Street Railway Association. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  2. Report of the Tax Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1899.
  3. 1 2 3 "Street Railway Conditions and Financial Results in Metropolitan Boston". The Street Railway Journal. American Street Railway Association. September 1898. Retrieved 13 August 2014.