Springfield Street Railway Explained

Springfield Street Railway
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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
Began Operation:	March 10, 1870^[2] June 6, 1890 (electrified)^[3] 1923 (bus)^[4]
Ended Operation:	June 23, 1940 (rail)^[5] November 3, 1981 (bus, merged with PVTA)^[6]
Map State:	show

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]

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]

Further reading

• Historical Journal of Massachusetts. Westfield State University. Fall 1972. I. 2. Johnson. Scott R.. September 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210913040502/https://www.westfield.ma.edu/historical-journal/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Johnson-combined.pdf. The Trolley Car as a Social Factor: Springfield, Massachusetts. 5–17.

Notes and References

1. News: Railways May Consolidate. November 27, 1910. Springfield, Mass.. Springfield Republican. 8.
2. Book: Poor's Manual of Railroads. XXXIII. Street Railways in Massachusetts. https://books.google.com/books?id=MPocAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA915. Poor. H. W.. Poor. H. V.. American Banknote Company. New York. 1901.
3. News: Springfield - Opening the Electric Railway. 6. Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass.. June 7, 1890.
4. News: Trolly Company Has Extensive Program. 4. Springfield Republican. March 1, 1923. Springfield, Mass..
5. News: 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. 4. Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass.. June 24, 1940.
6. News: Springfield Street Railway Co. garage turned over to PVTA. Appleton. John. Springfield Union. 4. November 3, 1981. Springfield, Mass..
   • News: The Springfield Street Railway Co. — now it's another part of PVTA. November 3, 1981. Appleton. John. 13. Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass..
7. Scott R. Johnson, "The Trolley Car as a Social Factor: Springfield, Massachusetts," History Journal of Western Massachusetts, 1972, 1#2 pp 5–17