July 6, 2008:

 

            I got up shortly after 8:00 and went downstairs for breakfast. I then gathered my things and headed out. I walked a few blocks to pick up MBTA’s Silver Line. The Silver line uses buses. There are actually four branches on the Silver Line. The branch I was heading for runs completely independent from the other three. That Branch reminds me of VIVA back home. The buses on the Silver Line are painted Silver compared to other MBTA buses which are white and yellow.

 

            When I got there, I just missed a New Flyer C40LF heading in the direction I wanted. I waited a few minutes and photographed an articulated bus going the other way on the Silver Line.

 

 

            I had a few minutes before my bus was to come so I took a little walk. I photographed an MBTA RTS which was out of service.

 

 

            I headed back to the Silver Line bus stop. Soon my bus came. My bus was another C40LF which I photographed.

 

 

            I rode the Silver line to the Boylston Street Station where the Silver Line connects to the Green Line. I went into the Green Line station and found two historic streetcars that are on display. They are car #5734 which is on loan from Seashore and picture window PCC #3295 which has been restored to as delivered condition. I photographed them both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Several Green Line cars had passed before I was done. I caught the next car to Science Park station and visited the science museum there. I photographed a few of the exhibits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I eventually went to the Robot exhibit room. One of the exhibits is a Roomba vacuum cleaner that you can program to do simple commands.

 

 

            After running some commands, I was approached by a student from MIT asking for my time for a survey. They asked me to take a look at a robot they had designed. I would be paid $5.00 for the survey. I filled out a form and when I was done, they told me they were having some problems and to come back in about 15 minutes. I looked around the science museum some more and photographed more items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            I then went back to the robot exhibit. I saw the robot and had a coversation with it even though it did most of the talking. When I was done. I took a photo of the robot.

 

Here is the Robot I had a conversation with.

 

I was paid the $5.00 and then went back to the Roomba exhibit. At one end, they had some cardboard bricks. I arranged them into a tower and made a program so the Roomba would hit the tower and knock it over. It took three tries, but the tower fell. I filmed it and afterwards, I laughed.

 

I then left Science Park and caught a Green Line train to North Station. When I got to North Station, I photographed the train and filmed it leaving.

 

 

I then went into the train station and bought a round trip ticket to Rockport. Back on my last trip to Quebec City, my friend Dan had suggested that I go for a ride on the Rockport line. I figured, “Why not?”

 

My train soon boarded. I photographed the cab car of the train I would ride.

 

 

I was hoping to ride in the cab car, but it was blocked off. Only a couple coaches in the middle of the train were open. The train soon departed. When we passed the RDCs, I noticed they were in rough shape. They were sitting on freight car trucks and had many of their windows boarded up. They were also covered in graffiti. They were both RDC-2s.

 

Later, I also saw an MBTA bus garage from the train. The train passed through some scenic areas including going on a bridge over a marina. At one point, we ran through some fog.

 

The train arrived into Rockport 70 minutes after leaving North Station. Once I got off, I took some photos of the train.

 

 

 

 

I also noticed a couple other MBTA commuter trains. One had F40 #1000 leading. I noticed a plaque on 1000. I photographed the trains.

 

 

 

I bought some lunch from somewhere around the corner. I waited a little before the train would head back to Boston around 2:00 pm. I soon boarded and we were off. Again, only a couple coaches were open. I thought that MBTA could reduce its feul bill by running shorter trains to Rockport on weekends.

 

I filmed the MBTA bus garages from the train as we passed by as well as the two RDCs in rough shape. When we arrived into Boston North Station, I took a photo of the train.

 

 

I then left North Station and headed to the Orange Line subway. I rode the Orange Line to State Street and transferred to the Blue Line. The Orange and Blue lines use subway cars built by Hawker-Siddeley in the 70’s. However while the cars on the Orange Line run on power from the third rail, the blue line cars run on third raid and overhead wires. They switch from third rail to overhead at the Airport station. Why there are two modes of powering the trains, I’m not sure. However, MBTA has recently begun to receive some new cars for the Blue Line.

 

However, I rode a train of older Hawker cars. I got off at the Airport station and filmed my train leaving.

 

 

After my train had left, I filmed an inbound train of newer Blue line cars arrive and lower the pantographs.

 

A free shuttle service is offered between the Airport Station on the Blue Line and Logan International Airport. I got on one bus and rode to the airport. I got off at the terminal where Delta Airlines and Continental Airlines fly out of. When I got off, I photographed the bus.

