When Boston Rode the EL (Images of America)

Cheney, Frank; Mitchell Sammarco, Anthony

ISBN 10: 0738504629 / ISBN 13: 9780738504629

Published by Arcadia Publishing, 2000

About this Item

Paperback. No writing, highlighting, or marks in text. Very minor wear to page edges and corners.

Seller Inventory # 756594

Bibliographic Details

• Title: When Boston Rode the EL (Images of America)
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738504629
• ISBN 13: 9780738504629
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: As New
• Weight: 2 ounces
• Seller catalogs:
  • TRNTransportation::Trains

About this title

Synopsis

The Boston Elevated Railway broke ground in 1899 for a new transit service that opened in 1901, providing a seven-mile elevated railway that connected Dudley Street Station in Roxbury and Sullivan Square Station in Charlestown, two huge multilevel terminals. When the EL, as it was popularly known, opened for service, it provided an unencumbered route high above the surging traffic of Boston, until it went underground through the city. The new trains of the EL were elegant coaches of African
mahogany, bronze hardware, plush upholstered seats, plate glass windows, and exteriors of aurora red with silver gilt striping and slate grey roofs. They stopped at ten equally distinguished train stations, designed by the noted architect Alexander Wadsworth
Longfellow. All of this elegance, let alone convenience, could be had for the price of a five-cent ticket. The popularity of the EL was instantaneous. The railway continued to provide transportation service high above Boston's streets until 1987, when it was unfortunately ended after 86 years of elevated operation. Today, the squealing wheels of the Elevated trains, the rocking coaches, the fascinating views, and the fanciful copper-roofed stations of the line are a missing part of the character of Boston, when one could ride high above the city for a nickel.

About the Author

Frank Cheney and Anthony Mitchell Sammarco are the authors of Boston in Motion and Trolleys under the Hub. Join them as they take a last ride on Boston's EL and journey into the city's past. In When Boston Rode the EL, they combine beautiful rare photographs and fascinating stories to complete the story of Boston's transportation history.