The Tremont Street Subway: America's First Subway

The Tremont Street Subway is America's first subway--first ran on September 1st, 1897. Today, we'll look at why it was created, the challenges it faced, as well as the expansion of the underground/elevated network.
References:
The Race Underground:
Book:
us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
Documentary:
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe...
History of the Boston Subway:
historyofmassachusetts.org/bo...
A ‘big humbug’: The public debate over the nation’s first subway system:
www.boston.com/news/business/...
Boston History Project: Boylston & Tremont St. Busiest Intersection:
• Boston History Project...
Tremont Street Subway:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremont...
Pleasant Street Incline:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasan...
Henry M. Whitney:
sponsored.bostonglobe.com/wgb...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_M...
Franklin J. Sprague:
wpehs.org.uk/wp-content/uploa...
WardMaps LLC Boston In Transit:
wardmapsgifts.com/collections...
Boston Population:
www.biggestuscities.com/city/...
Maps to look at:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ca...
Credits:
Footage Used:
Schony747:
/ schony747
Photos Used:
Abakus Place
Boston Public Library
Boston Transit Commission
City of Boston Archives
Ian Warfield
London Transportation Museum
Lost New England
National Park Service
Pinterest
Reddit
State Transportation Library of Massachusetts
Trolleys Under The Hub
Urban Ghost Media
The West End Museum

[@maxtransit3526]

Some people have said how I talked fast in previous videos so hopefully this time it's better. I know at some points I talk a bit faster. Ya boi is sometimes camera shy

[@Phoenix_emperor76]

you might wanna give the credit of the electric trolley to this guy Joseph Van Depoele

[@maxtransit3526]

@@Phoenix_emperor76 That's true. Sprague had "perfected the design of the trolley pole. But, overall, there were a lot of people to give credit to for electric traction motors/trams/trolleys, Sprague, however, was able to have a successful commercial one in the US which brought attention to Whitney to convert his horses to electric traction motors, hence why Sprague was more prominent.

[@Phoenix_emperor76]

@@maxtransit3526 he also made one of the first tramcar prototypes but this is not mentioned in the wikipedia articel

[@maxtransit3526]

@@Phoenix_emperor76 yeah, which is wicked annoying!

[@MichaelCook-bw4mr]

You do a fine job!

[@BostonByRails]

this channel deserves WAY MORE recognition! amazing video and keep up the great work!

[@mr_godoy2008]

I agree

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you so much! Very motivating to hear these things!

[@billy3424]

I was born right across the street from the Pleasant Street Portal in 1953. The portal also serviced the old "orange" line at one time. Thank you for including the portal in this story. I am a green line buff. There is much more history unmentioned here, about the green line. Yhanks.

[@maxtransit3526]

You're welcome for the video! I didn't want to cover the entire Green Line for this video and focus more on the subway portion of the Green Line. I would like to make a whole video of the line, especially since GLX has opened.

[@nickinca4317]

And The elevated railroad orange line first of it's kind in 1901 to 1987 was a great loss to Boston.

[@thebobs7385]

I actually remember the Plesant Street portal quite well, even though I.was 6 or 7 when it was closed. It was a conv enient route to the South End. The Tufts/NE Medical Center station on the Orange Line was ctually built with a connection in mind in case that portion of the Tremont Street tunnel is ever reused/reopened. For relatively small money (for a subway line, that is), the tunnels could be rehabbed, ex.-tended under the Mass. Pike and the MBTA/Amtrak railroad tracks with a new portal bringing the line back up to Was ington Street

[@maxtransit3526]

And it would be completely worth it to do so! It would definitely provide improved service along Washington Street and bring a connection with Forest Hills. It could also encourage to bring the E-branch back to Forest Hills to remove the Route 39 bus. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@TheFourFoot]

Great video man! I found your video today kind of accidentally, but I’m glad I did! I can’t wait to see more!

[@TheFourFoot]

Also, yes, the Race Underground is a fantastic book!

[@maxtransit3526]

@@TheFourFoot thank you so much. Again, love your videos on your channel and look forward to your content! The book is wicked underrated and deserves more attention.