 

 

I then went to ride a bus on another branch of the Silver Line that runs between the airport and Boston South Station. This branch and the other two are interesting because they use dual-mode buses. They are trolley buses with a diesel engine to allow them to run off wires. I soon found where the Silver Line stops and photographed bus #1115.

 

 

Although I didn’t see it, there is a dual mode bus numbered 1122.

 

The bus soon left and after stopping at some other terminals, we headed off. The bus changed from diesel engine to overhead wire power at the Silver Line Way station. We then entered a tunnel and soon we arrived at South Station. I took some photos of the bus and a video of the bus pulling away.

 

 

 

I looked around South Station briefly before I caught a Red Line subway train to Ashmont Station. At Ashmont, I switched to the Mattapan-Ashmont trolley line. This line uses 10 rebuilt PCCs. However, they’re not quite as extensively rebuilt as the PCC-2s in Philadelphia. The line has recently undergone work.

 

When I got there, I had just missed a PCC. I waited for the next car. PCC car #3265 arrived. I took a photo and got on.

 

 

I took some interior shots. The PCC soon left. I noticed just beyond the Ashmont station was a yard for the Red Line subway trains. There were even two old subway car bodies at the far end of the yard. I noted to myself this was only the third time I rode a PCC streetcar that never ran in Toronto.

 

About halfway down the line, we passed the car I had missed. We soon arrived at Mattapan station where I saw the yard and the eight other PCCs that weren’t in service. I took some photos and a video of the car going around the loop.

 

 

 

I then rode 3265 back to Ashmont station. I took one last photo of 3265 when I got off.

 

 

I then rode the Red Line subway back to the Downtown Crossing station and walked over to a nearby McDonald’s for dinner. I then headed outside. I saw a camera/electronics store. The store had a sign out front saying no food or drinks. I still had my drink, so I couldn’t go in. The store closed before I could finish.

 

I then took the orange line and headed back to my hostel. But I was bored, so I decided to take a walk. I walked past a bar and crossed paths with a guy with big head that believed in the Canadian stereotype that Canadians always say “eh”. I argued with him that it’s not true. I found a place a couple blocks away from Back Bay station where I filmed an Amtrak Regional train passing. I noticed that the second last car was Amfleet 1 #82999. That car is significant because it was thoroughly converted from Amfleet 1 café car #20013.

 

I didn’t want to risk another encounter with an Amtrak cop like what happened in Philadelphia last year. Even though that cop was alright, I don’t know about the next cop. I photographed an MBTA bus and moved on.

 

 

I walked past the bar and again, I crossed paths with the big headed guy. I went back to my hostel and waited for awhile.

 

I headed out again and walked over to a CVS Pharmacy. I looked around. I saw a 1 gig memory stick that cost $39.99. I figured it was a little pricy and they didn’t have anything less. I just bought a bottle of milk and headed back to my hostel. On the way back, I saw a guy hassling another guy in a wheelchair most likely because the guy in the wheelchair owed the guy money. I got out of there quickly in case the first guy had a gun on him. I arrived back at my hostel safely and then called it a night.

 

July 7, 2008:

 

I got up shortly after 8:00 and went downstairs for breakfast. I then gathered my things and headed out. I walked a few blocks to pick up MBTA’s Silver Line again. This time, I was going south to Dudley Plaza; the end of that branch of the Silver Line.

 

My bus came two minutes after I got to the stop. I rode to Dudley Plaza. There was a loud mouth black guy who implied the area was rough and that someone had tried to mug him. He said that they should mug the “rich white guys”. Fortunately I didn’t encounter any thugs.

 

When the bus arrived at Dudley Plaza, I got off and took some photos.

 

 

 

I looked around the immediate area, but didn’t see any camera stores. I then saw a bus that was heading for Mattapan. I got on and rode to the Mattapan streetcar loop.

 

At Mattapan, I saw the PCC I rode the day before was in the yard. Soon, PCC 3087 pulled up. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

I rode to the Ashmont subway station. When I got off, I took one more photo of 2087.

 

 

I then entered the subway station and waited for the next inbound train. I rode to the Downtown Crossing station. I looked into the camera/electronics store that I saw yesterday. I saw that the cheapest memory stick was $29.99 which was also for a 1 gig. I eventually left without getting anything.

 

I walked a couple blocks and looked in a used book store. I then had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. After lunch, I caught the D branch of the Green Line. I rode until I noticed the yard at the Reservoir Station. I saw a Boeing LRV that had been converted into a work car. MBTA retired the Boeing LRVs a couple years ago when they got some new cars. They converted three into work cars. A fourth is being held for the Seashore Trolley Museum.

