The Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad was a narrow-gauge passenger-carrying shortline railroad between East Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts, from 1875 to 1940. Part of the railroad's right of way now forms the outer section of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Blue Line rapid transit service.
History
thumb|Crescent Beach station around 1910
The railroad was chartered May 23, 1874, and opened July 29, 1875. The stations were moved and a new one (Bath House) was built. Revere Beach Boulevard was built later along the former route.
Revere Beach became a very popular resort, and the entire line was double-tracked by 1903. The Narrow Gauge Hotel burned in 1902. The 1904 Independence Day celebration included a staged collision between two obsolete Boston and Maine locomotives, and the rowdy crowds caused the town to cancel the Pines Hotel liquor license. 1906 festivities included a large papier-mâché structure which would spew a cloud of souvenir post cards with smoke and flashing lights as the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Commodore Perry's flagship USS was burned offshore as a tourist attraction in 1908. Theodore Roosevelt spoke from the Pines Hotel during his 1912 presidential campaign as a Bull Moose candidate. The Pines Hotel closed in 1913 after a police raid discovered unlicensed liquor sales. The Boston American flying exhibition of July 1914 attracted large crowds.
The railroad was highly successful, carrying commuters into Boston and the Boston urban population to the seaside resorts. By 1914 over seven million passengers were carried annually, making it one of the most heavily traveled stretches of railroad in North America. With such a traffic density, the expense of electrification could be easily recouped. By 1928, all existing cars were fitted with electric motors, trolley poles, and control stands and the steam locomotives were disposed of. However, the number of riders decreased during the Great Depression and completion of the Sumner Tunnel between East Boston and downtown Boston in 1934 allowed automobiles to compete with the ferries.
Eastern Junction, Broad Sound Pier and Point Shirley Railroad
The EJBSP&PS was chartered in 1880 and built a standard gauge railway line from the Eastern Railroad near Crescent Beach southeast via Beachmont and Winthrop Beach to Point Shirley. South of Ocean Spray, this was just east of the BW&PS. Much of this shared section of right-of-way used a three-rail, dual-gauge track. The single-track line ran along Shirley Street and Tafts Avenue. The BRB&L acquired the entire line with legislative approval in October 1912. By 1914, the line operated 30,594 car miles (an average of 35 daily round trips), carried 165,037 passengers (an average of 452 daily), and employed seven people. Winthrop–Boston bus service was operated by Saugus Transit (later Rapid Transit Inc.). Saugus Transit initially operated Winthrop–Lynn bus service under a temporary permit. On April 2, 1940, this service was split in two with a forced transfer at Point of Pines: Revere-based Service Bus Lines continued to operate Winthrop–Point of Pines, while the Lynn-based Eastern Mass operated Lynn–Point of Pines as part of a new Lynn–Boston route.
In January 1941, the Eastern Mass bought the Lynn terminal and a section of right of way for use as a busway. However, the 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities and 1945–47 Coolidge Commission Report recommended that the East Boston Tunnel line, which had been converted to rapid transit from streetcars in 1924, be extended to Lynn via the BBRB&L route rather than using it for a trolley line.
In 1947, the newly formed Metropolitan Transit Authority (M.T.A.) decided to build to Lynn as a rapid transit line, and construction began in October 1948. The second phase (cut short due to limited funds, and possibly due to the Eastern Massachusetts wielding its influence to protect its business in Lynn) opened to Wonderland on January 19, 1954 with intermediate stations at Beachmont and Revere Beach. The Alternatives Analysis / Draft Environmental Impact Statement, released in 2011, considered two potential routes: one following the Narrow Gauge right of way through Point of Pines, and one sharing the Newburyport/Rockport Line right of way.
Winthrop
thumb|right|A route 713 bus in Orient Heights in 2018
The Winthrop Loop was not preserved for transit use; some stations were destroyed within weeks. Much of the right of way is owned by the town, including the sections used for Veterans Road and Walden Street as well as a baseball field near Fort Banks and the embankment through Crystal Cove. Other sections were reused for housing and commercial developments; a short section near Argyle Street is a walking trail. Instead, Saugus Transit began operating Winthrop Beach - bus service as soon as the BRB&L was abandoned; it was granted a permanent operating certificate under the name Rapid Transit Inc in March. It was destroyed by a fire on March 15, 2019. The right of way from Byron Street to Tomahawk Drive was acquired by the Massachusetts Port Authority for the expansion of Logan Airport. The right of way through Jeffries Point is privately owned; the tunnels are intact, though their north ends are buried. Part of the right-of-way between Logan Airport and the Blue Line section was used for a U.S. Navy oil pipeline in the 1950s. GE later sold off its sections: one piece to a private developer in 1989, the piece near Commercial Street to the MBTA in 1991 (part of which was later sold to the same developer), and the western section to a different developer in 2014.<!--parcel numbers 035-796-074 (also -082, 083, 084, 092)--> New England Power Company (also a National Grid subsidiary) maintains an easement through the western section for electrical transmission lines.
Station listing
thumb|right|700px|1939 map of the BRB&L
Winthrop Loop
thumb|A 1903 map of Winthrop from Floyd and Tucker showing the route of the Winthrop Loop and station locations of the Boston Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad
This is going clockwise around the loop. The loop tracks split from the main line just north of Orient Heights, turned east and then split with one direction heading east and the other south. Much of the rail's path was converted to roads when the line was removed, but you can still see some of the existing railbed that curved out into Crystal Cove at Winthrop Beach Station, and the remnants of the rail bridges as it crossed Belle Isle March to connect at Orient Heights. Today, one can drive along Veteran's Road (current path of the old line) to experience the course of the commuter train as it ran parallel to Shirley Street. The location of the various railway stations in Winthrop had a tremendous influence on the pattern of Winthrop's suburban growth; business and commerce grew up naturally around these stations and ultimately into what would become today's neighborhoods.
