bostonmassachusetts

wonderful photograph!

Wonderfully composed image as well as being of historical interest.

It's one of my all-time favorite photos. Glad you enjoy it! --Helena

"As one approached Boston Terminal (South Station) from the South on the former Old Colony Mainline, all inbound and outbound trains had to cross one of the 3 Rolling Lift Bridges that spanned the South Bay Channel. These bridges, which took 2 years to build carried untold amount of passengers & trains during their 87 year lifetime.

"The driving force to build Boston Terminal (South Station's Real Name) back in 1894 required the co-operation & consolidation of 4 Railroads: The New England Railroad (NY&NE), The Boston & Providence Railroad (B&P), the Old Colony Railroad (OCRR), and the Boston & Albany Railroad (B&A) to all share 1 common railroad terminal instead of being spread out all over Boston. In order to do this, the planners needed to accommodate the approach tracks for these 4 railroads & funnel them all into the South Station yards & platforms."

Read more about this bridge in this fascinating blog, The Rolling Lift Bridge by John Sheridan.

The Library of Congress has a collection of 47 amazing photographs of the Fort Point Channel Rolling Lift Bridge in their collection, including several detail views that no ordinary person would ever have the chance to see in person.

Tower bridges – Then and Now (100+ Years Later)

"Tower bridges" 1904 by Detroit Publishing Company



"Old Colony Railroad Bridge" 2010 by Penny Camberville

"When the bridges were torn-down in the 1980s, plans were created to preserve the memory of the bridges that kept traffic moving for over 85 years. If you are coming to South Station on any of the Old Colony tracks, look to the right as the train is crossing the remains of Fort Point Channel. There you will see, painted bright red is a piece of the original bridge - still watching passengers cross the channel." – John Sheridan, "The Rolling Lift Bridge"

www.flickr.com/photos/pixelwrangler/: Thank you for this historical context! From railroad bridge to public art--100 years of change.

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Egg and Dart Society, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Looking more closely at the sign (and knowing the geography of the Boston area), the description would be more accurate if it said "traveled to Malden via Broadway and Ferry Streets". This map of the Elevated system (found on Wikipedia) might be of interesting as it shows the line heading north from Charlestown up through Everett (on Broadway) and then on to Ferry St to Malden. -- Seen in a discussion of the group "Flickr Commons" (?)

This image has been used in the indicommons.org post: Delivering the Mail

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Die Erinnerungen, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

This is classic. But yes, it's TO the northern suburb of Malden by way of Broadway and Ferry Streets.

It's interesting to see how much the mail system has changed, but also how much it has stayed the same. Mail isn't typically sent via a train like this, but it still is transported across the states by large vehicles or planes. It just depends on if you are sending bulk mail or not; different services treat it differently. www.omsmail.com