Talk:Worcester Consolidated Street Railway

Open questions

The following are questions that have come up as I've been writing the article. Some of the abandonment questions have possible answers in later sources, but they aren't consistent or even disagree with contemporary sources. In several cases, Anderson's 2016 and 2023 articles also disagree with contemporary sources.

• What were Webster local lines, and why aren't they in the main listing?
• When did the WCSR stop generating any of its own power?
• What electricity source was used from 1891 to 1893?
• Prior to 1915, did WCSR cars go all the way to downtown Marlborough, or did they terminate at Monument Square? Where did the line from Westborough terminate?
• When in 1896 did the Lake View line open? Was the portion of the W&S between Liscomb Street and Union Station ever converted for streetcar use?
• Did the B&A ever operate steam trains over the Worcester & Southbridge, as some sources imply, or merely interchange cars?
• Did the Perryville line run down Perryville Road to the railroad crossing? If so, did it last past the extension into Connecticut?
• Did portions of the Worcester-Fitchburg line open before through service began?
• When were the following segments built, and by who?
  • Mill Street between Park and Main (circa 1890?)
  • Sever Street (by 1891)
  • Grafton Street between Washington Square and Hamilton (by 1891)
  • Salisbury Street between Grove and Boynton (by 1891)
  • Summer Street between Lincoln Square and Washington Square (by 1894)
  • Channing Street line (between 1891 and 1894)
  • Franklin Street between Main Street and Grafton Street (by 1896)
  • Salem Street (by 1896)
  • Grafton Street between Hamilton Street and Massasoit Street (1898?)
  • Hadwen Park line (Worcester, Leicester and Spencer Street Railway, circa 1892-93)
  • Extension to the Acre in Clinton (Clinton Street Railway, circa 1894)
  • RI state line - Millville (Woonsocket Street Railway, circa 1887, 1898, and 1900)
• When were the following segments abandoned?
  • Leominster–Fitchburg (taken over by F&L in 1927 - for how long?)
  • Jefferson–Chadwick Square (various sources give 1928, 1930, and 1931)
  • Shewsbury–White City and Lake Shore line (circa 1928-1931)
  • Worcester–Millbury and West Millbury (Anderson says 1929)
  • Worcester–Webster (1927), Webster–North Grosvenordale, and Webster local lines - the latter two may have been slightly earlier than 1927
  • Providence Street south of Upsala Street
  • Summer, Thomas, Franklin, Salem, Portland, and Foster streets in downtown Worcester
  • Lincoln and Boylston streets between Brittan (Adams) Square and the city line
  • The Lake View line [ex-W&S] and the Shrewsbury Street line (1933?)
  • Blackstone Valley line south of Uxbridge, and Whitinsville line (before 1927?)
• Divergences from Anderson's articles
  • First real loss of service area was Westborough-Marlborough line in July 1924 (Anderson says Spencer in 1925)
  • Berlin and Hudson lost service in 1924 (Anderson says 1928)
  • Lancaster lost service in 1925 (Anderson says 1929)
  • Marlborough, Westborough, and Northborough lost service in 1925 (Anderson says 1929)
  • Southborough lost service in 1924 (Anderson says 1929)
  • Mendon, Hopedale, and Milford were never served by WCSR streetcars (Anderson says 1926)
  • Clinton and Boylston lost service in 1927 (Anderson says 1927)
  • Oxford lost service in 1927 (Anderson says 1928)
  • 1948 strike was in July (Anderson says September)

Pi.1415926535 (talk) 23:02, 24 October 2024 (UTC)