springfieldunion. springfield street railway

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The Springfield Street Railway started with horsecars in 1870, and by 1890 the first trolleys were being introduced. Springfield’s system was totally electrified by 1893. Not long into the 1900s, the Springfield Street Railway was under the control of the New Haven Railroad, which had control of a few electric railways in New England. By 1910, the Springfield Street Railway had absorbed the Western Massachusetts and Springfield & Eastern Street Railways.

Connections that were made with the Springfield Street Railway included the Holyoke Street Railway to the north, the Hartford & Springfield Street Railway to the south, and to the east with Worcester Consolidated and the Ware & Brookfield and Warren, Brookfield & Spencer Street Railways. To the west, the Springfield Street Railway met with the Berkshire Street Railway, but the two companies didn’t have a connection. To the south a connection was made with the Hartford & Springfield Street Railway. Cars from the Hartford & Springfield would change crews at the state line, and Springfield crews would continue north to downtown Springfield.

One thing the Springfield Street Railway is known for is having a very unique streetcar on the roster, commonly referred to as the “Miss Springfield.” No. 554 was built using steel and aluminum and rode on specially built trucks that reduced noise considerably. Because of a limiting factor that the car derailed on the Springfield system, the car spent most of its time on Route 29, West Springfield. When the line was abandoned in 1936, No. 554 was taken out of service and stored in one of the company’s yards.

By 1927, service to both Palmer and Westfield was discontinued. In ten years, streetcar service would cease on the system west of the Connecticut River. The City Coach Co. of Chicago purchased the Springfield Street Railway in 1939, and that year four of the routes were changed over to buses. By the middle of the following year, buses were in full use on the system. Following abandonment, many of the trolleys went to other cities, many of them ending up in Montreal, Quebec.

Of the Springfield Street Railways cars, two of them have been preserved at New England trolley museums. The one closest to its original home is Springfield #575, which is at the Connecticut Trolley Museum 20 minutes south of Springfield. The other is Springfield #570 at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

springfield street railway token provided to SpringfieldUnion by Marijka Walker The token was first owned by Ann Bruce Rose (born in Scotland), who lived on a farm in Becket, MA before moving to Chester. Ann evidently traveled quite often by train and trolley, including around Springfield.  It was passed down with her buttons to her daughter, then to Beverly S. Malone of Mt. Sterling, KY. The button collection, being kept in an old Tetley Tea tin, was given to Marijka Walker and then passed on to SpringfieldUnion in 2005.   springfield street railway click to enlarge images. photos: from the collection of Bob Bailey   springfield street railway 575. (montreal tramways 2056) click to enlarge images. photos: Matt Cosgro

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