The MBTA's Mattapan-Ashmont "high speed" line is a part streetcar museum, part light rail transit operating at the southern end of the Red Line subway's Ashmont branch. As previously covered in my last post of still photos the line is run entirely with 1940's PCC streetcars left over from the MBTA's extensive PCC fleet that powered the Green Line system up through the late 1980's. This anachronism has persisted due to some weight and clearance issues on the 2.5 mile line, however there are long term plans to rebuild the bridges and replace the PCCs with Boston's Type 9 LRV's currently in Green Line service. In January 2024 I returned to ride the Mattapan-Ashmont Line for the first time since 2008 and in addition to photos I made due to get some video of the operations there.
First up is this clip of PCC #3087 departing a snow covered Mattapan terminal at the end of the morning peak, with #3265, which had been been performing equipment test runs, in the background. The 8 minute run to Ashmont typically sees two cars in service for the peak periods with one car off peak. The video was taken from a new pedestrian/cycle overpass at the north end of the terminal area which is a great vantage point for photos and also a testament to the improvement of the local neighborhood, which had previously been known for its poverty and crime and, ironically, the likely reason the PCC operation was not modernized earlier.
Here we see MBTA PCC #3268 depart the inbound platform and head around the Mattapan Loop to board passengers for the return journey to Ashmont near the end of the Friday morning peak. Despite the snow and age of the cars, the PCCs were holding up well with no apparent faults. The Mattapan terminal has been extensively modernized as when I was last here in the early 2000's it was still mostly comprised of wood.
Here we have a view from the rear window of PCC #3268 covering the entire route from Mattapan to Ashmont. As you can see there there were two PCC cars on the live providing 10 minute headways. Unlike SEPTA's PCC II's, which were gutted and rebuilt by Brookville, the MBTA PCC fleet still have their original propulsion and air system. Video covers the departure from the Mattapan station and the vehicles subsequent departure from Ashmont around the loop and back down the ramp towards Mattapan. Note that the now retired "High-Speed Line" moniker refers to the streetcars running on their own right of way and not in street traffic, even if the top speeds on the route are still 25-40mph. This historic nomenclature was also popular in Philadelphia with the Route 100 and Patco continuing to have the label applied.
In this video a 6-car MBTA Red Line train pulls into the departure track at the Ashmont terminal from the 3-track relay yard just south of the station. Stock is composed of two 01700 series pairs (01718+01717 and 01757+01758) on the ends with 01600 series pair 01637+01638 in the middle. The classic Boston Red Line 01599 and 01600 series stock was developed by Pullman Standard around 1970. The subsequent 01700 series were delivered around 1987 by the the Urban Transportation Development Corporation of Canada, which had purchased the IP from Pullman out of Bankruptcy. UTDC would later get merged into Bombardier and ultimately Alstom.
Here is my attempt to take a front facing video from an MBTA Red Line train running between the Fields Corner and Savin Hill stations on the Ashmont Branch. Although All Red Line rolling stock has the capability for this view, placement of cab signal equipment and later emergency stretchers frequently block the view.
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