PCC Car No. 3295 & Type 5 Car No. 5734

Boylston Station along with Park Street stations are the two oldest metro stations in the United States having opened on September 1, 1897. Today Boylston Station consists of the Green and Silver Lines and is a very busy station within downtown Boston. On one side of the Green Line platform, there are two bright orange railcars off to the side. At first glance, one might think those are under maintenance, but these two vehicles represent a much earlier time in rapid transit history and offer a glimpse of what the Boston underground used to look like. 

The first is a Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) Car No. 3295. The PCC cars were first built in the 1930s in order to compete with the rise of the automobile by offering riders an affordable, streamlined, fast, quiet, and smooth ride. The PCC cars proved to be extremely popular with around 5,000 being built in the US until production ended in 1952 and approximately 15,000 manufactured in Europe until 1978. Streetcar No. 3295 was built in 1951 by Pullman Standard Company of Worcester, MA from an order the Metropolitan Transit Authority placed a year earlier. It would be the last batch of cars the company would produce, and the Boston PCC cars were unique because of their double width side windows optimal for standee passengers and was referred to as “picture window cars”. No. 3295 was retired in 1979 and between 1983-1984, it was restored by The Friends of 3295, an MBTA employee volunteer group to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Riverside Line. 

The second streetcar on display is a Boston Elevated Railway Type 5 car No. 5734 nicknamed “The Semi-convertible”. No. 5734 was built in 1924 by the J.G. Brill Company in Philadelphia during a time many cities were expanding their subway networks following World War I. The Type 5 refers to the fifth generation of cars built for the Boston transit system, and it was called “semi-convertible” because the windows could be removed during the summer. These cars would remain in service until 1959 and was acquired by the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. It was refurbished and used occasionally for special events and rides in Boston until it was disconnected. The museum continues to lease the car to the MBTA for only $1 a year to ensure its preservation.

Two antique streetcars displayed underground in the heart of downtown Boston in one of the busiest and oldest subway stations is certainly something quite unique and not expected to be encountered outside a museum. If you have an interest in vintage train cars and metro history, the two cars are definitely worth taking a look if you stop at Boylston Station.