Northampton Street Railway

Last updated
Northampton Street Railway
Northampton Street Railway tram on Main Street, Northampton 1907 01 (cropped).jpg
A Northampton Street Railway car on Main Street, 1907
Overview
OwnerNorthampton Street Rwy. Co.
Area served
Transit type Light rail
Bus (1933–1951)
Headquarters125 Locust Street
Northampton, MA
01060-2066
Operation
Began operationSeptember 8, 1866 [1] :912
August 26, 1893 (electrified) [2]
1933 (bus) [3]
Ended operationDecember 25, 1933 (rail) [4]
August 22, 1951 (bus) [5] [lower-alpha 1]
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge [1] :912

The Northampton Street Railway (NSR), founded as the Northampton and Williamsburg Street Railway, was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Northampton, Massachusetts and its villages of Florence and Leeds, as well as surrounding communities with connections in Easthampton, and Williamsburg. [7]

Ultimately a prolonged labor strike beginning in August 1951, led to the company ceasing all services and relinquishing its routes and franchise later that year. [6] Following its bankruptcy, several of the railway company's former bus routes were assumed by Western Massachusetts Bus Lines. [8] Purchased two years after the company ceased operations, today the railway's former headquarters serves as the main garage of the Northampton Department of Public Works. [9]

Notes

  1. AFL strike began August 22, 1951. Company yielded routes and franchise- October 30, 1951. [6]

Related Research Articles

Holyoke, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located 8 miles (13 km) north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts.

Easthampton, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is on the southeastern edge of the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 census.

Northampton, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton was 29,571.

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) oversees and coordinates public transportation in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Currently the PVTA offers fixed-route bus service as well as paratransit service for the elderly and disabled. The PVTA was created by Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws in 1974. It is based in Springfield, Massachusetts, serves Hampden and Hampshire counties, and provides connecting service to the FRTA in Franklin County. It is the largest regional transit authority, and second largest public transit system in Massachusetts after the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, providing service to over 11 million riders annually across 24 municipalities in the region, with about 70% of all riders using the system as their primary mode of transit.

Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts)

Springfield Union Station is a train and bus station in the Metro Center area of Springfield, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1926, Springfield Union Station is the fifth busiest Amtrak station in the Commonwealth, and the busiest outside of Greater Boston.

Newspapers of New England, Inc. (NNE) is a privately owned publisher of nine daily and weekly newspapers in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Wistariahurst

Wistariahurst is a historic house museum and the former estate of the Skinner family, located at 238 Cabot Street in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was built in 1868 for William Skinner, the owner of a successful silk spinning and textile business, and is named for the abundant wisteria vines which cascade across its eastern facade. Originally constructed in Williamsburg in 1868, the mansion designed by Northampton architect William Ferro Pratt was moved to Holyoke in 1874, following the devastating flood which swept away the original Skinner mills. Following the death of Belle Skinner, its music room was operated as a private museum from 1930 to 1959, housing the Belle Skinner Collection of Old Musical Instruments, before their donation by the family to Yale University. Since 1959 it has been operated as the Wistariahurst Museum, and is open to the public. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Holyoke City Hall US historic place in Holyoke, Massachusetts

Holyoke City Hall is the historic city hall of Holyoke, Massachusetts. It is located at 536 Dwight Street, on the south east corner of High Street and Dwight Street. Serving both as the city administrative center and a public timepiece for the industrial city's workers, construction began on the Gothic Revival structure in 1871 to a design by architect Charles B. Atwood. Difficulties and delays in construction were compounded by Atwood's failure to deliver updated drawings in a timely manner, and the design work was turned over to Henry F. Kilburn in 1874. The building was completed two years later at a cost of $500,000. It has housed city offices since then.

The Connecticut River Railroad was a railroad located along the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts, formed in 1845 from the merger of two unfinished railroads. Its main line from Springfield to East Northfield, Massachusetts, opened in stages between 1845 and 1849. It built several branches and over the years acquired additional lines in Vermont. The railroad was acquired by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1893.

John W. Olver Transit Center Intermodal transit hub in Franklin County, Massachusetts

The John W. Olver Transit Center, also called the JWO Transit Center, is an intermodal transit hub for Franklin County, Massachusetts. Located in Greenfield, it currently serves Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) local bus routes plus intercity bus service. Amtrak's Greenfield station is also located here, with one daily Vermonter round trip and two daily Valley Flyer round trips, which are extensions of Amtrak-run Hartford Line trains.

