The Boston Street Railway Association (BSRA) is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

in Boston, Massachusetts, whose central objective is preserving transportation history in Boston and throughout

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. They host monthly membership meetings, publish a bimonthly transit news

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

, and are restoring an ex-Boston Type 5 streetcar. They also regularly publish their own books and materials, as well as organize fan trips on Boston's

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

and to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. Funding for the organization is provided primarily through

tax-deductible Tax deduction is a reduction of income that is able to be taxed and is commonly a result of expenses, particularly those incurred to produce additional income. Tax deductions are a form of tax incentives, along with exemptions and tax credits. T ...

member and individual donations, as well as through

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

and donations from other organizations and groups. The BSRA maintains a website a
thebsra.org
The site displays upcoming monthly meeting topics, information about the Association, and a mail-order and online bookstore.

History

The BSRA was founded in 1959 by ten railfans – nine in their twenties, and one teenager. That year, they purchased 1924-built Type 5 streetcar #5706 – one of only four such cars that remained – from a junkyard for $500 for future use on charter trips. The organization has since become known for its

publications To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Conve ...

, which have covered various aspects of public transportation history in New England and the Boston area, its occasional fan trips on the Boston MBTA's system and other places, as well as for its bimonthly magazine, ''Rollsign''.

Monthly meetings

For many years, monthly membership meetings were held in the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts at the corner of Tremont and Boylston streets in Boston, but after that building was renovated and repurposed, BSRA gatherings have been relocated to the Midtown Hotel on

Huntington Avenue Huntington Avenue is a secondary thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, beginning at Copley Square, and continuing west through the Back Bay, Fenway, Longwood, and Mission Hill neighborhoods. Huntington Avenue is signed as Route 9 ...

. These are open to all members as well as the general public, and typically consist of a short business meeting followed by a longer entertainment presentation. Entertainment at the meetings typically consists of photo slides and videos on various topics in public transit, modern and historical, and often covers systems around the country and around the world. Any member or officer is allowed to make a presentation of their materials, provided it is scheduled in advance with the Entertainment Chairman.

Publications

The BSRA publishes ''Roll Sign'' bimonthly, and it is mailed to all members in good standing. It generally covers New England transportation news and events in articles and photos, submitted by publication staff and BSRA members. Recently, the magazine has adopted full color printing for most of its issues, after remaining black and white for most of its existence. The BSRA produces other publications, or "Bulletins", on a regular basis. These range in size from smaller booklets to full-size

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

books. Topics generally include historical aspects of Boston's public transit, as well as transit in other New England cities like

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. An example Bulletin, No. 24, is ''Boston Transit Equipment: 1979-2009'', written by Michael R. Prescott and published in October 2009.

Streetcar restoration

The BSRA funds and manages the restoration of a historic "Type 5" Boston streetcar, No. 5706, which was built for the Boston Elevated Railway by J.G. Brill Co. in 1924. It was acquired by the BSRA's founding members in 1959, and the BSRA has been actively preserving and restoring the car ever since.

Fan trips

The BSRA charters occasional fan trips on Boston's transportation system and other railroad and transit-related locations. For example, a fan trip occurred on June 14, 2009, when the BSRA chartered a bus to visit their streetcar (#5706), and the

Shore Line Trolley Museum The Shore Line Trolley Museum is a trolley museum located in East Haven, Connecticut. Incorporated in 1945, it is the oldest continuously operating trolley museum in the United States. The museum includes exhibits on trolley history in the visit ...

in East Haven, Connecticut.

Board of Directors

Notes and references

External links

Official website
{{authority control Non-profit organizations based in Boston Public transportation in the Boston area History of Boston Railroad museums in Massachusetts Museums in Boston Rail transportation in Boston