[@staciegarnett-cook7324]

Keep the work up to you make amazing videos about the Boston subways and stuff keep it up I would like to see more

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you so much! Sorry for the late reply, I will do my best to make more of these!

[@EpicThe112]

In terms of cost to ride Tremont St subway opened in 1897 is actualy cheaper by 35 cents $2.40 than the October 27th 1904 NYC subway City Hall to 145th st via Times Square Shuttle $2.75. for a group of 6 people $14.40 vs $16.50 October 27th 1904 opened NYC Subway City Hall to 145th st & Broadway or Bronx Zoo via Times Square Shuttle a difference of $2.10 using current fares. Excellent Video and I used it from Lechmere down to Northeastern Uni

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you for the insight and glad you enjoyed the video!

[@jaysontatum2336]

This guy just doesn't miss, another great video!

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you so much!

[@aamiri7666]

iconic video, keep it up

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you! Doing my best!

[@MervynPartin]

That was good. I have been fascinated by Boston's Green Line subway for some time, so I enjoyed your presentation. If you have not read it, the Sci Fi book "A Subway named Mobius" by A. J. Deutsch gives another slant on the Boston Subways, but it has been out of print for years now.

[@maxtransit3526]

Well now I've gotta try to find a copy, thank you so much!

[@MichaelCook-bw4mr]

Awesome video! Thanks for posting it!

[@maxtransit3526]

Thanks foe the awesome comment!

[@MichaelCook-bw4mr]

Heya man! I love all your amazing videos! I'm so happy that you post them! I'm in Philadelphia and I work at SEPTA 👍🙂

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you! I really try my best with what I know. That's so cool to work for SEPTA! Care to share what you do?

[@MichaelCook-bw4mr]

@@maxtransit3526 Totally! I appreciate hearing from you again! I'm spending the evening watching all of your great videos and learning a hella lol! I'm now working at SEPTA as a Service Quality Inspector. I go riding all over the system riding the buses, trackless trolleys, streetcars subway and ELevated lines and the Regional Rail trains. I do undercover complaint checks, rules compliance checks on the operators and crews and cashier's and other personell. I also do quality of life checks at stations and Transportation Centers. Prior to this, I worked in Scheduling and Service Planning and before that, I lived in Pittsburgh where I was a streetcar operator! I finished my career in Pittsburgh at Port Authority Transit as a dispatcher and line instructor! I'm Mike Cook...hit me up on Facebook if you want to! Meanwhile...Next Stop! As you say! 🤠

[@maxtransit3526]

​@@MichaelCook-bw4mr That's quite the history of work experience you've had! I don't know too much about Pittsburgh and Philadelphia's transit as much as Boston, hahaha. I would like to look into those cities at some point in the future and maybe make some videos around them if I can! But I appreciate and thank you for the service you have done and are doing for our transportation systems in the world. Though I have zero experience (yet) at working for these agencies, I respect anyone and everyone working there so, again, thank you for your service!

[@quayzar1]

Good work, hope to see more from you. :)

[@maxtransit3526]

Thank you so much! Happy to have you on board!

[@wtb3nkfd54]

"Horse car trolley" is an oxymoron. Electric cars were dubbed "trolleys" because the original current-collecting design was "Trolled" along the wire at the end of a cable. The rigid pole was a later development.

[@eannamcnamara9338]

This video feels like an unfinished London video but set in Boston

[@maxtransit3526]

(Don't tell Jay Foreman)

[@erikkrauss8481]

Ur back!

[@maxtransit3526]

Back again!

[@capuiakidyt7572]

5:03 Hold up, wait a minute…. how did he know…….

[@maxtransit3526]

I guess time traveling?

[@TheFourFoot]

I don't know why, but your comment got deleted. Before I uploaded my GLX video, I had only read about the TREEEEmont street subway. I've been to Boston a few times, but oddly enough, most people aren't talking about the history of subway construction on a daily basis lol

[@maxtransit3526]

hahahaha that's a good point. It's all good though. The way it's typically pronounced is TRE pronounces the same way as used in the word TRENCH, and MONT rhymes with AUNT. Therefore, that's the way one would pronounce TREMONT. "Bostonian words" are some weird breed of words lol. I had to, honestly, quadruple checked that I pronounced it correctly, otherwise I would never hear the end of it hahaha.