Union Station (Northampton, Massachusetts)

Union Station is a historic building in Northampton, Massachusetts, that served as a train station from 1897 until 1987. Built at the close of the nineteenth century, the structure incorporates many features of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. The buff brick masses of the station are trimmed with red Longmeadow brownstone and hooded by red tile roofs. Steep dormers protrude from the roofline. The interior once featured Italian marble floors, oak woodwork, and a large fireplace.

Holyoke station

Holyoke is an Amtrak intercity train station near the corner of Main and Dwight streets in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States. The station opened on August 27, 2015, eight months after Amtrak's Vermonter service was re-routed to the Conn River Line through the Pioneer Valley.

Smiths Ferry, Holyoke, Massachusetts Neighborhood of Holyoke in Massachusetts, United States

Smith's Ferry is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States, located to the north of the city center, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown. The neighborhood prominently features the Mount Tom State Reservation, as well as the Mountain Park Amphitheater, the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation, and several other recreational and historic venues. Smith's Ferry is the largest geographic division in Holyoke, comprising roughly 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) of mixed residential, commercial, and recreational zoning.

Holyoke Street Railway

The Holyoke Street Railway (HSR) was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Holyoke, Massachusetts as well as surrounding communities with connections in Amherst, Belchertown, Chicopee, Easthampton, Granby, Northampton, Pelham, South Hadley, Sunderland, Westfield, and West Springfield. Throughout its history the railway system shaped the cultural institutions of Mount Tom, being operator of the mountain's famous summit houses, one of which hosted President McKinley, the Mount Tom Railroad, and the trolley park at the opposite end of this funicular line, Mountain Park.

Roswell Field Putnam

Roswell Field Putnam (1840–1911) was the foremost residential architect in Amherst and Northampton, Massachusetts, in the last two decades of the 19th century. He designed more than 35 sizable houses in those two towns and several in nearby communities.

This is a timeline of the history of the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA.

William P. Yoerg

William Paul Yoerg, sometimes referred to as Bill Yoerg, was an American politician, businessman, and the 32nd mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts. A tire salesman and garage proprietor prior to his political career, Yoerg established his company, Yoerg Tire & Rubber Company in 1909, reportedly selling more U.S. Brand tires than any other New England competitor during his time in business, overseeing it in some capacity until his retirement in 1954. During his tenure as mayor, he presided during several WPA projects, including the expansion of Mackenzie Stadium, completion of the city's War Memorial Building, and the construction of flood controls in the downtown and Springdale. He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 1938.

Springfield Street Railway

The Springfield Street Railway (SSR) was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Springfield, Massachusetts as well as surrounding communities with connections in Agawam, Blandford, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, Russell, Ware, Westfield, and West Springfield.

Connecticut Valley Street Railway

The Connecticut Valley Street Railway was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Greenfield, Massachusetts as well as surrounding communities with connections in Deerfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Montague, North Amherst, Northampton, and Whately.

References

  1. 1 2 Poor, H. V.; Poor, H. W. (1901). "Street Railways in Massachusetts". Poor's Manual of Railroads. XXXIII. New York: American Banknote Company.
  2. "Northampton's Electric Cars; Successfully Started - Interesting History of the Street Railway". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. August 27, 1893. p. 3.
  3. "Bus Will Replace Trolly". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. November 7, 1933. p. 3.
  4. "Busses to Make Run from Northampton". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. December 21, 1933. p. 3. With the transformation of the Northampton street railway line to bus service Tuesday
    • "New Busses Do Well Despite Heavy Snow; Railroad Passenger Traffic Mounts as Storm Halts Automobiles". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. December 27, 1933. p. 10.
  5. "'Hamp Bus Drivers, 65 Strong, Out On Strike; Pellissier, Acting Head of Transit Firm, Says Sale Would Be Welcome; Walkout First Since 1914". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. August 22, 1951. p. 1.
  6. 1 2 "Surrender of Franchise Stuns 'Hamp; But Officials Hope Bus Service May Be Restored Soon". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. October 31, 1951. p. 7.
  7. Map of the Street Railways of the State of Massachusetts (Map). The Joint Special Committee on the Transportation Facilities of Western Massachusetts. January 1913.
  8. "'Hamp Awakes to See Busses Rolling Again". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. January 21, 1952. p. 8. Fortier's Western Massachusetts Bus Lines will serve Northampton, Easthampton, Hadley, Amherst, Florence, Leeds, Williamsburg, and Mount Tom Junction for the present, with service nearly on a par with that given by the defunct Northampton Street Railway Co. which went out of business after union drivers struck for higher wages last August.
  9. "Boston Firm Gets Bid for Bond Issue; $101,000 Loan to Be Used For Purchase of Former Railway Co. Garage". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. September 18, 1953. p. 7.