Jersey Mike's Rail Adventures: 20-02-21 PHOTOS: MBTA Orange Line

Due to Chinese interference, MBTA's fleet of Orange and Red Line cars has been circling the drain for some time and while my frequent visits have allowed me to get photos in small chunks here and there, the fact of CRRC trainsets entering service prompted me to dedicate my Winter 2020 visit to riding the Orange Line out to Forest Hills in order to get something a bit more comprehensive. Unbeknownst to me Chinese incompetence would delay the 1200 series car retirement for at least another year, while the classic Green Line Lechmere station was actually entering its final weeks of operation, rendering my expedition completely mis-aimed. Anyway, here are the photos from the trip ( mirror ) including some Acela Express content between Boston and New York.

We actually begin at the Airport station on the Blue Line, with #0776 leading an inbound past one of the (T)'s quirky hand throw trailing point crossovers.

As it pulled in an outbound train led by car #0768 arrived from the opposite direction.

A few stops later, it was time to transfer to Green Line Type 7 car #3691 at Gov't Center, which had reopened from its recent rebuild.

When heading out to Forest Hills, I was initially worried that it might be difficult to catch a set of "classic" 1200-series stock as a CRRC trainset with car #1410 was waiting on the inbound track as I arrived at Back Bay.

Fortunately (or unfortunately as it may be), that was the only set running that day and Orange Line car #1294 soon arrived at the head of an outbound train. I would have actually prefered to have had a few more CRRC sets running as I was interested in comparing their front view with that of the existing 1200-series cars.

Here is a quick audio visual recording of what it is like to ride in a 1200-series car as it travels between Roxbury Crossing and Jackson Square.

#1294 again at Forest Hills. Built by Hawker-Siddley in 1980 as the ultimate iteration of the PA-1 family developed by St. Louis Car in 1968, the years had not been kind to the 1200-series with the lackluster build quality somehow finding a way to make aluminum rust!

The cars rode about as well as they looked, reminding me of the pre-rebuilt PATCO cars that were, electrically, about the same vintage. One could feel there were major problems with the cam controllers, which was likely due to the first or second cam wearing down into a circle. #1233 at Forest Hills.

It's not an optical illusion, Orange Line cars are significantly narrower than most heavy rail rolling stock as the line was built to "elevated" dimensions even though the last truly elevated section was demolished in the mid-1980s.

I took a mid-trip photo stop at Roxbury Crossing. Here #1314 departs on the Oak Grove end of a Forest Hills train.

Here we see #1308 arriving at Roxbury Crossing by way of the Southwest Corridor trench that replaced the New Haven RR's "Chinese Wall" on the same alignment. Combining both the NEC and local transit, the Southwest Corridor used land cleared for a planned Interstate to create green space and stations and overbuilds to connect neighborhoods previously separated by the railroad.

MBTA HSP-46 #2026 and bi-level Kab Kar #1708 speed by on the adjacent NEC tracks. The square of concrete above the engine was actually a catenary footing built as part of the Southwest Corridor trench design. When the route was actually electrified 15 years later, the contractor used a deliberately short catenary support interval to pad its fees and the intended footings were left unused. Fun fact, the 1500 series cab cars that sometimes run on the Providence Line were made by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, so for as long as the Hawker 1200-series cars are running, it is possible to catch a rail transit transit version of the Battle of Britain within the Southwest Corridor.

A corroded #1208 stops at Roxbury Crossing.

Not only do 1200-series cars have rollsigns, you can change them yourself! I neglected to see if they have any interesting destinations, such as Dudley Square, on them.

Despite advice to the contrary, #1212 has not forgotten to stop at Chinatowne.

Later I found myself at Haymarket boarding Green Line Type 8 #3838, which I rode to Arlington.

Completing the MBTA Rainbow, here is 1800-series car #1808 at Park. Although purchased in 1994 and thoroughly modern, these cars are also being replaced by bargain basement CRRC stock, at least if the deal doesn't completely fall through due to trade issues.