Mattapan trolley by James Hobin

Riding an MBTA trolley into the train yard at Mattapan is a bit like it was riding the bumper cars at Paragon Park in days gone by – just when you are starting to have fun, it’s over. The MBTA trolley has a pole, called a panagraph, and runs on electricity, just like the old bumper car, but it travels a lot farther. For 2.6 miles, and the ten minutes it takes to go from Ashmont to Mattapan, passengers can sit back and enjoy a panoramic view of environments and shifting landscapes that is quite exciting.

The trolley starts at Ashmont Station, last stop on the Red Line to Dorchester. The station was recently rebuilt, and the trolley cars, which are about 70 years old, are boarded outside now. To mass transit newcomers, the trolley might seem like Art Deco relic that is out of place in the ultramodern design scheme of Ashmont Station. But to old-school subway riders, the trolley is a time machine that takes you on a trip down Memory Lane.

Mattapan Station opened in 1856, on a track that was laid in 1847. Originally called the Dorchester Milton Branch Railroad, it later became the Shawmut Branch of the Old Colony Railroad, and after that, part of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. In 1927, the steam-powered commuter trains were discontinued and in 1929, the Boston Elevated Railway reopened the line using light rail streetcars.

The trolleys are remnants of a large fleet that once traversed the entire city; they were known as PCC rapid transit cars (the initials stand for the President’s Conference Committee). In 1929, a design committee that included both public and private sectors came together to design a new type of streetcar to meet the needs of modern cities.

The PCC modular design was engineered to be a mass-produced rail car. The St. Louis Car Company and Pullman Standard built around 5,000 of them between 1936 and 1952. By 1998, most of them had been scrapped.
In Boston today, only the Mattapan-Ashmont Line still uses the PCC for rolling stock. Each car has a 1940s paint job, with a cream color roof, orange chassis, maroon belt, and black trim. The headlight is set within a pair of chrome wings, and a ringed spotlight surmounts the roof like a halo.

Inside there is no luxury: a linoleum floor and bare seats lining the walls. The doors have accordion hinges that squeak when folding back or spreading into position. The metal ceiling arches over a narrow beam and is studded with rivets, lending a resemblance to the interior of an outdated navy sub – a very small sub.

Don’t let the look of things fool you. The atmosphere is convivial and, despite the lack of comforts, passengers seem to comport themselves with the same ease that they enjoy in their own living rooms. The regulars know each other by name and the fact that they share the need to travel brings them together in special ways.

An online search showed that the daily ridership is 4,586. For these people, the trolley is more than a joy ride; it is a vital necessity because they use it to get to work, and to school, to visit the doctor, to bring home the groceries, and to do other important errands.
The entire route is relatively flat, except at Ashmont, where the trolley abruptly points uphill and climbs to the new boarding area. Then it executes a hairpin turn on the same elevated ramp, slides back to ground level, and heads off in the opposite direction.
The trolley passes over Gallivan Boulevard before entering Cedar Grove Station. A minute later, it emerges from a tunnel under Adams Street. Granite blocks line the walls and then the track rises and Cedar Grove Cemetery comes into view.

The cemetery is an enclave of tiny hills and tree-lined roadways that makes for a pleasing vignette. But it gets better. Look east, and the horizon expands in all directions. The cemetery borders on the Neponset River Reservation, and this is where the Neponset River empties into the ocean. In this estuary, seawater mixes with water that has come all the way from the river’s source in Foxborough.
At this point, the trolley track changes direction and turns southwest, connecting to the original 1847 right of way.

At Butler Station, the trolley enters the trees, and the river is not visible again until Milton Station. In Milton, the trolley crosses a rail bridge, one side of which overlooks the Milton Town Wharf. It’s a very pretty, and historic, location.

The Massachusett Indians called this area “Unquity,” meaning lower falls. We call it Lower Mills for a grist mill that was built there in 1634. The falls cannot be seen from the trolley because of the massive bridge at Adams Street and the Walter Baker Chocolate factory next to it. However, you can see the river currents pulling water toward the falls, for sure.

Another quarter mile and the trolley intersects Pine Tree Brook and a public grade before entering Central Station. For the rest of the line, the trolley follows the Neponset River Reservation, stopping at Valley Road and Capen Street and crossing the river once more to reach Mattapan Station.

Frequently unframed by houses or urban development, the reservation can look like a wild place. As the trolley moves forward, scenes of great natural beauty come into sight momentarily. Don’t be surprised to see a white-tailed deer or two racing alongside the trolley, especially in early morning.

The Mattapan-Ashmont trolley is a throwback to another era, a survivor that chugs along at its own pace, even though the rest of the world is speeding up and rushing past.

And as you shiver in the winter, waiting and watching for the trolley to close the distance, you find yourself silently urging it on, and then you realize that this old machine is a striver. American built, it’s still getting the job done.

Hats off to trolley conductors everywhere.