 

Interestingly enough when MBTA first got the Boeing LRVs, they borrowed three CLRVs from Toronto to see if they would work for Boston. While the cars did okay, MBTA did not buy any. In hindsight, CLRVs would have been less troublesome if MBTA had bought some. While all the Boeings are no longer in revenue service, the TTC is now only ordering new streetcars to replace the CLRVs.

 

I got off and took some photos. I also saw the blimp I had seen when I arrived into Boston on the 4^th.

 

 

You can see the blimp in the upper right hand side of the photo.

 

I then walked around to try to see if I could get a better shot of the Boeing LRV. While I was looking, I took some photos.

 

 

 

I then went back to the station to ride a train one stop west before I headed back east. Once I got into the station, I took one more attempted shot of the Boeing LRV.

 

Sorry I couldn’t get a better shot of the Boeing LRV.

 

The next train arrived and I rode one stop down the line and then got off and headed back east. I filmed the yard as I passed by. I got off at the Government Centre stop. I transferred to the Blue line and rode a train of newer cars one stop west to the Bowdoin station which is the terminus of the line. When I got off, I took a photo of the train.

 

 

I noticed something interesting about Bowdoin station. Even though the Blue Line trains are double ended, they loop around before heading the other way. I didn’t ride the loop at all.

 

I waited for a couple trains to see if a train of older Hawker equipment would show up, but I rode the second train of newer cars to the Government Centre station when I saw a train of Hawkers arrive going the other way. I quickly got on and rode back to Bowdoin. While on the train, I took some interior shots. I took a photo of the train when I stepped off at Bowdoin.

 

 

I waited for the train to loop around and rode it back to Government Centre. I was about to film it leaving when an MBTA employee in the cab waved his finger at me trying to tell me not to. I stopped filming, took two steps to the right, and filmed the train pulling out of the station without anymore problems!

 

In the past, MBTA employees were hostile to transit fans taking pictures as the system used to require permits. After 9-11, it got to the point that employees were stating a non-existent rule that photography was prohibited. It got to the point the American Civil Liberties Union stepped in and threatened to sue the MBTA. The threat of a lawsuit made MBTA release their official (and reasonable) policy about a year before my trip. Even after, at least one MBTA employee stated the policy “was a lie” to another transit fan photographing on MBTA property. I had printed out a copy of MBTA’s photo policy and had it laminated just in case I ran into a really anal MBTA employee who didn’t believe the policy. Fortunately, I didn’t have to produce it and this incident was the only problem I had photographing on MBTA property the whole time I was there.

 

I then went upstairs and took the green line one stop and transferred to the red line. I rode the Red Line to Harvard station to ride MBTA’s trolleybuses that are pure electric buses; not dual modes. When I got off, I took looked around a bit before I found the trolleybuses. I took some photos.

 

 

 

I decided to wait until today to ride the trolleybuses in case I saw one of the few remaining Flyer E800s, but I didn’t see any. I photographed an RTS before I boarded a modern trolleybus.

 

 

 

 

I rode the bus quite some distance on the 73 line before I got off and rode back to Harvard station on another trolleybus. When I got to Harvard, I photographed the coach I rode and a New Flyer D40LF behind it.

 

 

 

I boarded an inbound red line train and rode to South Station where I looked around. When I got to South Station, I took a photo of a Red Line train going the other way.

 

 

I went inside South Station where I bought dinner. I also photographed an Acela Express awaiting its departure.

 

I then rode another Red Line train back to Park Street station. I got off and transferred to the green line. I waited for a green line train on the E branch of the green line because I saw on a map that green line service beyond Heath Street was suspended and was curious as to why service was suspended.

 

I got on the train and rode off to Heath Street. Along the way, I photographed a Dart operating as a UMA shuttle.

 

 

 

 

Soon, my train arrived at Heath Street. I then discovered why there wasn’t service beyond Heath Street: No tracks! I took some photos of the train I rode.

 

 

 

Even though the cars on the Green Line are double ended, there is a turning loop at Heath Street. This would have allowed the CLRVs from Toronto to turn around as well because they’re single ended. I then caught a route 39 bus to the Forest Hills station on the orange line. I rode an articulated CNG bus. When I got to Forest Hills, I saw an old streetcar loop. I photographed the bus I got off.

 

Note the old streetcar tracks in the bus loop. Maybe the Green Line will return some day.

 

 

I boarded an Orange Line train and rode back to Back Bay. I took a photo of my subway train.

 

 

I then returned to my hostel. I went online for about an hour. I watched some TV in the common room. I eventually bought a bottle of milk from the 7-11 across the street and called it a night.

 

Click here to read the end of my trip:           End of Boston trip