ELECTRIC TROLLEYS

The primary mode of public transportation in South Boston some 81 years ago when I was born was the electric trolley. We lived at the top of West Fifth St. so the closest line to us was the one that ran along Dorchester St. My mother would often take me to visit her sister in Brighton. She would deposit her nickel in the small box located near the conductor and off we would go. I travelled free because of my age. As we travelled toward Andrew Station the conductor would clang his bell when he encountered an obstruction. At Andrew the subway would take us to Park St. and then a trolley to Brighton.

The trolleys were powered by overhead wires which were connected to the car with an electric harness. Occasionally the harness became disengaged. This was particularly true at Perkins Square where the East and West Broadway lines intersected with the Dorchester line. The conductor would set the brakes, leave the car and proceed to the rear where he would set the harness on the correct line.

As I got older I would travel all over the city just for the fun of it. I loved the trolleys and subway system. I had to be careful to get off of stations that had crossovers otherwise I had to pay another nickel to return ---as I found out one day. Since I lived close to the trolley line I became accustomed to the sound of the clanging bell. After WWII the trolleys gave way to busses and the clangs replaced with annoying horns.

Several years ago while on vacation in San Francisco I stayed in Union Square along one of the Cable Car lines. Early one morning I was awakened by the clanging bell of the Cable Car. It brought me back instantly to a simpler time of my childhood.  Only then did I realize how much I missed the sound of the clanging bell.