[@TheFourFoot]

@@maxtransit3526 I believe you lol, i just got a bunch of people telling me it was tree mont lol I think the only way to deal it is to never utter the word again lol

[@maxtransit3526]

@@TheFourFoot best course of action tbh lol.

[@georgepetrin1334]

Enjoyed this history except for the twerp in the Bruins jersey who kept interrupting.

[@maxtransit3526]

Yeah he was quite annoying...

[@videonut1988]

“What’s a Subway?!?”

[@maxtransit3526]

A sandwich

[@tomcooley3778]

It’s like a cubit .

[@ElmerCat]

@ time = 10:38 - Hooray! You're showing my Tremont Street Bike Lane! I love the Tremont Street Subway, and use it often, but this new bike lane has made a big difference for me! It makes me less afraid (at 65 years old) to ride a bike around downtown Boston. Several nights a week, I take the Blue Line into Boston and then use this bike lane (or sometimes the Orange Line) to go clubbing in the Theatre District. Going by bike and the Ⓣ is by far the fastest, and most fun way to get around Boston late at night. Alas however, our beloved electric carriages turn into useless pumpkins at 1:00 am, so I have to leave the clubs earlier than I'd like. I could take issue with some of the other information presented in your video, but seeing this particular bike lane is quite redeeming - thank you!

[@maxtransit3526]

Yes, the bike lane is soooooo good! It makes the city more accessible for other modes than solely on cars!

[@NortheastCorridorFilms]

Thought it was the Greenline

[@maxtransit3526]

Well it's a part of the Green Line, but the portion the line uses is the Tremont Street Subway.

[@NortheastCorridorFilms]

@@maxtransit3526 Aah gotcha. So it is tengreen line, but like a different part of it? Is that what you’re saying?

[@maxtransit3526]

@@NortheastCorridorFilms Exactly. The Tremont Street Subway is a part of the Green Line.

[@NortheastCorridorFilms]

@@maxtransit3526 Gotcha!

[@NortheastCorridorFilms]

@@maxtransit3526 When I look up the first subway in the US, why does it say NYC subway? Also is MBTA seriously the first railroad In US? or just subway?

[@luislaplume8261]

For us New Yorkers we call that a trolley tunnel, not a subway. We have a real subway that has trains.

[@thebobs7385]

When the subway opened in 1897, it was indeed, just for trolley cars. However, in 1901, the outer 2 tracks of the 4-track tunnel between Pleasant Street and Park Street, the two tracks from Park Street to Scollay Square and then again the outer 2 tracks of the 4-track tunnel between Scollay Square and the incline up to North Station were used as a temporary connecting route for the Washington Street and Charlestown elevated lines. So actual subway cars did run in this tunnel from 1901 through 1909, a period of 8 years, until the Washington Street tunnel opened 1 block to the east for the exclusive use of the elevated trains. The Tremont Street subway then returned to all trolley car service. The New York subway did not open the first route through a tunnel until 1904, 3 years after subway trains were running through the Tremont Street subway. However, elevated trains were running in New York, Brooklyn and Chicago well before Boston inaugurated the Washington Street, Charlestown, and Atlantic Avanue elevated lines.

[@mr_godoy2008]

You think I or you stole videos. Your wrong. I record my own.

[@maxtransit3526]

I presume you mean I record them hahaha. But yeah, for the most part I try to get the footage myself. That one scene with the horse tram was used from another channel, so totally check them out!

[@mr_godoy2008]

@@maxtransit3526 I don’t steal videos and I’m not a bot

[@mr_godoy2008]

I record my own trains on iPhone 7.

[@NickDaltonYT]

Yo bro we gotta collab

[@maxtransit3526]

I'm down man, hit me up. Loved your Orange Line video!

[@NickDaltonYT]

@@maxtransit3526 well I do have a project in the works…. Let’s discuss this in a private place. Discord perhaps?

[@maxtransit3526]

@@NickDaltonYT Sent you a message on there

[@cariboucharles9126]

FIRST!

[@maxtransit3526]

come

[@gabrielmichael3701]

i cant hear the pronunciation because of your mask!