Years 1852-1953
Boston's Type 5 is a great example of a semi-lightweight design, with wooden seats and single sheathing. Really Boston's answer to the Birney, which was a bit too small. Type 5s could be set up as one man or two man, and ran well in the Subway. Several are preserved.
Generally Type 5s ran in the Subway full-time only on the two Charlestown routes using the brattle Loop at Scolley Square, with Type 4s, Center-Entrance, and later PCCs on all other daytime sevices. But Owl services, 1-5AM, were exclusively Type 5s.
The reason primaily was lack of the Tomlinson couplers. But when all Type 4s and Center-Entrance cars were headed to the scap-heap, ten 5's were equipped with Tomlinsons, to handle the North Station - Northwester U. and North Station - Blanford St. short-turn services that required double-end cars. Most of these ended in museums, with one retained and on exhibit at Boylston St. Station, when they were replaced by the Dallas double-end PCCs.
Instead of typical or special one-man safety features (which Eastern Mass. cars did have), they simply had an emergency ceiling-mounted handle in the center of the car, apparently for passenger use in an emergency. No report exists of it ever being used.
The lack of the more complex brake system of safety cars makes them easier to maintain and easier to learn to operate. And the door arrangement and control is the most versatile possible.
5734 lives at the Boylston St. station on what is now a disconnected track. It's on long-term lease from Seashore (which also has 5821, part of the regular operating fleet). It was vandalized in 2014, but since cleaned up.
Last day of regular Type-5 operation, at Scolley Square, now Government Center, as equipped with a Tomlinson without air or electrical contacts, can be compared with the other photographs.
Door controls on Type 5s are set up so a half turn opens the front doors on one side, a full turn front and rear. This made them ideal for lines with island platforms.
The plumbing for the emergency brake is set up so that releasing air from the valve opens a valve to apply the brakes and opens the door engine lines. It also kicks the line breaker (which has two parts on a type 5) so power to the motors is shut off.
Does Seashore's operating Type 5 still have the emergency mid-ceiling handel? IFrom its number, I would guess it to be a widei-vision Type-5, with narrower steel front window posts instead of the thick wood ones on 5473. Also, I think it was earmarked for preservation early and does not have Tomlnsns.
My photo of 5473 may be in its present display location and not on the last revenue run. 30+ years fuzzes memory somewhat..
The door arrangement is the reason Type 5s and no PCCs were used on the heavy Eggleston - Mattapan via Seaver Street and Dorchester Avenue, despite loops at both terminals. Dorchester Avenue boarding and exiting were via the block-long center islands (which stilll exist?). PCCs were occasionally seen on the line after Arborway - Mattapn via C0mmings Highway went bus, moving light to-and-from Ashmont - Mattapan high-speed.
5821 has the narrow window posts. 5734 has the wider wooden ones. The Seashore shop guys reworked the 5821's emergency brake pull so it now works as designed sometime last year. Before that all that happened when someone pulled was pressure drop and (usually) having to go reseat it to keep the compressor from running constantly. The wide door openings make 5821 a favorite for use with the wheelchair lift - something the Boston Elevated Railway never even thought about.
More Fellsway. The junction is for the double-track lead to the Salem Street barn and yard.
One more typical scene:
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