{| class="wikitable"
!Station
!Notes
|-
|Pleasant Street||This station was located at the very north end of Pleasant Street as it meets Belle Isle Terrace, on the site of what is now part of a boat storage yard.
|-
|Battery||Station, originally Cherry St. Station, was located at the intersection of Banks Street and Wilshire Street, on the site of what is now a gravel parking lot for a warehouse.
|-
|Highlands||Station was located at the current location of Crest Avenue Playground; the depot was approximately where the jungle gym is today.
|-
|Ocean Spray||Was located on the corner of Shirley St. and what is today Veteran's Road, approximately on the site of the used car dealership.
|-
|Playstead||Station existed off of Shirley street across from its intersection with Pearl St.
|-
|Winthrop Beach||Station existed at the corner of Shirley and what is now Washington St., approximately where DiParma's restaurant currently is.
|-
|Thornton||Station existed at the very southern end of Winthrop Street on the beach side of Pleasant, all the way down the hill, just past and to the right of the road. If you walk down into the brush there, you can see remnants of the rail bed next to the waters edge, heading towards Crystal Cove.
|-
|Winthrop Centre||Station was approximately where the Winthrop Center circle is today. A 12-foot portion of the old track was installed as a memorial in the 1990s and can be seen embedded in the asphalt of Hagman Road (which follows the track line today). In addition, one of the steel electric power supports remains as well; it can be located protruding from the sidewalk at the corner near the track remnant. An historical marker mounted next to the steel support provides some information about Winthrop's train history, as does a sign in the nearby park.
|-
|Ingalls||This station was located on the south corner of Walden street at Short Street. The line at this point ran alongside Walden Street on the west side of the road.
|}
Equipment
Steam locomotives
thumb|right|Pegasus at Winthrop Center in 1888
thumb|right|Jupiter at Lynn in 1876
thumb|[[2-4-4 Mason Bogie locomotive #6 as built in 1886]]
thumb|2-4-4 T Mason Bogie #10, Mason Machine Works, Taunton, MA. Built 1887. Photo location: Behind the Lynn Train Station. Photo Source: Lynn Museum
thumb|right|#18, #8, and #20 at Orient Heights car barn
{|class="wikitable"
!Number
!Name
!Builder
!Type
!Date
!Works number
!Notes
|-
|1st # 1
|Orion
|Mason Machine Works
|style="width: 40px;"|
|1873
|508
|Built as North and South of Georgia - Sold to Nantucket Railroad #1 Sconset 1888
|-
|2nd # 1
|
|Hinkley Locomotive Works
|
|1879
|
|Sold to Nantucket Railroad #1 1901
|-
|3rd # 1
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1903
|27801
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|1st # 2
|Pegasus
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1875
|549
|Burned at Winthrop Junction (Orient Heights) and scrapped 1896
|-
|2nd # 2
|
|Manchester Locomotive Works
|
|1899
|1707
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|1st # 3
|Jupiter
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1875
|550
|Leased to the Boston, Winthrop & Point Shirley Railroad in 1883, burned at Winthrop Junction (Orient Heights) and scrapped 1896
|-
|2nd # 3
|
|Manchester Locomotive Works
|
|1899
|1708
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|1st # 4
|Mercury
|Porter Bell & Company
|
|1876
|
|Leased to the Boston, Winthrop & Shirley Railroad in 1878, burned at Winthrop Junction (Orient Heights) and scrapped 1896
|-
|2nd # 4
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1882
|683
|Burned at Winthrop Junction (Orient Heights) 1896 and scrapped 1904
|-
|3rd # 4
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1904
|30125
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|1st # 5
|Leo
|Hinkley Locomotive Works
|
|1876
|1240
|Sold to Brown Company of Florida
|-
|2nd # 5
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1885
|720
|Rebuilt 1917 - Scrapped 1929
|-
|1st # 6
|Draco
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1876
|559
|Scrapped 1885
|-
|2nd # 6
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1886
|727
|Rebuilt in ALCO Manchester shops 1920 - scrapped 1929
|-
|7
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1882
|684
|Rebuilt in ALCO Manchester shops 1920 - scrapped 1929
|-
|1st # 8
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1883
|692
|Scrapped 1900
|-
|2nd # 8
|
|Manchester Locomotive Works
|
|1900
|1741
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|9
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1887
|740
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|10
|
|Mason Machine Works
|
|1887
|741
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|11
|
|Taunton Locomotive Manufacturing Company
|
|1890
|981
|Rebuilt 1917 - Scrapped 1929
|-
|12
|
|Taunton Locomotive Manufacturing Company
|
|1890
|982
|Rebuilt in ALCO Manchester shops 1920 - scrapped 1929
|-
|13
|
|Manchester Locomotive Works
|
|1900
|1742
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|14
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1902
|25872
|Scrapped 1940
|-
|15
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1903
|27802
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|16
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1905
|30499
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|17
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1906
|39054
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|18
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1907
|42268
|Ran through the East Boston bumper block into Boston Harbor and scrapped 1928
|-
|19
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1907
|42741
|Rebuilt 1917 - Scrapped 1929
|-
|20
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1907
|42742
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|21
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1907
|42743
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|22
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1912
|50830
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|23
|
|ALCO Manchester
|
|1912
|50831
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|24
|
|ALCO Schenectady
|
|1914
|54590
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|25
|
|ALCO Schenectady
|
|1914
|54591
|Scrapped 1929
|-
|26
|
|ALCO Schenectady
|
|1914
|54592
|Scrapped 1929
|}
Ferryboats
thumb|right|The Newtown,
{|class="wikitable"
!Name
!Date
!Origin
!Disposal