Springfield Street Railway

The Springfield Street Railway (SSR) was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Springfield, Massachusetts as well as surrounding communities with connections in Agawam, Blandford, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, Russell, Ware, Westfield, and West Springfield. With the first modern streetcars appearing in 1891, by 1905 the system had more miles of electrified track than New York City with its fledgling subway.^[7]

Springfield Street Railway
Logo of the Springfield Street Railway Co., c. 1940
Cars of the Springfield Street Railway on Main Street, c. 1910
Overview
Owner	Springfield Street Rwy. Co.
Area served	Greater Springfield Agawam Feeding Hills Chicopee East Longmeadow Longmeadow Ludlow West Springfield Westfield Division Blandford Russell Westfield Springfield and Eastern Street Railway[1] (Palmer Division) Monson Palmer Ware
Transit type	Light rail Horsecar (1870–1891) Interurban (1891–1940) Bus (1923–1981)
Headquarters	2257 Main Street Springfield, MA 01107-1905
Operation
Began operation	March 10, 1870[2]: 915  June 6, 1890 (electrified)[3] 1923 (bus)[4]
Ended operation	June 23, 1940 (rail)[5] November 3, 1981 (bus, merged with PVTA)[6]
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[2]: 915

Today the former headquarters of the Springfield Street Railway Company serves as the maintenance facilities of Peter Pan Bus Lines, known colloquially as the Trolley Barn. Following prolonged negotiations, in 1981 the company, its property, and employee payroll at that time, were acquired and merged with the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, into what is now known as its Springfield Area Transit Company (SATCo) division.^[6]

References

1. "Railways May Consolidate". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. November 27, 1910. p. 8.
2. Poor, H. V.; Poor, H. W. (1901). "Street Railways in Massachusetts". Poor's Manual of Railroads. Vol. XXXIII. New York: American Banknote Company.
3. "Springfield - Opening the Electric Railway". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. June 7, 1890. p. 6.
4. "Trolly Company Has Extensive Program". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. March 1, 1923. p. 4.
5. "Last Trollies Ask No Fare As Street R. R. Plays Host; Honking Autos Accompany Two 'Specials' On Final Forest Park Run - Electric Cars No Longer Rule Center of Streets - Two Youths 'Hop' Last Trolly". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. June 24, 1940. p. 4.
6. Appleton, John (November 3, 1981). "Springfield Street Railway Co. garage turned over to PVTA". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 4.

   • Appleton, John (November 3, 1981). "The Springfield Street Railway Co. — now it's another part of PVTA". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 13.
7. Scott R. Johnson, "The Trolley Car as a Social Factor: Springfield, Massachusetts," History Journal of Western Massachusetts, 1972, 1#2 pp 5–17

Further reading

• Johnson, Scott R. (Fall 1972). "The Trolley Car as a Social Factor: Springfield, Massachusetts" (PDF). Historical Journal of Massachusetts. I (2). Westfield State University: 5–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2021.